American Teen (film) dir. Nanette Burstein

American Teen
Directed by Nanette Burstein
ASIN B001OAOJUW
Running Time: 95 minutes
Paramount Vantage, 2008
Rated PG-13
Starring: Hannah Bailey, Megan Krizmanich, Jake Tusing

Genre: Documentary

Viewers Annotation
Five students in an Indiana high school -- two athletes, the queen bee, an artistic rebel, and a nerd -- are followed and filmed throughout their senior year.

Plot Summary
American Teen follows five teens at Warsaw High School in Warsaw, Indiana. Hannah is the rebel, an artist, musician and free spirit who wants to leave the Midwest and move to California to work in film. Megan is the most popular girl in school, chair of practically every student committee and a decent athlete, but many classmates, even her friends, complain that she's a bitch. Colin is the school's star athlete, a basketball player who is depending on winning a scholarship to attend college. He's a nice and funny guy, though the pressure of his future seems to be weighing heavily on him.  Mitch is another basketball player, well-liked at school for his charm and his good looks. Jake is a nerd, an avid gamer and band geek. He continually asks girls out on dates, with varying success.

The movie follows them throughout their senior year, showing how their lives do (and don't) intersect. The movie's climax comes with their college acceptance letters and senior prom.

Critical Summary
This is an entertaining and thoughtful documentary. There's some real drama here. After her boyfriend breaks up with her immediately after they have sex for the first time, Hannah spirals into a deep depression and can't bear to go to school. (We learn her mother is manic-depressive, and Hannah fears she's inherited the disorder herself.) She misses so much school that the principal informs her that if she misses another day, she won't be able to graduate. After seeing Hannah perform in a rock band at a school assembly, Mitch develops a crush on her. They start dating and seem to have a great relationship--he has a goofy side, just like she does--but pressure from his friends, who can't understand why a popular kid like him is dating an outcast like her, affects their relationship.

Megan shows her true colors through multiple events throughout the film and is shown to be a generally unlikable person, but late in the film, we learn about a family tragedy that makes us much more sympathetic to her.  Colin's father, a high school basketball star himself, puts immense pressure on his son to win a scholarship, and Colin begins to crack under the pressure. When a cute new freshman girl moves to town and joins the band, Jake sees an opportunity to get a girlfriend who doesn't know about his nerdy past.

All of these real, natural events are incredibly moving and compelling. Burstein does a great job in bringing the viewer back to the heightened emotional state one lives in as a high school senior. The movie also has several interesting animated sequences with different visual styles that allow the teen's deepest fears or dreams to be creatively depicted. Unfortunately, at times the movie seems scripted. In his review of the film, Roger Ebert complains that Megan is shown drawing sexual graffiti and a slur on a classmate's window and says that the incident seems staged. I had the same complaint, and also felt that several other scenes seemed staged by the filmmakers to maximize on-camera drama, similar to shows like Laguna Beach or The Hills.

Hannah Bailey's story is by far the most compelling, and she's the stand-out star here. As she struggles to maintain her independence amid a family who tells her "just remember: you're not special," the viewer roots for her to hold onto her dreams.

About the Director
Nanette Burstein is a documentary filmmaker who has worked on both films and television series. Several of her previous works have centered around young adults: On the Ropes is a documentary film that follows several young boxers and their trainer, and Film School was a reality TV series that followed young film students in New York.

Curriculum Ties
American Teen could be shown to spur discussion about a number of current teen issues: peer pressure, family pressure, social cliques, bullying, relationships, toxic friendships, etc.

Viewing Interest/Level
The documentary, which is rated PG-13 for some strong language use, and some scenes of teenage drinking and sexuality.  It's most appropriate for high schoolers and up.

Challenge Issues
While it's not ever present, at times the teens in this film do "drop F-bombs" and use other strong language. There is some mention to teenage sexuality, and at one point someone draws a penis on another classmate's window.  The teens drink and get drunk in several scenes. Since this is a documentary, these scenes probably mirror the everyday lives of many American teens. Since adults seem to be familiar with the MPAA rating system and the film is appropriately rated PG-13, I do not see that inclusion of this DVD in a library collection would be challenged. However, were it to be used as part of a school curriculum, there is a possibility the film could be challenged.  Should that happen, the teacher should point to the film's numerous positive reviews and explain how it related to the lesson.

Selection Criteria
When this film came out last year, I was intrigued by its premise. After seeing it mentioned in multiple articles in our class reading, I decided to rent it.