Critique: Film> Reviews.

"My mom? She threw me away. She threw me away!"

-- Amanda Sue Bradley (Juliette Lewis)

Juliette Lewis is renowned for playing white-trash roles. She manages to give simple-minded lowlifes a level of dignity, which then allows the audience to connect with her characters, emotionally, and begin to see things beyond the usual stereotypes that they never would've expected. It's a testament to her ability as an actress.

Too Young To Die? contains one of her earliest roles. She plays Amanda, a 15-year-old who lives in a trailer with her Mother and Step-Father. Suffering cruelty and sexual abuse, she runs away from home to find a job and a place to stay. Then, alone and desperate, she ends up working in a seedy bar as a pole dancer under the wing of local scumbag, Billy Canton (Brad Pitt). Pressured to do drugs and expose as much flesh as possible, Amanda attempts to escape again by going off with a divorced soldier (Michael O'Keefe), but is left neglected once more. Eventually, she finds herself being tried as an adult on death row (at sixteen) after brutally murdering her ex-partner.

The film's purpose is to convince us that Amanda is the real victim. Lewis' despairing performance is impressive, and connects with us that we begin to question the nature of the story for ourselves (which, incidentally, is based on the real-life murder of Ronald Wojcik by Attina Marie Cannaday, in Mississippi, 1982). Pitt is also very convincing as the instigating character of the murder scene -- one of his best performances on film.

Too Young To Die? may have the unfortunate subtitle of "made-for-TV", but it's far from a forgettable movie. The character performances are strong, and the serious topic of the death penalty is handled so eloquently that there are a number of stand-out moments that linger with you for quite some time after.

There is a particular moment when Amanda wakes up on Christmas morning to only a tube of sweets. Lewis' character still has the heart to say "Merry Christmas, Mama", though her Mother quickly walks out the door, which prompts a sexual assault by her drunken Step-Father. It's an incredibly heartbreaking scene to watch, but one that will capture your attention well before the inevitable murder scene that soon follows.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.