Dear Thirteen

In this multifaceted and nuanced portrait of youth, filmmaker Alexis Neophytides trains her camera on nine 13-year-olds around the world (including a Mexican amateur boxer and a young transgender woman), learning what it takes for this new generation to come of age in a modern world. —M.G.

13: The crossover year. Arguably the most formative age of an adolescent, this pivotal birthday marks the gradual shift from childlike innocence to budding maturity. DEAR THIRTEEN explores the lives of nine 13-year-olds from the far reaches of Australia, Europe, Asia, and North America for a global snapshot of the next generation. Topics including grades, crushes, fitting in, and bullies feel universal. But life’s seemingly grown-up challenges don’t come with age minimums, forcing some to grow up sooner than others. Carrying the weight of gender identity, divorce, racism, and homelessness, each teen faces their own challenges as they long to find their place in the world. Their larger-than-life confidence balanced with timid insecurity is both endearing and relatable—a refreshing reminder of the beautiful complexity of growing up. —A.B.

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