And Now I Try Hard To Make It, I Just Want To Make You Proud, I'm Never Gonna Be Good, Enough For You, I Can't Pretend That, I'm Alright
--"Perfect", Simple Plan
I watched American Teen at the Arclight this past weekend. I don't know what I was expecting, but I kind of had been looking forward to this movie. A few people whose opinion I trust as well a number of publications gave favorable reviews, calling it the antithesis of the recent trend towards event reality entertainment.
It's an exquisitely done documentary following five teens in Warsaw, Indiana during the last year (2006) of high school. But rather than act up for the camera and acknowledge they're being filmed, the filmmakers got really lucky and found individuals who feel rather at ease around the camera. Not only that, but their situations and dilemmas don't feel end-of-the-world dramatic, but rather subdued moments of quiet desperation that we've all be through. Their reactions feel genuine if only because they don't blow up big and strong right away; there are scenes that are at turns joyous, tragic, heartbreaking, and stoic that blows any comparative scene from shows like The Hills and its ilk out of the water.
I agree with the reviews, Hannah Bailey is definitely the most interesting subject. Her desire to leave her small town and head for California holds the most attention. When she talks about having never been to California, but it holding the promise of something magical ("Anywhere they can elect Arnold governor is fucking where I want to be!) drew the biggest laughs, but it's also universal in its appeal of there being somewhere far away where you really belong, where you really fit in, and where you can be accepted. Or, as the Boston Globe put it, "Hannah, the rebel with dreams of film school in San Francisco, is the only star of "American Teen" who goes beyond the cliche - first in her near-meltdown after a traumatic breakup, and again in the film's surprising coda, when she leaves behind the comfort of familiarity for new horizons."
However, the other four characters are just as captivating. I think there's a bit of the universal struggle of giving meaning to one's life in every single one of them.
I usually don't like documentaries. This one had me entertained from the first ten minutes to the very last frame, though. There's a lot to like there and very little to detract from it.
My only regret is not having forgone going to San Diego last night because they had a screening with the kids (well, I guess they can't be called kids any more as they are all sophomores in college) last night at the Arclight where they stayed to answer questions. I would've loved to have picked their brains about what they thought of the film.
and you can't change me
----
It's funny. I talk to Miss Toby sometimes about her experience at adolescence differs from how I experienced it like it's this big generation gap, but when I see films like this I realize it never really changes. All the same crap that I went through is the same crap that she goes through and it's probably going to be the same sort of issues that the generation after that goes through. I don't believe there's a solution to it. I don't believe there's a quick fix to it. It really is something that everyone must go through if only to appreciate who they are more.
When everything's easy, when you have life handed to you, you never really learn about who you are and what you can do. That's what I've seen firsthand. It's only until that you cannot get through a task as easily as you once did, it's only when the odds are stacked against you, that you find out the content of your character. You're never your true self until you find out who you are when you're at your lowest. Anybody can be the best picture of themselves when life is going smoothly; it's the burden of growth and experience to have some pretty horrible things happen to you--losing a loved one, having someone not believe in you, realizing one of your dreams isn't going to come true.
That's the stuff life is made of... everything else that's good and sweet in the world is just sugar coating that makes it go down easier.
Yours Swimmingly,
mojo shivers
I watched American Teen at the Arclight this past weekend. I don't know what I was expecting, but I kind of had been looking forward to this movie. A few people whose opinion I trust as well a number of publications gave favorable reviews, calling it the antithesis of the recent trend towards event reality entertainment.It's an exquisitely done documentary following five teens in Warsaw, Indiana during the last year (2006) of high school. But rather than act up for the camera and acknowledge they're being filmed, the filmmakers got really lucky and found individuals who feel rather at ease around the camera. Not only that, but their situations and dilemmas don't feel end-of-the-world dramatic, but rather subdued moments of quiet desperation that we've all be through. Their reactions feel genuine if only because they don't blow up big and strong right away; there are scenes that are at turns joyous, tragic, heartbreaking, and stoic that blows any comparative scene from shows like The Hills and its ilk out of the water.
I agree with the reviews, Hannah Bailey is definitely the most interesting subject. Her desire to leave her small town and head for California holds the most attention. When she talks about having never been to California, but it holding the promise of something magical ("Anywhere they can elect Arnold governor is fucking where I want to be!) drew the biggest laughs, but it's also universal in its appeal of there being somewhere far away where you really belong, where you really fit in, and where you can be accepted. Or, as the Boston Globe put it, "Hannah, the rebel with dreams of film school in San Francisco, is the only star of "American Teen" who goes beyond the cliche - first in her near-meltdown after a traumatic breakup, and again in the film's surprising coda, when she leaves behind the comfort of familiarity for new horizons."
However, the other four characters are just as captivating. I think there's a bit of the universal struggle of giving meaning to one's life in every single one of them.
I usually don't like documentaries. This one had me entertained from the first ten minutes to the very last frame, though. There's a lot to like there and very little to detract from it.
My only regret is not having forgone going to San Diego last night because they had a screening with the kids (well, I guess they can't be called kids any more as they are all sophomores in college) last night at the Arclight where they stayed to answer questions. I would've loved to have picked their brains about what they thought of the film.
and you can't change me
----
It's funny. I talk to Miss Toby sometimes about her experience at adolescence differs from how I experienced it like it's this big generation gap, but when I see films like this I realize it never really changes. All the same crap that I went through is the same crap that she goes through and it's probably going to be the same sort of issues that the generation after that goes through. I don't believe there's a solution to it. I don't believe there's a quick fix to it. It really is something that everyone must go through if only to appreciate who they are more.
When everything's easy, when you have life handed to you, you never really learn about who you are and what you can do. That's what I've seen firsthand. It's only until that you cannot get through a task as easily as you once did, it's only when the odds are stacked against you, that you find out the content of your character. You're never your true self until you find out who you are when you're at your lowest. Anybody can be the best picture of themselves when life is going smoothly; it's the burden of growth and experience to have some pretty horrible things happen to you--losing a loved one, having someone not believe in you, realizing one of your dreams isn't going to come true.
That's the stuff life is made of... everything else that's good and sweet in the world is just sugar coating that makes it go down easier.
Yours Swimmingly,
mojo shivers
Labels: American Teen, expectations, Hannah, identity, Perfection, Simple Plan
posted by mojo shivers @ 1:06 AM
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