At Lowell High school, the top-ranked public high school in San Francisco, the seniors are stressed out.
As they prepare for the emotionally draining college application process, students are keenly aware of the intense competition for the few open spots in their dream colleges. They scrutinize how every element of their application, from their classes to their extracurricular activities to their racial identities, might be read by admission officers. At Lowell—where cool kids are nerds, nearly everyone has an amazing talent, and the majority of the student body is Asian American—the things that usually make a person stand out can feel not good enough, even commonplace.
With humor and heart, director Debbie Lum (Seeking Asian Female, 2012) takes us to the reality of the American college application process and the intersection of class, race, and educational opportunity as experienced by high school seniors living through it. Try Harder! is a portrait of young adults in the most diverse American generation ever as they navigate a quintessential rite of passage and make it their own.
It’s a very funny movie about a bunch of students trying to find their way through a system that is designed to keep them out rather than let them in. And it’s a reminder that while Americans often worship a small set of credentials and institutions, there are brilliant, multifaceted people everywhere.
~ Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
Try Harder! had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where it was one of only ten films selected for the U.S. Documentary Competition. It will have its national broadcast premiere on PBS’ Independent Lens. Read more here.