American Teen
December 7th 2008 07:12
I RECENTLY attended my 10-year high school reunion and it was a bit of an eerie experience. I got a similar feeling while watching American Teen.
The documentary follows four 17-year-olds in their final year of high school in the small town of Warsaw, Indiana. Director Nanette Burnstein went for stereotypes, so there’s the jock (Colin), the popular blonde (Megan), the geek (Jake) and the alternative, artsy type (Hannah).
It gives the viewer a good insight into what it’s like to be a high school student in modern America (or anywhere else in the west, for that matter) and it’s interesting to see how things have changed since you were in their shoes. The social and academic pressures are intense and technology has only made things more difficult. The students are permanently connected via computers and mobiles, so it’s almost like they can never leave the school grounds. They are always contactable, whether they like it or not.
The kids are very real (no make-up), but the film is almost too slick for events to be unfolding naturally and in real time. I sometimes found myself questioning whether it was genuine and it reminded me of contrived ‘reality’ shows such as The Hills and Laguna Beach.
Even so, it’s undeniably intriguing and entertaining. People often say school’s the best years of your life. I don’t think Colin, Megan, Jake or Hannah would agree, and I don’t, either.
The documentary follows four 17-year-olds in their final year of high school in the small town of Warsaw, Indiana. Director Nanette Burnstein went for stereotypes, so there’s the jock (Colin), the popular blonde (Megan), the geek (Jake) and the alternative, artsy type (Hannah).
It gives the viewer a good insight into what it’s like to be a high school student in modern America (or anywhere else in the west, for that matter) and it’s interesting to see how things have changed since you were in their shoes. The social and academic pressures are intense and technology has only made things more difficult. The students are permanently connected via computers and mobiles, so it’s almost like they can never leave the school grounds. They are always contactable, whether they like it or not.
The kids are very real (no make-up), but the film is almost too slick for events to be unfolding naturally and in real time. I sometimes found myself questioning whether it was genuine and it reminded me of contrived ‘reality’ shows such as The Hills and Laguna Beach.
Even so, it’s undeniably intriguing and entertaining. People often say school’s the best years of your life. I don’t think Colin, Megan, Jake or Hannah would agree, and I don’t, either.
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