American
Teen
American Teen is a documentary
that proves the more things change, the more they stay the same. I just
wish director Nanette Burstein was satisfied with the movie being just
a documentary.
In American Teen, Burstein follows a group of high
school seniors from Warsaw, Indiana as they try to cope with the
pressures of life as a kid, the dreams they have for the future, and
trying to survive their senior year. The typical cast of characters
shows up including Megan (The Rich Princess and Queen Bee), Colin (The
Jock), Jake (The Nerd) and Hannah (The Rebel who wants to get out of
this place as soon as possible). A guest appearance by Molly Ringwald
is the only piece of the puzzle missing in this scenario.
All of us have faced, or currently are facing, these challenges, so
it’s very easy for the audience to sympathize with what each
kid is going through, and the strong personalities of each student
draws in the audience as we watch their lives play out before us no
matter how ugly it can get. You will be shocked at some of the
statements made by parents, and heartbroken as our favorite character
is distraught over the developments in her relationships.
When she’s focused on that premise, Burstein finds the epic,
almost Greek tragedy, aspect of these young lives as they struggle with
new found sexuality, pressure from their parents, high school scandals,
and the possibility dreams might not come true. However, Burstein also
tosses in some animated dream sequences that take the audience out of
the documentary mindset. The point of a documentary is to see real life
in its raw, unfiltered glory. However, these sequences, along with a
feeling the kids might be a bit more savvy about how to act in front of
the camera than you would like, leaves us craving more realism.
American Teen is fascinating and might bring
back high school flashbacks for those who haven’t come to grips
with prom night and the one who broke your heart.
American Teen is rated PG-13 for for some strong language, sexual material, some drinking and brief smoking-all involving teens.
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