So I'm looking for films that portray what high school is like in other countries

November 14, 2006 12:16 AM

I'm looking for films that portray what high school is like in other countries. Movies like American Pie, 10 Things I Hate About You, etc. but not set in the U.S. Recommendations?
posted by ad4pt to grab bag (37 comments total)

Flirting.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:22 AM on November 14, 2006

About A Boy has a bunch of scenes set in an English high school.

Also, while not a movie, the original Degrassi TV series followed Canadian kids through junior high and high school.

...and I'm out. I can't think of a lot of "teen movies" in the same vein; I think the high school movie is more of a US genre.
posted by SoftRain at 12:41 AM on November 14, 2006

Are you looking for movies that portray what high-school life actually is like in other countries, or for the same kind of silly, semi-idealized teen comedies like you mentioned?
posted by Sangermaine at 12:43 AM on November 14, 2006

Ditto on Sangermaine... with the added question, are you talking about the actual school or high schoolers doing stuff outside of school?

To Sir with Love or Y Tu Mama Tambien?
posted by Pollomacho at 12:52 AM on November 14, 2006

Gotta mention that none of these even approximate what high school is like. But the titties and urine and masturbation hijinks are certainly nice. I can just imagine the Russian ones. "Piotr! Not the borsch!" Etc. Let's not bring up the apparent bad jokes about less fortunate regions.
posted by converge at 12:52 AM on November 14, 2006

Dammit, I do agree with Y Tu Mama Tambien. Ignore everything I say: I don't think things through.
posted by converge at 12:53 AM on November 14, 2006

Fucking Åmål (aka Show Me Love).
posted by matthewr at 12:56 AM on November 14, 2006

Seconding Fucking Amal.
posted by fire&wings at 1:03 AM on November 14, 2006

The Heartbreak Kid
posted by pompomtom at 1:15 AM on November 14, 2006

Puberty Blues for an Australian classic. Second for The Heartbreak Kid. Or Looking For Alibrandi for something more recent.
posted by londonboots at 1:32 AM on November 14, 2006

The History Boys
posted by ninebelow at 1:37 AM on November 14, 2006

Second Looking for Alibrandi.
posted by cholly at 1:42 AM on November 14, 2006

It's set in the 1980s but Gregory's Girl would give you a reasonable insight into Scottish high school life at that time.
posted by rongorongo at 2:25 AM on November 14, 2006

If

Another Country
posted by dmt at 2:36 AM on November 14, 2006

Dammit, Sonny Jin, that was my first instinct as well.

Seconding Flirting.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:15 AM on November 14, 2006

aw, dmt beat me to it. Fantastic movie, though there wasn't enough explicit Rupert Everett on Cary Elwes mantrain action.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:46 AM on November 14, 2006

Noi
posted by crazycanuck at 4:52 AM on November 14, 2006

Scum
posted by dmt at 4:55 AM on November 14, 2006

Beijing Bicycle.
posted by subtle-t at 4:58 AM on November 14, 2006

Kidulthood

And seriously, rather than the crap you mention why not look at good US cinema in this respect like Dead Poets Soceity, Thirteen and Bully.
posted by dmt at 4:59 AM on November 14, 2006

Set in Germany are the movies: Klassenfahrt and
Mädchen, Mädchen.
And I highly recommend the aptly titled Schule, which depicts the happenings in a class around their Abitur. It's funny and at times slapsticky but also carries a serious note with it and captured the spirit of the last year of high scholl very well.
posted by Glow Bucket at 5:19 AM on November 14, 2006

Hip Hip Hora! (aka The Ketchup Effect)
posted by frowned at 5:22 AM on November 14, 2006

Bend It Like Beckham
posted by kirkaracha at 6:10 AM on November 14, 2006

Twist & Shout (a.k.a. Tro, Håb og Kærlighed) set in Denmark.
posted by AwkwardPause at 6:16 AM on November 14, 2006

I agree with Sangermaine. I've never seen a movie that was within a mile of my high school experience. I'm not sure that I would have faith that a foreign movie would be any more accurate.

Of course this should not come as a surprise. A small poor high school in rural Kansas with a bunch of dumb racist redneck kids isn't exactly american pie material. On the plus side though if the clothes at current trendy stores like Ambercrombie or Hollister is any guide, we were damn fashionable back then. I marvel that kids are now paying $75 for the exact same ratty flannel shirt that us poor kids got made fun of for wearing.

But um yeah... this was no help at all. Sorry.
posted by jlowen at 7:33 AM on November 14, 2006

Was Seven Minutes in Heaven set in Canada? Or just set in that vast region of America where we all have Canadian accents?
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 8:37 AM on November 14, 2006

There's plenty of good anime set in schools at a variety of levels -- FLCL has many scenes in a middle school setting; Boogiepop Phantom explores a high school scene through the horror genre. These might not be the best examples for what you're looking for, but I bring them up to suggest expanding our search beyond the western hemisphere.
posted by jrb223 at 9:38 AM on November 14, 2006

Battle Royale
posted by Jasper McLean at 9:40 AM on November 14, 2006

Eastenders (British TV show) definitely has some high school scenes. I think Billy Liar (British 60s movie) has some high school scenes too.
posted by bingo at 9:45 AM on November 14, 2006

My American Cousin

New Waterford Girl
posted by carmen at 10:02 AM on November 14, 2006

I've seen a few Japanese TV cartoons set in high schools. His and Her Circumstance and Azumanga Daioh.

Not realistic, but it the only realistic presentation of high school was Freaks and Geeks, in my opinion.
posted by RobotHero at 10:25 AM on November 14, 2006

Seconding Gregory's Girl
posted by Joh at 10:55 AM on November 14, 2006

Peppermint Soda
posted by plinth at 10:56 AM on November 14, 2006

Scarfies. While this movie is, at times, entirely ridiculous, it's a surprisingly accurate portrayal of student life at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Yep, I know that you were looking for portrayals of high school life; however, even though the characters in Scarfies are at university, some of them have just left home (it's a good look at that particular life transition) and, without being unkind, none of them are particularly mature.
posted by lumiere at 11:52 AM on November 14, 2006

Unfortunately, the only recent Korean films I can think of that portray high school life are kind of dumb sex comedies or stories with crazy unbelievable action that aren't very true to life. So I'd say try to read between the lines for the cultural notes.

-The "Yeogo Geodam" series. I've seen one and two, but not three. One was sort of a breakthrough in the Korean horror scene. These movies are interesting because (at least in the original and the second to some part) deal with some social commentary about the Korean educational system and being a teenage girl. Also, the premise of the movies are very Korean because almost all Korean high schools have some kind of urban legend the kids pass around among each other. And the idea of wishing stairs or haunted classrooms are common themes.

-"Wet Dreams" (there was a sequel, from the girl's point of view). Basically, a Korean "American Pie."

-The movie "Chingu" deals with boys' high school life in the 70s in the middle of the movie of the movie. Older people liked it because of the nostalgia, and younger people liked it because the idea of friendship in high school resonated with them. It's also set in Busan, so you can get a taste of the Busan dialect in this one.

-This movie's older, so you might have trouble finding it, but it's "Haengbok eun sungjuk soon i anijanahyo" (or roughly "Happiness is not a grade average/class standing"). For anyone who grew up around the late 80s or early 90s this movie was seminal as far as talking about the stresses of being a high school student in the Korean educational system.

There are others, but those come to mind first. I know you're looking for films, but I'd actually recommend some TV series too if you know someone or somewhere to get these from. The "Hakkyo" ("School") series were very popular.

The other TV series that was a big cultural thing in the 90s was "Sacheungi" ("(The Seasons of) Puberty"). It was an MBC channel drama. I'd almost describe it like the Korean "Wonder Years." This is also a must. But I might be biased because it's a my generation type of thing.
posted by kkokkodalk at 3:56 PM on November 14, 2006

Kes for 1960's Northern England. If is from the same time, but in a private boarding school.
posted by MetaMonkey at 4:49 PM on November 14, 2006

Dang. I've been meaning to ask this question for ages. Now I'm all excited...
posted by MadamM at 6:45 PM on November 14, 2006