'MO - July 2008 - (Page 22)

p/reviews FEATURE FILM REVIEW American Teen Reviewed by Matthew McQuilkin Directing: A Writing: A Cinematography: AEditing: A+ Overall: A If you think a documentary about ﬁve typical American teenagers couldn’t possibly be interesting, not only are you patently wrong, but you’re underestimating the ﬁlmmaking power of director Nanette Burstein (The Kid Stays in the Picture). American Teen, in spite of its too-obvious title, is that rare kind of extraordinary documentary, which is thoroughly (and sometimes brutally) honest about its subjects, and devoid of either manipulative sentimentality or heavy-handed politicking. Its pointed lack of any kind of sensationalism is a true testament to how “reality programming” really can be done with dignity if done right. And Burstein certainly had the right idea. She found a small, one-high-school town in Indiana, and ﬁlmed the lives of a select group of kids every single day for ten months. In the editing process, she focused the story on ﬁve archetypal teenagers: “the princess” (Megan Krizmanich); “the heartthrob” (Mitch Reinholt); “the rebel” (Hannah Bailey); “the jock” (Colin Clemens); and “the geek” (Jake Tusing). As a result, we get to see the story of all these kids’ Senior year of high school, complete with all the highs and lows we’re all too familiar with, from homecoming to prom and from text-message breakup to university application. Now, before you write off the concept as a reality-programming version of an updated Breakfast Club, consider this: Burstein and her ﬁlm crew actually developed close relationships with these kids over the course of their school year, to the point where they all bare the truest parts of themselves—the best and the worst—on camera. Burstein and her two other editors focused their 1000+ hours of footage into one of the most honest revelations of teenage life ever presented on ﬁlm, without even a hint of exploitation. Although it’s true that it would have been nice for Burstein to ﬁnd a more diverse high school (she says she tried, but it was a challenge when she decided it had to be a Midwestern small town), anyone who has gone to high school—that is, pretty much everyone, black or white, gay or straight, or anything in between—is going to be able to relate to the kids in this movie. The emotions they display on camera, in a way It’s Back that is genuine as opposed to manufactured tears on Big Brother, make for a surprisingly visceral experience for the viewer. You feel by turns totally heartbroken and ecstatic for these wonderful kids, all of them ordinary in their way, but Nanette Burstein shows us how to see what makes them special. These kids all have extremely typical problems and social pressures: the need to get accepted to the right college; the desire for the perfect relationship; the feeling of being alienated by their parents; a capacity for extreme pettiness and spreading vicious rumors (exacerbated by the cell phone age). But these things are precisely what make American Teen universal, and its frank presentation truly sets it apart. It may may sound trite to say you’ll laugh, and you’ll cry, but there’s truth to that in this case because its level of honesty taps into our own past experiences in high school. It’s not so much a revisiting of the horrors of high school as it is a thoroughly entertaining look at American teenagers and the way they behave. It sheds new light not only on kids today, but on what we were like ourselves at that age. Truth is a very powerful thing, and it makes American Teen a moving experience. A Garden Party Benefiting Gay City Health Project American Teen is slated to open Aug 1 at a Seattle-area Landmark Theatre. Save the Date! Thursday August 14th / 6pm Eden For more information visit www.gaycity.org To read Matthew’s reviews of current and past ﬁlms on the Web, please visit http://cinema-holic.livejournal.com. 22 celebrating seattle’s gay community http://www.gaycity.org http://www.gaycity.org http://cinema-holic.livejournal.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - July 2008

'MO - July 2008 Contents Letter From The Editor Series 2008 Needs Volunteers Voices 'mo-BIZ: City Lights Sign Company HIV Is Still a Big Deal, The Online Video Series Instant Activist Pet Project: Wiener Takes All Charlene Strong on the Rights Fight Form & Function: Molding Your Middle Will the Economy Ruin LGBT Funding? Toronto is a Great Place to Meet Feature Film Review: American Teen Live Event Preview: Sitting In Circles with Rich White Girls Book Review: In the Eye of the Storm by Gene Robinson Capitol Hill Guide Three Dollar Bill Cinema Presents: Features from the Black Lagoon Raising Spirits: Tini Bigs Offers Five New Martinis SceneOut: People@Places

'MO - July 2008

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