Heartbreak High (2022) review: A diversely wonderful teen drama

Heartbreak High is an Australian teen drama that follows Amerie, a student, who gets embroiled in a high school scandal of her own making, and shows how she learns and grows through that. The series is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

Heartbreak High is an Australian show, based on a wildly popular 1994 show of the same name. It is centred around Amerie and her best friend Harper who work on a mural highlighting the sexual history of most of their classmates.

Once this wall gets discovered, however, Amerie saves Harper and gets rejected as a social outcast, and Harper refuses to interact with her for reasons of her own.

Amerie starts hanging out with Quinni and Darren, the only two people in school willing to interact with her after the incident.

What follows is a look into the high school life of the two teenagers, along with a range of other characters as they learn, grow and build relationships.

The storyline draws on popularised high school tropes but attempts to build on them further, and ends up doing so quite successfully. 

The plot is easy to follow, without there ever being a dull or repetitive moment, and the pacing is great too, and each scene stands with a particular purpose in the show.

Performances

Ayesha Madon delivers an engaging performance as Amerie, and is quick to draw viewers in with her charm and humour. 

Asher Yasbincek also gives a great performance as Harper, and the friendship between the two with its multiple ups and downs comes off as a very genuine portrayal in the show. 

A special mention goes to James Majoos, who portrays Darren, and Chloe Hayden in her role as Quinni. The two lit up the scene whenever they showed up on screen, and were great to watch on screen.

Positives

The show has one of the most diverse casts, and is among the best representatives of Australian society. It has honest representation and an intersectional outlook towards the characters and their plight.

The storyline incorporates a lot of humour, but blends it out well so that it doesn’t seem forced. It is a mix of classic humour formulas, with more trendy pop culture references that creates a balance in the narrative. 

The strikingly honest performances add to the charm of the show, with each character being portrayed beautifully, with a storyline of their own.

Negatives

The show has certain undeniable similarities to other teen shows like Sex Education, Euphoria and Never Have I Ever. Due to this, the original plot may seem a bit unoriginal, but the differences from these shows are what makes Heartbreak High truly stand out.

The Amerie and Harper plot seems a bit dragged out. They could have easily resolved it within the first few episodes and had a better, more genuine point of resolution between the two friends, instead of a hasty reconciliation towards the end.

Verdict

Heartbreak High is an enjoyable watch, and also serves as an intersectional look into young adult lives. It balances drama and friendship, and emerges as a top show about the teenage experience.

Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High (2022) review: A diversely wonderful teen drama 1

Director: Gracie Otto, Adam Murfet, Jessie Oldfield, and Neil Sharma

Date Created: 2022-09-14 18:17

Editor's Rating:
3.5

Also Read: Heartbreak High (2022) ending explained: Do Harper and Amerie reconcile?

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