Dartblog

You know we’re both amiable in our own sense—in our own senses, and I think that, basically, you know, us together produces a force of, uh, amiab—amiability which is, ahh, a synergical force of amiability which is, far beyond the reaches of normal human comprehension.

So sayeth George Z., one of four candidates for Student Union President a couple of years back at what I am objectively calling the best public high school in the nation, Stuyvesant High School, my alma mater.

In her new film Frontrunners, documentary filmmaker Caroline Suh has taken a magnifying glass to the most cutthroat high school elections around—complete with full-time campaign teams, pollsters, professional talking-heads, newspaper endorsements, and a televised debate.

The New York Times covered the film here:

Given the student body at Stuyvesant, which is exceptionally diverse, and exceptionally brilliant, it’s a little surprising that the subtitle of “Frontrunners” rings so true: “Even in High School, It’s Politics as Usual.” Candidates choose their running mates to round out their demographic profile (which means, at Stuyvesant, that one of the two candidates on a given ticket had better be Asian, or in with that crowd). Promises of bread and circuses are plentiful — cheaper candy from George, more dances and fashion shows from Hannah. The pundits of the school argue which is more important to political success, ethnicity or looks.

Frontrunners premiers this Wednesday, October 15, at the Film Forum cinema in New York. It opens in Boston, at the Brattle Theatre, on Friday, October 24. It plays in both locations for only a week. Please, if you find yourself so motivated, do go see it—and send me a report.

Our innovation this year was to go on top of the bridge. Our reasons are… fourfold. And number one, we’re the only ones on the bridge. Number two, they have to tilt their heads up and look at you—that establishes a subconscious notion of, uh, superiority and leadership—sort of lifting yourselves up on a pedestal. Number three, they’re usually too tired to even resist us; number four—uhhh… I think th—it’s threefold, actually.

Whatever happened to Mr. George Z., you ask? He is now a sophomore at Harvard.