- Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba,
host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
For a high school senior, the college application process
can be stressful beyond belief,
especially if you're angling for entrance
into some of the most competitive schools in the world
with limited spots available.
Tonight's film, Try Harder!,
follows a group of students at Lowell High School
in San Francisco as they attempt to impress their dream schools.
These kids charge ahead, knowing full well
that their applications
will be meticulously inspected and reviewed on everything
from race to class to extracurricular activities,
and, of course, grade point average.
San Francisco-based director Debbie Lum
is an award-winning filmmaker
who is passionate about telling stories of the unsung,
with a focus on the Asian American experience.
Lum paints a masterful portrait of youthful energy and angst
as these students, who happen to be
the most diverse generation of young people
in the history of America
enter a new chapter in their lives.
Lum says she hopes that this film
gives kids an honest perspective
on the whole college application process,
whether they are accepted or not into their school of choice.
Lum said her film was initially about tiger parenting
and the effects it has on students about to enter college,
with plans to include other schools in her film.
But after meeting the Lowell High School kids
and seeing things from their perspective,
it inspired her to rethink the documentary's focus
when she realized that the children themselves
were the story.
Sorry, tiger parents.
Try Harder! starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.