'School Portrait,' Short Film, Shows Elementary Students Learning Life Lessons (VIDEO)

12/02/2011 03:33 pm ET

Ever wish you could go back to the days of elementary school when you were still blissfully ignorant of things like school tuition, mortgages and other adult concerns? Well, that's exactly what this film doesn't do.

"School Portrait," a submission to the Virgin Media Shorts Film Competition from director Nick Scott and producer Michael Berliner tells the story of a school photographer who tries to give each child a vision of what their future will look like.

"No, stop smiling, we're going to do something different today," the photographer says as the first student sits down. "It's called a reality check. I want you to repeat after me: university tuition fees."

After the student says it back, frowning, he keeps the ball rolling.

"Banking crisis means I'll never afford a home," he says.

These reality checks keep coming, with topics ranging from divorce rates, to climate change to how hard the young students will have to work.

Scott wrote about the inspiration and goals for the short film on his website.

"I was traveling in Italy last year when I had an idea about a school photographer who was having a bad day," Scott said. "The aim of the film was to tap into the nostalgia for peoples’ school photos: tie dye backgrounds, bright coloured uniforms and cheesy grins."

Despite the humorous undertones of the film, the reality may not be so far off. Currently, the average American student debt is $24,000. And for some, that number is much higher.

HuffPost blogger and New York University graduate Aleesha Nash wrote recently about her struggles with student debt.

"I see that today my balance is $104,104.63 for a percentage of the information in my head ..." Nash said. "The balance of my student debt and the constant addition of interest makes me overwhelmed. There is some relief in the fact that I am not alone."

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