American Teen

A lot of the criticism over American Teen lies with the notion that some of what occurs in the documentary appears staged. Watching the Nannette Burstein film left me unconvinced of those critiques, however, as the 2008 doc gets so close to its subjects as to inherit some of their flair for the dramatic.

Indeed, American Teen gets right inside the lives of a group of teens from Indiana. The picture tucks in at Warsaw Community High School in an affluent town, remaining there for the course of one school year for a class of seniors eager to get on with their lives. Burstein’s capturing of this crucial time is compelling, as the doc is able to chart the drama and comedy of high school life with all the tricks and flash today’s teens exhibit.

We’re introduced to the teens and they come across, at first, like stereotypes. Hannah is the artist, Colin is the jock, Jake is the nerd, Megan is the popular girl, and Mitch is the apparent heartthrob. As the documentary expands, however, we learn that there’s more to these people than we first thought. Each one struggles with the crushing weight of expectations, heartache, insecurity and loneliness to a certain degree.

It may seem to some that American Teen looks a bit too polished, but I believe this is a real reflection of the subject. These teens, complete in their awareness of being filmed, would most assuredly behave accordingly. Some may be bolder than normal and may show a bizarre sense of pride during an act of vandalism, for instance, while others may be more apt to share apparent heartache with a watching camera lens.

In that respect, American Teen is incredibly real. As Burstein’s camera explores the spreading of a nude photo via email and cell phone, for instance, we see reactions and intentions out in the open. We see the players without shame, as they are in these moments, and exposing their true intentions as plays for popularity and attention. Why else would a seemingly normal high school girl behave with cruelty?

This is a film that gets it right. High schoolers do often match up with stereotypes, they do match up with their cliques, and they do behave in absurd, laughable, emotional ways. Burstein’s camera, like any other filmmaker’s camera attempting to draw out the reality of a teen, runs up against the usual trappings of a highly volatile subject. There is bound to be dishonesty and showmanship and, to this documentary’s credit, all is laid out there for the viewer.

For a lot of the audience, American Teen will not be the high school experience they remember. The text messaging breakups, the interesting relationships and the strong dedication to maintaining popularity despite internal emotional pressures are all symbols of this generation. If nothing else, Burstein’s doc shows us just how much damn pressure these kids are under to succeed and to excel.

American Teen made me grateful that I was a Canadian teen. The pressures of academia will always be difficult to bear, as will the parental expectations, but it just seems to me that the Canadian culture is less harsh and less competitive when it comes to the notion of success in young people. I was allowed to grow and decide on school when I felt ready, thankfully.

So Burstein’s film is a bold reflection of teen life in modern, affluent America. It is the entire shebang of teen life, in fact, warts and all. There are flaws to this picture, naturally, and those flaws exist because there are flaws to the human experience and because there are flaws in being a teen. With that in mind, American Teen may be one of the purest pictures on the subject of teenagers I’ve seen in a long time.

Trailer: