Synopsis

This heartbreaking and hilarious Sundance Film Festival hit follows the lives of four real teenagers - a jock, the popular girl, the artsy girl and the geek - in one small town in Indiana through their senior year of high school. We see the insecurities, the cliques, the jealousies, the first loves and heartbreaks, and the struggle to make profound decisions about the future. With extraordinary intimacy and a great deal of humor, the film captures the pressures of growing up - pressures that come from one's peers, one's parents, and not least, oneself. Filming daily for ten months, filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes, The Kid Stays in the Picture) developed a deep understanding of her subjects. The result is a film that goes beyond the enduring stereotypes of high school to render complex young people trying to find their way into adulthood.

Trailer

Film Information

• Genre: Documentary
• Director: Nanette Burstein
• Written By: Nanette Burstein
• Starring: Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholt, and Jake Tusing
• Running Time: 95 minutes, approx.
• MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language, sexual material, some drinking and brief smoking-all involving teens
• Language: English
• Official Site

Reviews

"Shows how a documentary can be as moving and suspenseful as the best narrative feature."

   - Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

"The documentary American Teen is the most realistic movie you will see all summer."

   - Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun

"The players are timelessly familiar in American Teen, too. But filmmaker Nanette Burstein tells their stories with a distinctly 21st-century pop and audacity."

   - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

"Never has a film captured the spirit of being a teenager better."

   - Zack Haddad, Film Threat

"The kids are real and their stories enthralling: When it comes to drama, there's nothing quite like high school."

   - Ken Fox, TV Guide

Showtimes

• Wednesday, September 10th
  7:15 pm
• Thursday, September 11th
  7:15 pm
• Friday, September 12th
  7:15 pm
• Saturday, September 13th
  2:30 pm, 7:30 pm
• Sunday, September 14th
  5:30 pm
• Monday, September 15th
  7:15 pm
• Tuesday, September 16th
  5:15 pm
• Wednesday, September 17th
  5:00 pm, 7:15 pm
• Thursday, September 18th
  5:00 pm, 7:15 pm