Believe it or not, the world of student government is not one that might be as simple as everyone thinks it is. Oddly enough, it may be even tougher and more controversial in high school then any other branch of the schooling system. Thirteen years ago I had first gotten into student government as a representative for my junior class in high school. The next year as a senior, I was student body president for the entire school. The election itself wasn’t a very big deal even though the politicking was certainly there, but the responsibilities that came along with my position were sometimes too much for anyone to take, let alone a high school senior. Student government is a learning experience for not only the political environment but also the real world as a whole.
Stuyvesant High School in New York City is about to hold their school’s annual elections for student government positions. Here is a school that is the quintessential of high schools in NYC and it shows by the mere three percent of almost thirty thousand applicants that actually get accepted each year. Running for office is not an easy task there and it takes a lot if you even want to get noticed in the election so director Caroline Suh decided to give a little look for all those that may never get a view of it first hand. She gives us a deep look at the school president campaign that has four candidates but one that has really no chance in hell of winning. It is evident to all and even the candidate, Alex, so not much time is spent on anything he does throughout. Kind of sad actually because I would have enjoyed seeing him at least try.
Mike, Hannah, and George are the three that director Caroline Suh puts the main focus on as they vie for president of Stuyvesant High. Mike is a hyper guy that seems like of those kids that is in the popular clique. He wants to make a difference but the problem is that he knows he is a cool kid and doesn’t keep that a secret. Hannah is our only female in the running and let me just tell you that if she didn’t become president, her school résumé would not look any less stellar. She is an actress, activist, highly educated, and if it wasn’t for the bubbly personality of being a cheerleader, I’d say she starred alongside Matthew Broderick in Election. Lastly (excluding Alex) is George who is a bit of a strange bird that tries to act way too old for his age and comes off sounding more incompetent then smart. It is an interesting group of candidates and early on you will find yourself not really knowing who to root for.
Frontrunners is a great look at the overall concept of a school election while also capturing the personalities of the teenagers in their natural environment. Not only are they shown getting things together for campaign but we get nice fun looks inside who they are as students and just as kids trying to grow up and make it through high school. And don’t think that the rest of the school is ignored because others are interviewed at times, filmed candidly, and asked questions as to what they are looking for in a new school president. The amount of maturity and overall intelligence these teens have is just astounding and it’s great hearing them on a speak-easy level but doing it in a very serious manner about a subject that is a very big deal to them. Some of them give their thoughts on what they’d like from a new president and they’re quite succinct and to the point, others give humorous and childish responses, and there are those that provide thought out answers that really detail what they’re looking for their new president to provide.
One of the best things you’ll find about Frontrunners is that it has a story that is real and also sucks you in. You’ll find yourself getting involved and eventually singling out which candidate is your favorite and who you hope will win. Much like a reality television series; you’re going to despise some characteristics about the candidates (contestants) and you’re going to also love many things they bring to the table. It’s a fun ride through the high school student government system which is one train I jumped on for two years in my schooling years. So many things have changed since I was involved in it all, but my school was also a lot smaller then Stuyvesant High. But the more things change, the more they also stay the same. Those who have been a president, VP, secretary, treasurer, or representative will see exactly what I mean.
Frontrunners is shown in an Anamorphic Widescreen format on digital video that has no big problems and everything looks as good as it can. A nice realistic feel here is good for the subject matter and while not everything comes through perfect; you’ll find no complaints from me.
A Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound mix is adequate enough for this documentary that is mostly dialogue driven with some good music mixed in the background at times. Everything can be heard well and there are no real issues here.
Deleted Scenes – There are a couple deleted scenes included which you’ll find separated by the three main candidates Hannah, Mike, and George. None of these really needed to be included in the film but they’re fun to check out anyway.
Another set of deleted scenes that are much more important are included in a section entitled “Politicks & Press.” Here is a little more of an interview from John the Pundit, scenes from the school newspaper, and the presidential debate in its entirety. It’s quite lengthy but pretty damn good if you sit through the whole thing.
Audio Commentary – Director Caroline Suh, Hannah, Mike, George, producer Erika Frankel, and the coordinator of student activities Mr. Palazzo sitting together for what you would expect to be a lively and fun commentary track. That would be inaccurate because a lot of time is spent in silence as they simply watch the film and talk about what is happening on screen. This was almost painful at times.
Trailer
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All in all, Frontrunners is one of those truly enjoyable documentaries that kind of comes out of nowhere and surprises you. The material is really good and the characters in the film are real (duh!) and also incredibly entertaining. It includes a great race for president of the school and Suh takes viewers inside the lives of all of these kids from a school standpoint and beyond. I just was really bothered by how Alex is mentioned early on as the fourth candidate and then totally ignored the rest of the way. So he was a dark horse that no one expected to win (even him) but he was still there. Even the special features exclude him totally by not having deleted scenes for him or including him in for the commentary track. Not sure why, but that just all gets under my skin. Oh well, it’s still a good DVD and needs a rental first because this type of stuff isn’t for everyone. For me though, it was a sure choice and a good one. Sort of makes me want to watch what goes on inside more high schools across the country but videotaping that or setting up a lawnchair in the main hall is just asking for me to be arrested.
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Oscilloscope presents Frontrunners. Directed by: Caroline Suh. Starring: Various. Running time: 82 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: January 20, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
