A revealing look at today's high schools, told from the perspective of 5 actual high school seniors in the small town of Warsaw, Indiana is coming to your local theater. It was the breakout hit of the Sundance Film Festival.
Last night, I went to a screening of this new documentary, called "American Teen". It should be released on July 25th, though it may take a while to get to your community multiplex. Raw, dramatic, emotional, funny, human - you'll be struck by the universality of the experiences of these teens. Even if you grew up in a large urban environment, or outside the US, you'll see something from your own high school memories as you follow the adventures of Hannah, Megan, Jake, Colin and Mitch.There is also a Facebook page with links to each particpant's profile.
During the time the crew was filming, they captured on film a high school cyberbullying event (the screening audience responded by loud booing, even though the perpetrator was in the room); pressure to get a sports scholarship, a teen gamer who just wants a girlfriend, "Mean Girls" behavior and general fear and uncertainty about life ahead. They even show a teen romance ending by text message. OMG.
One standout teen from the film, is the alternately joyous and despondent Hannah Bailey. She is an atypical beauty, fresh faced and lean. She literally dances onto the screen, introducing the events with her own voiceover and ultimately steals the viewer's heart with her high school troubles and strong, independent spirit. Go see this film with your family. It's rated PG-13 and you'll find much to discuss with your teen on the ride home.