American Teen is a reality style documentary covering a year in the lives of a graduating class at a high school in Warsaw Indiana.
The film focuses on five students representing a spectrum of predictable types. I found the nerdy student, despite his acne, more attractive than the main sports jock although a secondary jock was better looking than them both. The secondary jock also seemed much older in looks than his classmates yet his behaviour at times was immature. Similarly the odd one out female student was far more interesting than the supposedly attractive class favourite whose behaviour at times was reprehensible.
I had a few laughs watching this and found the film an interesting glimpse into the American education system, so different from the system and school from which I received my education.
Overall, though, I found it difficult to believe that everything we see in the film was natural activity occurring without interference or direction from its makers.
Do you think American schools could possibly be the way they are portrayed in film and TV? It just seems so odd to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure fictional television and film portrayals of American schools include a great deal of theatrical licence.
ReplyDeleteThis film, though, is a documentary which followed one class though its graduation year so I assume the school portrayed is genuine even if all the situations are not.