Kristen Stewart was Outstanding

I don't think much of her as an adult actress. She's too 'wooden', she just struggles to emote with her face, something that comes naturally to better actors.

All that said, she's incredible in this role. I don't know whether its that she was a more talented child actress, and it didn't translate into adulthood, or that her emotionless demeanor was ideally suited to this role as a mute rape victim.

I think some of both.

Also, I sort of get the feeling that this film was shown to every high school, or middle school class in America at some point, and that this is why KS is so incredibly well known and loved by an entire generation of kids.