Being a teenager in America must be more delightful than being a teenager in Pakistan, right? But as "The We and the I" demonstrates with much insight and jarring eloquence, the American teen deal comes with its own pain. No, really. Handcrafted with loving care by French director Michel Gondry, "The We and the I" packs a universal message into a New York City Transit bus: It ain't easy being young.

Gondry workshopped with nonactor kids for two months prior to shooting and pitches the tone somewhere between an exceptionally well-made home movie and a dramatized documentary. The story offers a window into the lives of a group of South Bronx high-schoolers, going home by bus on the last day of school before summer vacation — and the emerging view is fresh, spontaneous and wholly engaging.

"The We and the I" is a different animal from what we've come to expect from stories about inner-city school kids; no one's in trouble or addicted or about to get involved in gangland warfare and none of the conversations are over-the-top emotional. Apparently, the mere fact of being 16 years old provides enough drama. Having endured several months of sitting in a classroom all day, the kids seem plain relieved to turn their back to the school and board the bus, each weighing up the months of freedom ahead with varying degrees of elated expectation.