The Edge of Seventeen - Review
Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner
The Edge of Seventeen may sound like a corny title for a film thats genre is so often riddled with the same old tropes (y'know, the thoroughly liable but misunderstood heroine, the cohort of bullies intent on making her life hell, the impossibly dreamy guy who falls in love with our underdog heroine...), but Kelly Fremon Craig's directorial debut avoids all of the above cliches and produces one of the smartest and most thoughtful 'teen films' in years.
Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is an awkward, socially inept and quick-witted high school student whose singular and difficult attitude means she has only one friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). Nadine's world plummets around her when Krista begins to date her brother Darian (Blake Jenner), with whom Nadine has always had a contentious relationship with. Nadine feels discarded. Alone. And she descends down a path of self-sabotage.
The high school experience is often depicted in film through a slew of philosophical quotes spouted by our precocious lead character. While this tendency is perfect fodder for Tumblr dashboards and Pinterest mood boards, it isn't authentic to the way that real people, let alone teenagers, talk. Young adults cuss, they're profane and explicit, awkward, blunt and sarcastic. Writer/director Fremon Craig perfectly captures all of these essences and masters the millennial vernacular without ever underestimating their intelligence. If on occasion the dialogue does feel like Tumblr material, it's very character specific, consistent with the film's voice and always rings true. Thankfully, the picture wasn't prohibited by a PG-13 rating and the lack of censorship only made each situation depicted painfully more real. As Nadine makes a flurry of social faux pas', we grimace with her blunders and as the tears begin to fall, the sentiments are echoed in the audience's response.
As the introduction alluded to, Fremon Craig does an incredible and near impossible job of evading the trap of creating cliched and one dimensional supporting characters whose sole purpose is to make our heroine's life as unfairly arduous as possible. In The Edge of Seventeen's case, Nadine accomplishes this herself. From Nadine's best friend Krista, to her seemingly perfect brother Darian and her adorable love interest Erwin (Hayden Szeto), every character is fleshed out and given their own depth and complexities that so many teen movies don't even attempt to aspire to achieve. Even Nadine's mother, who is presented as a neglecting matriarch in the film's trailer, is a struggling individual who is burdened with problems of her own. Not a single character is painted with broad strokes, and whilst not all of them are layered as thoroughly as Nadine (and rightfully so - she is the principal character), they're all coloured and feel identifiable as people as opposed to services to the story.
Having made her impressive debut in the Coen brothers acclaimed True Grit that garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at just 14 years old, Steinfeld's performance here is her best to date. A lot of the time, Nadine isn't particularly likeable; she calls herself an "old soul", which is mightily pretentious, and proceeds to berate her entire generation, believing she has absolutely nothing in common with her peers. When faced with truths as to why this may be the case, she lashes out at those closest to her and largely self-destructs as she descends deeper into a state of self-pit and victimisation. She's frequently conceited and hates anyone with a shred of confidence and self-assurance - but she's still relatable and recognisable, acutely so when she gives herself a pep talk in the bathroom at a party. Whilst Nadine can continually frustrate us, she never loses our empathies.
Proving itself to be one of the most surprising flicks of the past year, The Edge of Seventeen packs a lot of heart and edge and breathes life back into a genre that was in danger of flatlining. Although the likelihood of major awards recognition is slim, Fremon Craig and Steinfeld should both be remembered for their outstanding contributions come the time nominations are announced.
EB
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner
The Edge of Seventeen may sound like a corny title for a film thats genre is so often riddled with the same old tropes (y'know, the thoroughly liable but misunderstood heroine, the cohort of bullies intent on making her life hell, the impossibly dreamy guy who falls in love with our underdog heroine...), but Kelly Fremon Craig's directorial debut avoids all of the above cliches and produces one of the smartest and most thoughtful 'teen films' in years.Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is an awkward, socially inept and quick-witted high school student whose singular and difficult attitude means she has only one friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). Nadine's world plummets around her when Krista begins to date her brother Darian (Blake Jenner), with whom Nadine has always had a contentious relationship with. Nadine feels discarded. Alone. And she descends down a path of self-sabotage.
The high school experience is often depicted in film through a slew of philosophical quotes spouted by our precocious lead character. While this tendency is perfect fodder for Tumblr dashboards and Pinterest mood boards, it isn't authentic to the way that real people, let alone teenagers, talk. Young adults cuss, they're profane and explicit, awkward, blunt and sarcastic. Writer/director Fremon Craig perfectly captures all of these essences and masters the millennial vernacular without ever underestimating their intelligence. If on occasion the dialogue does feel like Tumblr material, it's very character specific, consistent with the film's voice and always rings true. Thankfully, the picture wasn't prohibited by a PG-13 rating and the lack of censorship only made each situation depicted painfully more real. As Nadine makes a flurry of social faux pas', we grimace with her blunders and as the tears begin to fall, the sentiments are echoed in the audience's response.
As the introduction alluded to, Fremon Craig does an incredible and near impossible job of evading the trap of creating cliched and one dimensional supporting characters whose sole purpose is to make our heroine's life as unfairly arduous as possible. In The Edge of Seventeen's case, Nadine accomplishes this herself. From Nadine's best friend Krista, to her seemingly perfect brother Darian and her adorable love interest Erwin (Hayden Szeto), every character is fleshed out and given their own depth and complexities that so many teen movies don't even attempt to aspire to achieve. Even Nadine's mother, who is presented as a neglecting matriarch in the film's trailer, is a struggling individual who is burdened with problems of her own. Not a single character is painted with broad strokes, and whilst not all of them are layered as thoroughly as Nadine (and rightfully so - she is the principal character), they're all coloured and feel identifiable as people as opposed to services to the story.
Having made her impressive debut in the Coen brothers acclaimed True Grit that garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at just 14 years old, Steinfeld's performance here is her best to date. A lot of the time, Nadine isn't particularly likeable; she calls herself an "old soul", which is mightily pretentious, and proceeds to berate her entire generation, believing she has absolutely nothing in common with her peers. When faced with truths as to why this may be the case, she lashes out at those closest to her and largely self-destructs as she descends deeper into a state of self-pit and victimisation. She's frequently conceited and hates anyone with a shred of confidence and self-assurance - but she's still relatable and recognisable, acutely so when she gives herself a pep talk in the bathroom at a party. Whilst Nadine can continually frustrate us, she never loses our empathies.
Proving itself to be one of the most surprising flicks of the past year, The Edge of Seventeen packs a lot of heart and edge and breathes life back into a genre that was in danger of flatlining. Although the likelihood of major awards recognition is slim, Fremon Craig and Steinfeld should both be remembered for their outstanding contributions come the time nominations are announced.
EB
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