Educational Media Reviews Online

Frontrunners gives a firsthand look at the campaigns for Student President at the prestigious Stuyvesant public high school in New York City. The film begins by examining students’ apathy toward politics, especially school politics. Students seem to initially dismiss the election as a popularity contest, but the film then swiftly moves to the enthusiasm and energy of the candidates running for this office. The four candidates each have strikingly different personalities and backgrounds, making the election a sharp competition. It nearly becomes a microcosm of national politics, as students deal with the dilemmas of both using and receiving personal attacks, deliberately using ambiguous terminology, and making risky proposals. The audience also witnesses students’ responses to strategies, tactics, and candidates’ respective stances on issues. The students and candidates also weigh in on factors such as race, physical appearance, and sex. It must be noted that the film quickly moves past the disaffection shown in the opening, and exhaustively examines student voters’ scrutiny of the candidates. There is neither a narrator nor an interviewer for the duration of this film. It is exclusively composed of clips of students speaking to the camera, or third person views of the campaigns. This gives the work a seamless feel, with smooth transitions from one candidate to another and from one student to another. Frontrunners is an excellent film and represents irreplaceable value to a high school audience. Viewers should, however, note its more than considerable length. This film is recommended to those with an interest in high school politics and its social dimensions, and its all-too-conspicuous allegory for national politics.