The Edge of Seventeen

THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN

At the weekend I was making some bread rolls in the kitchen, as you do, and I decided to put a film on, because kneading dough is both fun and also rather repetitive (boring). After some deliberation, I decided on The Edge of Seventeen, a film I had come across a couple of times before but written off as 'something that I can't watch at 20 years old because it's a film that Tasha from the ages of 13-19 would have watched, and I should be watching more grown up films like Revolutionary Road and Sophie's Choice'. But I realised I was being a bit judgemental, and I also knew that really, deep down, I still have such a big soft spot for those teenage, coming-of-age films. And I mean, I've only been 20 for nine months now, so technically I can still pretend I'm a teenager, right? After all, I still know the lyrics to every Jonas Brothers song off by heart and currently have a giant spot forming on my chin. So you know, some things don't change.

Now I'm not going to lie here, although I did give myself a 'you go girl' pass and allowed myself to watch this film, I naturally thought The Edge of Seventeen was going to be mediocre at best, even if it is named after the incredible Stevie Nicks song of the same name. I often feel like coming of age films, or more like those made in the last decade or so, seem to be quite cliche, predictable and superficial, and whilst they make an entertaining, feel good and lighthearted 90 minute watch, and of course the nostalgia is fab, these films often don't give you much in return for your time. Though if wanting to go back to being a 13 year old is considered something in return, when life was about being seen in the right places in town on Saturday, stressing over spots on your face, trying to keep up with the newest text lingo, sending songs via Bluetooth and talking about the boy you fancied, then I guess most coming-of-age film's achieve that pretty well. But whilst it can be nice to re-visit teenage me, sometimes I want a coming of age film to leave me feeling something more (eg. like how I felt the first time I watched The Breakfast Club, which was not a lot of words but an awful lot of feelings).

I'm very pleased to say my cynicism was proven wrong, and it was proven wrong within the first five minutes of the film, when seventeen year old protagonist Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), marches into her History teacher Mr Bruner's (Woody Harrelson) empty class, just as he's about to tuck into his lunch, and demands he help her because she wants to kill herself. I actually had to stop kneading my dough because I was so engrossed. Now the reason I say that particular scene proved me wrong, is because as soon as it unfolded, I knew instantly that this was a film seeking to approach the coming-of-age genre from a different perspective. That scene alone was so honest, bold, relatable, emotive, comedic and captivating, and it set the tone for the rest of the film both perfectly and poignantly.

The overarching story that guides The Edge of Seventeen is Nadine's difficulty with navigating a particularly stressful, emotional and testing period of her life, when it seems like everything is going wrong. Her past has caught up with her, her present has become something alienating and unfamiliar, and her future seems like a blank, empty space. We see Nadine's fraught family relations, and pursuit of love, acceptance, friendship, and purpose, all of which are punctuated by a wealth of naive mistakes and ill-thought out actions, and underpinned by vulnerable emotional fragility. It makes for an intriguing and captivating story that feels so honest and truthful, and because Nadine's life is far from perfect, with the hands of fate dealing her and her family some devastating blows, we believe in her and her story so wholly because it feels so real. 

Whilst Nadine's immaturity, emotional volatility, warped logic and loss of identity sometimes make her into a character we dislike and lament, you still can't help but love, root and sympathise for her so wholeheartedly. Maybe it's because I am 20, and I have the benefit of hindsight, but I look at Nadine and it reminds of me when I was a teenager. In every action, word, thought, face expression, I see myself. I understand the awkwardness, the struggle, the unpredictable emotions, the difficulty with thinking straight and making sense of the world around you, feeling like the world is out to get you, the mistakes you make without even realising or meaning to, the loneliness, how sometimes you become a version of you that you don't really like. And it makes me both sympathise and empathise with Nadine. I want to reach out through the screen and tell her that I understand, that used to be me, and in a way, watching someone else go through their rite of passage helps me to feel more at peace with my own. It wasn't just me who used to start arguments at 7:30 in the morning because Dad didn't buy lettuce for me to put in my sandwich. 

Hailee Steinfeld plays the character of Nadine so brilliantly, almost as though she's translated a part of herself into Nadine, encompassing her so fully, and exuding real emotion and meaning into every action and word Nadine executes. Hailee so easily carries the weight of the film, as is she well supported by her fellow actors, including Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Hayden Szeto and Blake Jenner. In particular, her rapport with Woody Harrelson is just dazzling to see, with the two continuously embroiled in an affectionate exchange of sarcasm, cynicism, empathy and companionship. It makes for a very endearing and moving watch. 

Although The Edge of Seventeen has its moments of predictability, it never quite falls into the traps and pitfalls, ever faithful to its aim of depicting that real, messy, disjointed, rollercoaster, maddening and wonderful version of life that we all know so very well. Carried by an excellent group of actors, it is a affecting and honest film that will make you laugh, cry, reminisce, feel, and wish you could have just even a tenth of Hailee Steinfeld's magnificent acting ability.

http://www.edgeof17.movie