What is it? A high-stakes, high-school documentary series of quiet distinction.
Why you’ll love it: The mostly African-American seniors of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School in South Carolina (or OW – oh dubya – for short) are followed by a British film crew in their final year. The next 12 months could change their lives but attendance is slipping, violence is a problem and some of the students have tough family situations. Watching this heart-tugging series in the context of Donald Trump’s impending presidency raises the stakes horribly. If some of these students started out at an arguable disadvantage, you’re left to wonder what hope there is of social mobility in a country run by someone born to privilege with no understanding of struggle.
Into the chaos comes new principal Stephen G Peters, one of those inspirational teachers who will not rest until he has shepherded every single one of them safely through the gates, prepared for what lies ahead.
We have been spoiled with on-screen inspirational teachers in the UK thanks to several series of the excellent Educating … series (Essex, Yorkshire, etc), famous for their use of discreet camera rigs and the apparent naturalism that can offer. This is no different when it comes to access, but the students and teachers here are perhaps more aware of the cameras and it actually helps the narrative. At the start, the students are keen to perform, to be noticed and to leave their mark. The cool boys sneer and talk in soundbites: “This ain’t no fairytale,” says Rendull, the basketball captain who has just got his girlfriend pregnant. The way some of the participants try to mythologise their own stories in the early episodes gives way to something less guarded and more open as graduation day approaches.
It feels as if the producers have played the long game here, spending time with their subjects over months, gaining their trust, putting them at ease. Vernon is the only male cheerleader at OW and, estranged from his mum since he came out as gay, he has moved in with best friend Breezy and her mother. But his dreams of college in New York are threatened by his inability to stay away from mischief.
Sneaker-obsessed TJ is a regular high school dandy, always well turned-out and determined not to end up like his dad, who is currently serving time in prison. But his conviction that he will rise above expectations is at constant war with his own anger. And often, the anger wins. Assistant principal Dr Hall has built a special relationship with him but can she keep him on the path to graduation? Meanwhile, Jalena is aiming high and wants to become an engineer so she can ease the burden of debt on her single father. She applies to Ivy League colleges, full of hope and a resolve to do something good with her life.
The relationships are incredibly touching but never schmaltzy. The show is a delicately filmed and edited thing, which keeps its distance and allows the emotion to speak for itself. Every participant is treated with careful, considered respect and the skill of the filmmaker (Marcus Plowright) is in drawing real feeling from their situations without resorting to head-patting sympathy. This is helped by Alexander Parsons’ impressive score, mixing tinges of the music the kids listen to with his own emotive arrangements. Six episodes of hope, just when it’s needed.
Where: BBC Three on iPlayer.
Length: Six 45-minute episodes, four available now, with a new one every Tuesday.
Stand-out episode: Episode two, in which we hear about Vernon’s backstory and his friendship with Breezy.
If you liked American High School, watch: Last Chance U (Netflix), Educating Yorkshire (All 4), Friday Night Lights (DVD).
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