American Teen (15)

It's not in the same class as The Class, but this documentary study of highschool life in Warsaw, Indiana, has more than enough spirit and generosity to earn it a pass.

Director Nanette Burstein focuses on five students whose diversity at first seems archetypal – the acne-scarred geek, the rich mean girl, the basketball jock oppressed by parental expectations, the gentle hunk, the troubled misfit – but she gradually teases out threads of individuality and quirkiness that feel not only authentic but quite touching. I especially warmed to Hannah, who recovers from crippling bouts of low self-esteem after being dumped to become bravely assertive, facing out worrywart parents ("You're not special," says her mother) who don't want her straying too far from home. And I couldn't stand the manipulative egomaniac, Megan, even after softening revelations about a tragic bereavement (she's still a manipulative egomaniac). At times it looks rather staged for camera, in the manner of reality television, but there's a lot more to like and enjoy here than you might suppose.