critics consensus

Straightforward and disarmingly, charmingly sincere, Try Harder! follows college-bound students through their final year of high school. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

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 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.

Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

English
Director:

Debbie Lum
Producer:

Debbie Lum, Lou Nakasako, Nico Opper
Runtime:

1h 24m

Cast & Crew

Debbie Lum
Director

Debbie Lum
Producer

Lou Nakasako
Producer

Nico Opper
Producer

Critic Reviews for Try Harder!

All Critics (24) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (24)

An interesting film about how kids pursue things without knowing why, at its best when occasionally digging deeper into issues of race, stereotypes, and privilege.

February 20, 2021 | Full Review…

Josh Flanders
Chicago Reader
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.

February 10, 2021 | Full Review…

Alissa Wilkinson
Vox
Director Debbie Lum carefully deconstructs the life of over-achievers going through the brutal and rigorous process of college applications, one that can often seem random and unfair.

February 8, 2021 | Full Review…

Brian Tallerico
RogerEbert.com
The agonizing process trying to get into the best college imaginable is depicted vividly in Bay Area filmmaker Debbie Lim's irresistible documentary...

February 2, 2021 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Randy Myers
San Jose Mercury News
[A] simultaneously charming and chastening documentary...

January 30, 2021 | Full Review…

Jessica Kiang
Variety
Cinematically, "Try Harder!" is as unfussy as any doc, but it's also impossible to resist.

January 30, 2021 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Ryan Lattanzio
indieWire
"Try Harder!" puts human faces on the college admissions fiasco, prompting viewers to empathize with overachievers unaccustomed to failure and whose self-worth is inextricably tied to which universities they get into.

April 3, 2021 | Full Review…

Martin Tsai
Critic's Notebook
Peppered with joy and desperation, Try Harder! finds realness in an absurd, machine-like process.

March 17, 2021 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Michael Frank
The Film Stage
Debbie Lum's doc chronicles the excruciating process of the American college application with a light-hearted and well-rounded approach.

February 27, 2021 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Rendy Jones
Rendy Reviews
Refreshingly, though, Lum's film isn't a narrow look at the rigorous demands of just this one school. She illuminates why the school and its students feel that academically excelling is the only way forward.

February 5, 2021 | Full Review…

Orla Smith
Seventh Row
It's surprisingly fascinating, and endlessly charming.

February 4, 2021 | Full Review…

Gena Radcliffe
The Spool
Lum's film makes a strong argument that a school like Lowell, by being so laser-focused on college admissions, denies their kids the thing some colleges want most: A well-rounded life.

February 4, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Sean P. Means
The Movie Cricket