Documentary shows high school life is little changed

Euan Kerr
St. Paul, Minn.

Share

Hannah
Mitch is a jock and Hannah is an arty girl who attend an Indiana high school featured in a new documentary, "American Teen." When they start dating, many people in their school think it's strange.
Image courtesy Paramount Vantage

Documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein says most movies and TV shows about teenagers just plain get it wrong.

She says the movies are based more on fantasy than reality, and TV shows usually only portray kids from wealthy families.

Nanette Burstein
Nanette Burstein and her crew followed a group of high school seniors at a school in Indiana every day for 10 months to make her documentary, "American Teen."
MPR photo/Euan Kerr

So when Burstein set out to make her documentary, "American Teen," she headed to the Midwest -- Warsaw, Ind. -- for a dose of realism.

Every day for 10 months, she filmed students in the high school.

Burstein says she met the jocks, popular girls, the geeks, and the arty crowd, and she found that some things in high school haven't changed. She spoke with MPR's Euan Kerr.

Gallery

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Providing Support for MPR.
Learn More
Program ScheduleStation Directory