Have you ever doubted that school is a battleground? This film should set you straight.
Nanette Burstein’s American Teen doc cherry-picks five teen-flick archetypes from a Midwest high: school: geek, jock, alt gal, hunk, queen bee. It sounds contrived, but Teen’s selfconsciousness is apt – the kids are acutely aware of their place. Besides, much here rings with authenticity, like the cruelty with which mobile phones (good for dumping) and email (good for circulating one girl’s topless photo) can become weapons of mass emotional destruction.
Bile-attracting psycho-princess aside, you warm to these kids. Indie chick Hannah draws the most sympathy – though whether that’s because she’s part-deliberately staged as Burstein’s stand-in or because her emotional bruising elicits genuine empathy is debatable.
If the film’s muddying of reality and performance is unclear, that confusion is mirrored in the kids’ reflections on their own identities. As Hannah puts it, “All we have to do is figure out who we really are… Holy shit!”.
The bustling life of the film enlightens without hectoring. These kids might be alright in the long haul but their states of turmoil engender respect for their struggles, uncertainties and anxieties.
Extras-wise, the sole and all-too-brief interviews offer no resolutions. It’s testament to this movie that it leaves you wanting to gatecrash a class reunion 10 years down the line.
DVD Extras:
- Cast interviews
- Making Of
- Director interview
- Extra scenes
