Bibliographic Info: Lilley, Chris. (2007). Summer heights high (Television Series). Australia: Australian Broadcasting Company.
Descriptive Summary:
A mockumentary series written by and starring Australian comedian Chris Lilley that focuses on the lives of three characters at one Australian public school.
Lilley plays:
Ja'mie King - a self involved, insensitive, and insincere female exchange student from a private school.
Mr G - a self centered and narcissistic drama teacher who is blind to the needs of his students.
Jonah Takalua - a 13 year old Tongan bully with an interest in hip hop and break dancing who is frequently misunderstood by his teachers.
The series is incredibly biting and often controversial. Summer Heights High takes a look at the social hierarchy of high school as well as the racism that exists in Australia concerning non-white and Polynesian Australians.
A mockumentary series written by and starring Australian comedian Chris Lilley that focuses on the lives of three characters at one Australian public school.
Lilley plays:
Ja'mie King - a self involved, insensitive, and insincere female exchange student from a private school.
Mr G - a self centered and narcissistic drama teacher who is blind to the needs of his students.
Jonah Takalua - a 13 year old Tongan bully with an interest in hip hop and break dancing who is frequently misunderstood by his teachers.
The series is incredibly biting and often controversial. Summer Heights High takes a look at the social hierarchy of high school as well as the racism that exists in Australia concerning non-white and Polynesian Australians.
Evaluative comments with rating:
3.5/5 TVs - it's hard to like this show, but also hard to not love it
Summer Heights High is not recommended for everyone particularly because of its mature themes and often offensive language. The show, despite being a mockumentary, is often very realistic in its depiction of high school life. Jonah's character is often the star of the show and his storylines are more complex than they appear on the surface. Teachers and authority figures frequently underestimate and belittle him while singling him and his friends out for behaviour based on their Polynesian heritage. On the surface Summer Heights High appears to be mocking Polynesians, but after a few episodes it becomes quite clear that the Polynesian students are the sympathetic figures in the series. They are blatantly discriminated against and bullied by adult figures - while white students exhibiting the same behaviours are rarely, if ever, punished. The series isn't without its warts, but there are a number of teachable moments. Recommended for mature teens.
3.5/5 TVs - it's hard to like this show, but also hard to not love it
Summer Heights High is not recommended for everyone particularly because of its mature themes and often offensive language. The show, despite being a mockumentary, is often very realistic in its depiction of high school life. Jonah's character is often the star of the show and his storylines are more complex than they appear on the surface. Teachers and authority figures frequently underestimate and belittle him while singling him and his friends out for behaviour based on their Polynesian heritage. On the surface Summer Heights High appears to be mocking Polynesians, but after a few episodes it becomes quite clear that the Polynesian students are the sympathetic figures in the series. They are blatantly discriminated against and bullied by adult figures - while white students exhibiting the same behaviours are rarely, if ever, punished. The series isn't without its warts, but there are a number of teachable moments. Recommended for mature teens.
Suggested Audience
(age range): 16-18
Readers’ advisory
notes:
Appeal factors: Offbeat, character-driven, darkly humourous, funny, slang-heavy
"Readalikes" aka Watchalikes: The In-Betweeners, Peepshow, Clark and Michael, Sit Down, Shut up, Angry Boys
Booktalking hook:
Jonah and his friends in the office after bullying another student:
“How is it ok for you to bully Ben?”— Guidance counsellor
“Cause he's a ranga.”— Jonah
“A what?” - Guidance counsellor
“A ranga, sir. 'Cause he's got red hair, "Orangutan" That's what we called him.” — Jonsh
“And does that make it ok for him to be bullied, because he has red hair?” — Guidance counsellor
“Well people are racist to us, so we can be racist to rangas. ”— Jonah
“But redheads aren't a race, Jonah. ”— Guidance counsellor
“But, sir, there's heaps of them. They're everywhere!”— Leon
“A what?” - Guidance counsellor
“A ranga, sir. 'Cause he's got red hair, "Orangutan" That's what we called him.” — Jonsh
“And does that make it ok for him to be bullied, because he has red hair?” — Guidance counsellor
“Well people are racist to us, so we can be racist to rangas. ”— Jonah
“But redheads aren't a race, Jonah. ”— Guidance counsellor
“But, sir, there's heaps of them. They're everywhere!”— Leon
also:
Jonah to the camera crew:
"They don't understand that I'm just choosing to be dumb. I'm not dumb. I'm just choosing not to be smart at the moment, but if I put in effort, then I could be really smart, but I choose not to." — Jonah
Reason for inclusion:
Recommendation by a friend/teacher
Category: TV Series/Comedy
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