For those movie going fans trying to resist seeing their third or fourth viewing of The Dark Knight, this weekend offered a nice exit from the gloomy streets of Gotham City. The highly buzzed about documentary American Teen from Nanette Burstein opened, giving audiences a chance to look back into their senior year of high school and relive all those little moments which feel so paltry now, but in the moment felt like the weight of the world was in each and every second. What does he/she think of me? Who should I ask to Prom? What if my friends don’t like my choice? The fun part was trying to differentiate between those questions and the other ones, the ones which would drastically change the course of our lives. Where am I going to college? How am I even going to pay for college? Who do I want to be? It can feel as if the entirety of our existence from that moment on is figured out inside those awkward and tension filled nine months. The fact we make it through at all is a miracle in itself. Continue reading →