Review of American Teen (2008) by Lindsay M — 04 Jan 2009

"American Teen" is a self-professed documentary that comes off as little more than a slightly ambitious episode of The Real World. For what it's worth, however, the stories presented here are at times touching, and there is a sense of authenticity that we get from the students themselves. Having graduated in only 2006, I was instantly able to draw a web of comparisons between the teens in my high school and the teens in this one. They're archetypes, yes, but they're still plausible portraits of the American teen.

However, what really undermines what could be a rather fascinating film is the obvious presence of the cameras. These kids never seem uncomfortable, and at times moments are clearly staged or flat out phony. Why, for instance, would the popular girl in school openly trash someones house on film? Also, in a rather hilarious moment that i'm surprised I haven't seen brought up, there's a scene where the school jock shoots two free throws to win the big game. If you look closely when he's posing for a picture, the scoreboard reads 40-32. While every documentary is going to be manipulated in some way on the cutting room floor, "American Teen" is the most blatant and shameless i've seen.

I should note that I understand what kind of world these teens are growing up in. With MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, LiveJournal - hell, even Flixster, teenagers across the country proudly display their intimate lives to an unseen audience. Also, these kind of kids have grown up in an era of reality television and high drama posing as nonfiction. What's different here, however, is that the director, editors, and camera crew all seem to be manipulating this concept into easily digestible material. There are reports online of students of the high school claiming this was all fake, and that the teens presented here are nothing like their real selves. While taking anonymous reports from the internet as fact is absurd, part of me has no problems believing what some of these message board posters are saying. When you clearly manipulate the film with editing, such as the obvious blooper in the basketball scene I mentioned, why should we continue to trust the filmmakers?

"American Teen" primarily focuses on just four seniors at a high school in Warsaw, Indiana, and it was filmed in the 2005-2006 school year (also the year I graduated). Colin is the stud basketball player that everyone loves. He's funny, charming, and has it in with the ladies - however, his parents constantly pressure him to attain a scholarship as they can't afford college. Jake is the film's geek, a video game enthusiast who's greatest fantasy involves himself as Link from the Zelda series. Megan is this school's "Heather", always aided along by her devilish sidekick, Ali. And finally there is Hannah, clearly director Nanette Burstein's favorite subject, who is fascinated in liberal arts and wants to study film in California. In one of the twists of the film, after Hannah suffers a crushing break up with a long time boyfriend, she hooks up with the school's popular hunk Mitch.

It should be noted that the subjects Nanette Burstein selected are very good. Colin is perhaps the most likable onscreen jock you'll ever see - he's not the bully that, in this case, would be picking on Jake, rather he's universally beloved. When Jake is asked about guys like Colin and Mitch, he simply says that he doesn't understand them. If I had any complaints, it would be that all of these character arcs had a rather shallow conflict and never felt the need to elaborate further. Will the jock get a scholarship, will the bitch get her just due, will the nerd get a girlfriend, etc. The film's best moments are when they delve into the back stories of it's subjects, however then is also where we get uncomfortable at the voyeur we've become. I grew up with reality television, but i'll never stop feeling uncomfortable when real people cry about lost loved ones on screen.

"American Teen" is certainly entertaining and easy-to-watch, but I felt almost offended by the filmmakers who assumed nobody would see past their manipulating hands on the project. It's a good film, but unfortunately it sacrifices the audience's trust to the point where we assume everything is fake.