American Teen

I watched a very interesting documentary this evening through my Netflix subscription. It's entitled American Teen. I stumbled upon it when I was searching for movies. What caught my eye is that it was filmed in Warsaw, Indiana which is very near where I grew up.
The documentary centers around five students during their senior year and Warsaw High School. What surprised me so much about the movie was how they were able to get some truly shocking things on film. I don't know if the teens and the families of the teens had any editorial influence. I think I would probably have been embarrassed by some of the stuff that gets shown or revealed during the film. However, I believe it portrays fairly accurately the life of a white middle class teenager in the United States.
The whole teen angst is there for all to see. What seems so important to these teens is just kind of silly when you really stop and think about it. Who likes who. Who is dating who. Who is going to the prom with whom. How will life go on if they don't get into their college of choice?
The curse that is the popularity caste system in most American high schools is put under a powerful microscope. I could really identify with the geek who was in the band. He tries so had to fit in and it just will not happen. He is not in the "in" group and never will be. At the same time, you can see the pain in some of the popular kids' eyes as they struggle to stay popular and stay on top. There is a horrible scene in which some of the popular kids vandalize another student's house with hateful graffiti and toilet paper because they don't like the student's idea for the theme of the prom. There is also a gut-wrenching scene in which they call and leave hateful voice mails for a girl whose topless photo goes viral throughout the school.
The difficulty of being a parent of a teen today is revealed in some shocking ways. I couldn't believe what some of these parents said to their kids. There's the Elvis impersonating father who pushes his son to excel at basketball so that he can get a college scholarship. If he doesn't get a scholarship, the father tells him that he will have to go into the Army. Or, there's the mother who tells her daughter point blank: "You're not special."
I come away from watching American Teen feeling thankful that I don't ever have to relive my teen years again. I also began to remember several of the teens that I worked with in the youth groups in my churches over the years. They were often a hand full but I am a much better person for their presence in my life. I hope that in some way I was a good companion to them in their journey through their teenage years.
So, if you're into documentaries, I highly recommend American Teen. It may open your eyes to the experiences of today's teenagers.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!