All American High is a 1987 documentary film directed by Keva Rosenfeld that chronicles the life of the 1984 senior class at Torrance High School in Los Angeles County, California. The film is narrated by the Finnish exchange student “Rikki” Rauhala and observes 1980s California high school culture from a foreigner's perspective. The film was independently financed, with additional funds provided through an American Film Institute −National Endowment for the Arts grant. The film was selected for Grand Jury Prize competition at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival. It was originally broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service. ;All American High Revisited A second documentary film about the former Torrance High senior class was directed by Keva Rosenfeld in 2014, All American High Revisited. It combines the original film with new footage of the film's principal subjects being interviewed on their high school years, the process of growing up, and the various paths in life that they took.
Critical reception
People Magazine: “Keva Rosenfeld does a spectacular job of candidly capturing the life of typical suburban teens. It is true. It is hilarious. It’s a little frightening. This is one wonderfully entertaining documentary.”
LA Times, Patrick Goldstein: a “topsy-turvy blend of the innocent and the exotic.” “Startling...” and added, “rarely intrusive and never condescending.”
Hollywood Reporter, Duane Byrge: “Fascinating, insightful, and highly entertaining.“Every bit as piercing as Fredrick Wiseman’s classic portrait “High School.”
New York Times, Vincent Canby: “If Keva Rosenfeld’s vividly satiric All American High is to be believed, this country is headed for hell on a surfboard...”
LA Times, Sheila Benson: “The most cheerfully terrifying movie I think I’ve ever seen.”
Sneak Previews, Michael Medved: "A brilliantly conceived motion picture."
The Village Voice, J. Hoberman: "Bears out Werner Herzog's observation that, although they believe they are normal, Americans are the most exotic people on earth."
L.A. Weekly, John Powers: "A documentary that might chill you were it not so funny."
Nominations and awards
Sundance Film Festival, 1987 Nominated Grand Jury Prize, Documentary.
