In class, we watched the beginnings of American Teen and Streetwise. Based on these brief introductions, which film would you want to see more of? Would you want to see both? Neither? Why?Please post a thoughtful response explaining the reasons behind your decision. Include in your post if/how considerations of subject and technique, etc. factor in. Feel free to compare and contrast the two films, thematically and aesthetically. Think about the ways in which they are similar and different.
10 comments:
I would like to watch both of them sometime soon, but Streetwise gripped me more so than American Teen.
They main issue I had with American Teen that I did not not have with Streetwise was in the execution. They both take observational (as far as we saw) approaches, however, as with a lot of docs in the past few years, American Teen spoon fed all teh information to us like zombies. All the characters are laid out, through interviews or flashy mo-graph sequences, and everything has its place, neat, tight, and very easy to follow. I both appreciated and resented this as a viewer. I realize that streamlining structure leads to conveying information, but when is enough? Fun documentaries like Air Guitar Nation and Super Size Me do the same thing.
On the other hand Streetwise introduced no one, and I don't think said any names. It was very fly on the wall, and left things up to the imagination. I have heard "Show don't tell," so much in school that I appreciated this film's ability to (at least begin) a story.
Both are intriguing, but one I might watch on a Friday night with some beers, without thinking, and the other not some much.
I completely agree with what Max said about American Teen. I don't think I would want to watch the entire movie because it is was too direct and narrative. It felt more like an after school special than a documentary. I feel like we've already seen so many generic high school films in which cliques are explained and people's lives change dramatically over the course of the film. I am just so tired of hearing about the jocks, the nerds, and the drama queens, they are all worn out characters in my mind.
Streetwise on the other hand seems like a very original observational documentary. The movie is real, using original characters and complex situations. The people featured in Streetwise are so different, complex, and intriguing because I had never seen or heard the stories of people like that before. It is just a very simple, strictly observational documentary. American Teen is a bit too narrative for my liking and the stories just all seem rehashed and unoriginal. I feel like American Teen was rehearsed and that the filmmakers had an idea of the kinds of stories they wanted to feature, they simply found students that matched the kinds of stories they had in their head. I would really like to watch Streetwise outside of class as long as it's not a crappy VHS :)
I would like to watch the rest of both films. The overall concept was very interesting to me, but I thought that sometimes, the characters were difficult to differentiate between. Considering there was no narration and it was a completely observational approach, we were only left with the information that the characters said about themselves.
On the other hand, American Teen seemed at times, unrealistic. There were times where the shots were so invasive that I wonder how real it really was and I can't imagine that all these teenagers did not play things up a little considering there was a camera crew there. While I appreciated the somewhat unconventional approach that the film had, at times it felt like I was watching something on MTV. Both had their positives and negatives but I would enjoy watching the remainder of both films.
The movie that caught my attention the most was Streetwise. I guess I could relate more. My high school wasn't like a sports school in a rurla area and I didn't really care about what they were going through. But with streetwise I understood the struggle to have money and trying to get a meal. I wasn't on the streets and I didn't live in a neighorhood like that, but i felt for them more than I did the American Teen people.
The American Teen people were not the average for teen in my eyes. I am an American Teen and I don't go through what those kids were going through. I couldn't relate as much I guess.
Streetwise gets my vote by a country mile. I really was intrigued by both of these films. I felt that American Teen was a well constructed film. It showcased a great level of editing skill which to me is simply distracting. My high-school film teacher once told me that "if your idea is piece a shit, it doesn't matter how much you shine it. One day it may sparkle, but it's still a piece of shit." The theme that seems behind this film--high school a tough time (or some crap)-- simply doesn't appeal to me. I still wouldn't mind watching the whole thing, but as a viewer i was hardly compelled by any of the characters. In a way the over editing gave me the feeling that i was being bull shitted, and this made it increasingly difficult for me to identify with the film at all. As i watched i couldn't help feeling like a was watching a shitty MTV program about life as a teen. Despite this, i really did appreciate the fresh style of this documentary.
I loved the beginning of Streetwise. I found the first fifteen minutes to be uber-compelling. The characters in this film were facinating, and i feel were the element that made Streetwise my favorite. A gritty theme, a raw style, and a real world film, I couldn't ask for more-- except maybe a copy of it.
I even find some elements of social commentary in their juxtaposition.
Unlike most of the others who have commented thus far... I'd really like to see American Teen. I do agree, it does seem like something aired on MTV, but for me, it relates more to my high school experience than (by far) Streetwise.
Although, I'd be interested to see the progress of those characters on Streetwise, and see were they are now.
Streetwise was slow at first... and left you guessing at what happened to the parents of these kids. You are not told at first, but see others begging, and "whoring" themselves. In American Teen, you are given backgrounds, the scene, and investigated even more with the sub-cultures within this specific high school. Although, these sub-cultures are the same in most high schools.
I wasn't particularly fascinated with either of the documentaries, although there could be outside factors that caused that, I'm not really sure. I felt that American Teen had an interesting visual concept, the graphics were something I hadn't seen before. Although it was a little cheesy. Maybe there's more to the documentary than what I was getting from it, but it felt too much like typical lower-middle to upper-middle class high school stereotypes complaining about their problems. It just didn't grab my attention, maybe because I didn't care for high school and I didn't care to watch a feature length film on the issues of people like those I went to school with. Too much drama.
Streetwise was a more interesting topic but I wasn't feeling it that day. It was too depressing for me, and I needed something with a little light at the end, I suppose. I couldn't get into it at the beginning--I was bothered that nobody was introduced for a good 5-10 minutes. I didn't know who was a character in the story and who was just a clip from b-roll. The little opening montage was too long and I was beginning to lose interest by the time something started happening. On a different day I would maybe sit down to see what the fuss is about over these two films. But based on my first impressions of them, if I had to take them or leave them, I would leave them.
If I had to choose between them i would have to say Streewise, although I've alreayd seen it and am not the biggest fan. I would choose it because what i saw of American Teen i really disliked. I felt like i was watching another teen drama reality show on Mtv. Even though i only saw a small portion of the film, from what i saw i have no desire to see anymore............... unless some major drama occurs further down the line that i just haven't seen yet
I would want to watch both Streetwise and American Teen in entirety. I didn't see either of these docs as cliches but rather fresh spins on subjects that make interesting movies.
There is no character that captivates me more than a kid who straight doesn't give a fuck. Perhaps most viewers can only see these kids as troubled, but from what I saw in Streetwise, I felt absolutely envious of the freedom it seemed these kids felt and the courage they clearly had. I felt like just documenting them left room for a viewers subjectivity and interpretation over the narrator of director telling the audience how they want us to interpret their characters.
I found American Teen engaging for the animation. I really like fine art and animation mixed in with film, I think its a new direction in film and I'm rarely disappointing with it. I thought it worked particularly well for separating the real from the non real- to color the dreams of these American teens for the audience. I was pleased with what I saw, and sure it could be an MTV special but all you harsh critics are forgetting what an accurate portrayal of high school it is.
what we watched of American Teen just did not interest me. I just didn't care about the subjects. It just felt like another John Hughes movie (which I never really cared for). I was starting to wonder when the Asian foreign exchange student was going to come in. As far as the animation I wasn't a fan of how it was utilized in this doc. I have seen it used in other films and have like it but not this time. Streetwise on the other hand really caught my interest. I loved that the subjects were not formally introduced to us by name or defined as specific characters. It's fitting considering the society seems to ignore identities and existence of these children.
Post a Comment