Documentary shows high school life is little changed

by Euan Kerr, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — 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.

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.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, 07/31/2008, 6:21 p.m.