Frosh: Nine Months in a Freshman Dorm

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david f â~Froshâ(TM) is the product of two earnest documentarians who lived in a dorm at Stanford University in 1990 to capture the experience of the first year of college for a group of freshmen from different backgrounds. It chronicles the lives of the group by following them absolutely everywhere from the cafeteria to class, from their rooms to their homes over break, the cameras even go with them into their bathroom. What is captured is extraordinarily revealing, from the mundane, often inarticulate, worries over grades and longing for a girlfriend, to personal crises and the seeming dissolution of families. Part of the appeal of this film is its status as a time capsule. Produced just after the landmark 1980s films of John Hughes like â~The Breakfast Clubâ(TM) and â~Ferris Bueller's Day Offâ(TM) and just before the debut of MTVâ(TM)s first season of â~The Real Worldâ(TM) it captures the lives and personalities of real teenagers at about the same time as those films and before the reality TV craze would cheapen and artificialize this type of project. Many of the characters and scenes of â~Froshâ(TM) lack the drama, conflict and even interest of scripted films or sensationalized â~realityâ(TM) but they possess their own inherent interest as documentary subjects. The presentation feels and is authentic and fascinating and the low-budget production values contribute to the overall tone and quality of the film, with simple 1990 era computer graphics and electronic music quickly giving way to a simple, stripped down portrait of several teenagers going through an absolutely fascinating time in their lives. One shortcoming is that large cast of characters. In making the film about roughly ten students living in a single dorm, the filmmakers admirably captured the breadth of students ranging from more isolated people who spend a lot of time studying to more outgoing and active individuals who join fraternities and sororities. But where it succeeds in giving a panoramic view in fails to go into greater depth with any of the particular students, all of which seem to be worthy of much greater attention. I guess what I mean is that the film could have focused on just one or two students and it would have been just as interesting for what it showed in a focused look at just those students, or conversely, it could have lasted twice as long and portrayed the large cast in greater depth individually. Asking for a longer film should in no way be taken as a criticism, however. What is shown is a fly on the wall look at dorm life circa 1990, supplemented by a few scenes in classrooms, some at parties and Greek events, and even the break-time home lives of a few of the characters. All of the students manage to make an impression whether they are given a lot or a little screen time and I think thatâ(TM)s a testament both to the genuinely cooperative spirit of the subjects as well as the considerable amount of time and effort put forward by the documentarians to get enough material from each studentâ(TM)s life. Much of the film reflects what surely must be the experience of most people who have lived in a similar situation: the students just hang out with each other in the rooms and in lounges, coming and going as they please, and talking about whatever random subjects suggest themselves. These subjects range from Aristotle to sexuality, from their family backgrounds to their personal religious beliefs. There are a few very faintly drawn story arcs such as one guy who admits to unhappiness at never having had a girlfriend but gets a glow on his face once heâ(TM)s invited to join a fraternity near the end but for the most part the film works through the gradual accumulation of honest, sincere detail. Itâ(TM)s these details that make this film so interesting and worth watching. From the tiny 1990 era computers in the studentsâ(TM) rooms to the graphing calculator used to compute the correct ratios in mixed drinks, from the candid and forthright conversations about homosexuality and bisexuality to confessions about the fear of letting down their parents, this documentary tenderly explores a variety of issues and takes a vivid snapshot in the lives of several ordinary college students as they leave behind their youth and begin to find out who they are. The era and subject may not be of interest to all, but for those who are curious about either I donâ(TM)t think you could ask for a higher quality documentary than â~Froshâ(TM). Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Frosh: Nine Months in a Freshman Dorm

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