Movies and TV shows are both a form of entertainment that we all watch, whether they follow outcasts on heroic journeys, adults falling in love, or teenagers as they explore high school and all it has to offer. But the question is, do these pieces of media accurately depict high school?
Austin Rogers, an English and Film Studies teacher at Horizon High School, states that he thinks high school movies don’t accurately portray the high school experience. When asked why he thinks this, Rogers responds, “I think to give a sense of heightened reality is to give a sense of escapism. Do you want to watch a movie about your real life? Probably not. And so, I think we as audiences, we critique. Like, oh, that’s a 30 year old on ‘Euphoria’ playing a high schooler because, you know, we like this sense of heightened reality to escape our actual reality.”
Furthermore, Rogers says that certain aspects in these movies have to be grounded in reality in order for them to be convincing and for the audience to have ideas and experiences to attach and connect with. “Like, ‘Euphoria’ really pushes that limit of what’s real and not real. There’s still some of that groundedness that keeps us watching; we watch for those moments of reality,” Rogers expresses. Rogers goes on to explain that we cast older actors to play younger roles because a 30 year old actor would look more consistent on the daily than a 14 year old actor would.
Horizon High School junior Brionna Weidenhamer agrees that movies depict high school inaccurately. When asked about if any plot points match high school life, Weidenhamer states, “I think they get the cliques, stress about grades, and big things like dances and football games [right]. I [also] think it matches friend group drama, sports, crushes, and trying to fit in.” However, she also says that there are very exaggerated parts in these movies. For example, Weidenhamer mentions stereotypes, huge parties, and unrealistic romance plots. She even goes as far as mentioning that most of the movies fail to portray the day to day experiences of teenagers.
Rogers, when asked which movie he thinks most accurately depicts the high school experience, says “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is the most accurate high school movie, due to the way that people are connected and interact with one another. When delving deeper into the topic, Rogers remarks, “Or the original ‘Mean Girls’ I would even say, is pretty based in reality. And it’s because it’s based off of a book of essays that were written about high school life. So that one feels really realistic.”
Horizon High School freshman Kendall Klautsch says that any coming of age movie can provide an accurate insight into high school. Klautsch also states that these movies can help you prepare for what high school might bring.
Legacy High School sophomore Linden McGill thinks that the media set in high school accurately depicts friendship, specifically losing it. McGill mentions that she feels losing friends happens very often and can be very accurate in movies and TV shows.
When asked which high school movie is the least accurate, Rogers responds, “The musical ‘Grease’. I think that’s where it was popularized that, like, we’re going to cast way older people in these roles that could fulfill them.”
Movies set in high school do not always depict experiences as accurately as they can. Whether this is a form of escapism, or simply over exaggeration, they can leave kids with false hopes or ideas about high school life.
