Everything you need to know about``Thirteen'' you can learn from the film's rating from the Motion Picture Association of America.

``Thirteen'' is rated R for (and I've never seen this combination before) ``drug use, self-destructive violence, language and sexuality - all involving young teens.''

The film takes a piercing, wrenching look at what it feels like for a girl, as the Madonna song goes. It feels that much more realistic because it was shot with hand-held digital video over just 26 days, creating the raw vitality of a documentary.

And every word feels achingly accurate in the script, co-written by director Catherine Hardwicke and the film's co-star, Nikki Reed who was, at the time, a 13-year-old girl herself.

Reed, in her first film role, and Evan Rachel Wood, who already
proved herself talented beyond her years on the ABC drama ``Once and Again,'' both give startling performances. Both were about 13 when they shot the film, which helps. More importantly, though, both actresses possess the very strength and confidence that their characters lack.

Tracy (Wood) was a good girl who wore her hair in pigtails, played with dolls and did her homework before she met Evie (Reed), the hottest girl at Los Angeles' Portola Middle School.