Tangled Magazine

American Teen
A film review by Laura Hartley

5.0 OUT OF 5.0 STARS

Directed    : Nanette Burstein
Runing Time : 100 minutes
Language : English

Directed by Nanette Burstein, the documentary American Teen follows the lives of six Indiana teenagers throughout their final year of high school.

Watching the typical “queen bee”, jock, geek, arty outsider and confused popular boy is both hilarious and heartbreaking.   We observe their first loves, first break ups (via text message!), jealousy and overbearing parents, all while they are going through the trials and tribulations of college choosing.  

What’s interesting is that although these teenagers’ lives are so ridiculous, the whole movie is so realistic – and not just in an American mid-western high school, but in any high school.   And right when you are in the middle of hating the rich, popular, “has it all” bitch (she vandalised someone’s house because their idea for prom theme won), you hear something that makes them a little more human (her sister committed suicide). 

Burstein employs an interesting use of animation when the students are talking about their lifelong dreams, almost (subtly) making fun of their ambitions (so easy to do…).  Everyone in the audience laughed, cried and cringed for the entire hour and forty minutes. 

If you have ever been to high school – you have to see this movie. 

The Sydney Film Festival is showing from June 4 – June 22, 2008