Some 120 hours of raw footage have been cut down into a 81 min documentary. We get to follow some kids in a Norwegian high school. The film-makers have chosen to focus on boys. And a particular type of boys, with difficulties concentrating, perhaps with certain ADHD tendencies, probably the "problem children" of the school. This makes the film a bit lop-sided. Essentially the boys are shown goofing around, screaming and displaying violent tendencies. We also, in a shorter segment, get to follow a girl with depression.
Many of the students are immigrants, and immigration and racism are the themes explicitly discussed throughout the film. We get to see both the students and teachers prejudices against immigrants clearly. The immigrant students are conscious of their situation, and the stigma attached to being an immigrant. A boy thinks that there is no point in him pursuing education, since he will anyway end up an outcast. The film-makers interest however seems to be in the conflicts arising, in themselves, rather than providing insights into the conditions that create them, which leaves the film lacking in this respect
With the focus that the film has, on boys with "disciplinary problems", it is hardly representative of the way kids live today. And we all already know that school is there to teach the majority how to endure boredom, setting them up for the rote jobs of capitalism. Neither does the racism theme really go anywhere. This does not mean that the material is not interesting however, the film does succeed in giving us a bit of the raw deal that is part of youth.
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