For her new documentary, filmmaker Caroline Suh had unparalleled presidential-election access. That's because the candidates in FrontRunners are high schoolers, vying to lead the student body at the prestigious New York public school Stuyvesant. PT put her on the spot.
Does FrontRunners reflect the national election?
There are a lot of parallels: change versus experience, the importance of race and gender, the influence of the press, and the power of being telegenic and a good speaker. Also, how candidates deal with voter apathy.
Are these kids taking themselves too seriously?
It's great to take yourself seriously, and more important to put yourself out there. It takes courage to put forth ideas, open yourself to criticism, and maintain the belief that you can change things for the better. It's a lot easier to be nihilistic, which is definitely an attitude that I understand from having been a teenager.
What surprised you most about their behavior?
How much they led me to forget that they were substantially younger than I am. At the same time, they would make goofy posters and slogans like "Choose the Chicks," and some of them still had braces.
What draws you to a topic?
I'm drawn to topics where I like or admire the subjects in a significant way. This doesn't mean that they can't be flawed. My favorite types of stories are those that contain ambivalence and complexity, where your opinion about what is happening shifts as the story unfolds.
Is truth stranger than fiction?
When it is, it can be amazing. Even details like a student T-shirt that says "Good Grammar Costs Nothing" give me a lot of pleasure. There's one speech in the film that I still cannot believe is real. I don't want to give it away, but the audacity of it still surprises me. It's sort of sublime in its own way.
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