In ‘Homeroom,’ an unprecedented school year caught on film

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Oakland filmmaker Peter Nicks had already made two well-regarded documentaries capturing the institutions of his city and how they shape local lives in 2012’s “The Waiting Room,” about a public hospital, and 2017’s “The Force,” about the Oakland Police Department. Nicks turned to Oakland High, a public school with a diverse student body to complete his Oakland trilogy. Nicks’ interest wasn’t just in rounding out his series. It was personal. His teenage daughter, Karina, had been going through a difficult time. In making a movie about the hardships of growing up as a teenager in Oakland, he was, in a way, making a movie about her. The film, executive produced by Ryan Coogler, debuted Thursday on Hulu.