I think a lot of people tend to come down pretty hard on Kristen Stewart, but I think she really is a great actress. I watched the Twilight movies a couple of years after they first came out, and I thought she did a decent job. But Speak...this was some really great acting. I really loved the scenes with the art teacher, especially the last one.The range of emotion Kristen showed in this movie were so varied, and very believable. I think she really shone in this movie, and it makes me interested in checking out other movies that she has done.If you're not sure if you want to see Speak, give it a chance like I did. I almost didn't watch it, but now I'm glad that I did.

Well which one is it? This movie really surprised me, as the performances from Stewart and Zahn are brilliant. The movie slowly unfolds and tells us the story of Melinda (Stewart) and a traumatic event during her summer causes her to lose all her confidence and become alienated from society.Her fellow classmates and her "ex best friends" bully her and parents don't understand her problem because she cannot talk or even imagine the event that caused her confidence to falter. Stewart does a great job as the frightened unconfident Melinda and the narration from her is quirky, funny but also gives an insight of how the character actually feels. Zahn also does a great job as the funky art teacher trying to inspire his students and help Melinda regain her confidence. The direction of the film is steady and knows where it wants to head and finish and shows the harsh reality of highschool where cliques form and bullying thrives but i felt that Angarano and Zahn deserved more screen time because they were great.Positives: Great acting, good story and really pulls you into the film Negatives: Should've had more from the secondary characters Overall: Should definitely watch this film!!

Speak is the movie that gave the illusion Kristen Stewart was a good actress. It is a poignant and look at a traumatized girl with elective mutism.Melinda Sordino (Kristen Stewart) is a normal, happy fourteen-year-old about to start high school. But one night at a party something horrible happens to her, and she calls 911 to ask for help. Unable to find her voice, she hangs up and the police come to the address and bust the party. The already traumatized Melinda is labeled a "Squealer" and loses all her friends, becoming a pariah as she enters high school. In light of the painful event and the fact that everyone hates her, Melinda decides to stop talking. While her parents (Elizabeth Perkins & D.B. Sweeney) seem oblivious to her depression and withdrawal, Melinda finds solace in her caring art teacher Mr. Freeman (Steve Zahn) and outspoken classmate Dave Petrakis (Michael Angarano). Through her year long assignment of drawing trees, Melinda tries to heal from what happened and speak again, while slowly revealing to the audience what changed her life.The story is solid, and it was a very good adaption of the novel. The book put a lot of focus on Melinda's artwork, and it is even more powerful to see it on screen. Kristen Stewart performs well in this film, probably because her flat affect and often blank expressions fit so well with the character. She does well with the few lines within the film itself, and an even better job of narrating it. Kristen narrates with an air of pained dissociation, which rings very true for anyone who has or works with people suffering with Post-Traumatic Stress. There is also a heartfelt performance by Steve Zahn, as the only adult who reaches out to Melinda and gives her exactly what she needs—a tool to process her emotions. So good it will make you overlook the Twilight series!

I just watched the movie and it compelled me to write my first review.It itself says much about the movie.This is my 4th movie of Kristen Stewart and i should say she's gonna be the leading lady of the Hollywood in few years. The movie is about a teen who was assaulted in a party and kept the fact with her, leading her into a state of loneliness and lack of confidence to share her views with anyone.The subject was very hard to be dealt with but credit should be given to the director Jessica sharzer and of course to Kristen Stewart for a performance that will be remembered throughout her career.Kristen did a fantabulous portrayal of a traumatized teen with an ease.Its very difficult to let the other person know your feelings when you have few words to say but Kristen's expressions and body language did it all effortlessly. The direction of the movie is superb dealing more with expressions and behavior than dialogs. Even dealing with such a subject the movie is engrossing and does not let you go anywhere.I highly recommend this movie to every high school guys/gals and to everyone in their 20s or 30s.