Claim: The life of the writer of Thirteen is the basis for the story.

Thirteen is a 2003 American semi-autobiographical drama film , directed by Catherine Hardwicke , and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed , based on events from Reed 's life at age 12 and 13 . It stars Evan Rachel Wood , with Wood 's character `` Tracy '' being loosely based upon Reed . Nikki Reed herself co-stars in the role of Evie Zamora . The script was written in six days .   The film caused controversy upon its release , because it dealt with topics like drugs such as inhalants , marijuana , and alcohol , underage sexual behavior , and self-harm . The film earned Holly Hunter an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Golden Globe nominations for Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress in a Drama , respectively .