American Teen

I watched this socalled "docu-soap" along with Inger Marie yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised of its quality. The movie is basically a modern day - real "Breakfast Club". The film teamed followed five students in a high school in a small town in Indiana during their senior year. The high school community is white, red and christian. I found this setting extremely familiar to my own surroundings during my exchange year back in Elmore, Ohio... The five kids, all representatives for different cliques and types in HS - the geek, the artsy, the jock, the prep. As wikipedia describes them:

Hannah Bailey - the "rebel." Hannah is an artist, musician and wannabe filmmaker whose liberal views are not a good fit for the conservative small-town culture of Warsaw. Early in the year, her long-time boyfriend breaks her heart, causing her to miss weeks of school while she recovers from the heartbreak, and later, while she deals with possible embarrassment at school for missing so many days. She dates Mitch for a while during the year, but their relationship causes friction with his clique of friends, and he breaks up with her via text message. At the year's end, she heads to San Francisco to live (and eventually go to college). In the film's credits, it's revealed she left the west coast for New York City to study filmmaking.

Colin Clemens - the "jock." Colin is a well liked, humorous student whose primary focus during the year is athletics. As the star basketball player for Warsaw, he realizes the year is a make-or-break opportunity to impress scouts and get a scholarship. To not get a scholarship will likely mean enrolling in the military - something his father constantly brings up through the film.

Megan Krizmanich - the "queen bee" or "princess." Megan is a popular student in many ways. She is academically talented, popular, and involved in many extracurricular activities. Her ultimate goal is to get into the University of Notre Dame, something that many of her family members have done before her. She is manipulative and mean but she is also humanized by the portrayal of her own social and emotional struggles.

Mitch Reinholt - the "heartthrob." Mitch is popular at school because of his easygoing ways, his good looks, and his sports talent (he's a teammate of Colin's). He is the least featured of the five primary students, and is even left off some versions of the film's movie poster. Mitch features prominently into the story when he starts dating Hannah.

Jake Tusing - the "nerd" or "gamer." Jake is an introverted student whose hobbies are the marching band and video games. He longs to find and keep a girlfriend, and much of his storyline revolves around his dating life.


Of course, being a rebel without a cause myself, I identified the most with Hannah:) Honestly though, I think I was more of a mixture of the prep and the artsy back in my senior year in HS. I had a preppy style, but I wasn't uptight. Nowadays I like to change my style according to how I feel that specific day. I can be preppy, sure - but I can also go for the bohemian look, or be laid back with Carlings clothes, or be a sexy vamp by night. I'm free to decide, and that's what's great about it. My style is as diverse as my personality.
My senior picture from High School.

Conclusion: I liked this movie alot. Me recommend. Ps: Has won Sundance- award of best documentary in 2008.