Quand on a 17 ans

I wasn't really sure what to except out of this film, but to classify it as simply an LGBT film would be a great disservice to what it's doing. There aren't just two leads here, there are three, and that is crucial to the importance of it. The screenplay is layered and filled with small gestures and moments that mean a lot to the characters, but ones we have to be attentive to. This is a little film made out of moments like that and if people aren't used to it and don't like that kind of storytelling, they may not take to this film. It's subtle and very nuanced where it counts, and that's why it stands apart from the rest of its like.

Bullying normally leads to lasting enmity between the perpetrator and the victim. Only occasionally does it lead to friendship. Rarely does it lead to love, but such is the case in André Téchiné's ("In the Name of my Daughter") masterful coming of age drama, Being 17 (Quand on a 17 ans), his best film since the 1994 "Wild Reeds." Co-written by director Céline Sciamma ("Girlhood") and set in the Pyrenees Mountains in the South of France, the film opens with the sight of a lonely boy trudging through winding snow-covered mountain roads on his way to school, a journey partly on foot and partly by bus that takes him an hour and a half each way.

The boy is Thomas Charpoul (Corentin Fila), a biracial Algerian boy of seventeen who has been adopted by a white farming family and whose feeling of alienation from his parents, Jacques (Jean Fornerod, "Polisse") and Christine (Mama Prassinos, "Leaving") carries over to his behavior at school. Usually, one of the last to be picked for a basketball team in gym class, Tom's anger finds an outlet when he deliberately provokes another classmate Damien Delille (Kacey Mottet Klein, "Keeper"), tripping him as he goes back to his seat after reciting a poem by Rimbaud in front of the class and shoving him to the ground after school.

Damien is a tall, slender boy who could not be more different than his nemesis. He is a committed student, emotionally stable, and close to his mother Marianne (Sandrine Kiberlain, "Encore Heureux"), the only doctor in the small town. As performed by Kiberlain, she is a three-dimensional figure whose warmth and humor light up the screen and the film is her story as well as that of the two boys. Damien's father Nathan (Alexis Loret, "In Harmony"), is an Army pilot who is engaged in an unspecified conflict in the Middle East, but is away from home often and but plays a strong role in the Damien's life. Not cowed, Damien takes lessons in self defense from family friend Paulo (Jean Corso, "In the Name of my Daughter") and plans to retaliate but circumstances change the dynamics.

When Marianne visits Christine to treat her pulmonary infection, she discovers that her patient is pregnant. Unaware of the conflict between the boys, she invites Thomas to stay at their house during his mother's pregnancy so that he can keep up his grades. While on the surface it is a decision that seems contrived except that Marianne has dreams about having an affair with Tom. Though the violence between the boys continues even as they share the same house, Damien recognizes new feelings when he sees Tom take off his clothes and dive naked into a lake in the middle of winter.

Startled by his physical attraction, he tells him later that "I need to know if I'm into guys or just to you," but the answer remains unclear and their homoerotic relationship only develops after an initial period of fear and confusion. What stands out in Being 17 is the naturalness of the two boys and the chemistry they have together. This authenticity extends not only to the way they speak to each (neither are very vocal) or look at each other but to their body language even when they are fighting, as if they are happy to be receiving the others attention. Not enough can be said about the work of Klein and Fila. Their performances resonate with conviction and create a uniquely moving experience.

I didn't quite know what to expect with this one so I just let myself get into the story and I have to say, I was not disappointed. It starts slowly and evolves into a complex and layered plot about 2 boys discovering their sexual desires but unlike many movies on that subject, it's not just about one thing.

What made this movie work in my opinion is the subplot involving Damien's mother played very well by Sandrine Kiberlain who gives a subtle performance. The standout to me in terms of acting is without a doubt Corentin Fila as Thomas Chardoul, the perplexed, confused and prone to violence teenager who keeps everyone at bay while yearning to be himself.

I must say I also enjoyed Kacey Mottet Klein's performance as Damien Delille even though he seemed a bit less able to convey the angst and subtle emotions needed for the part. His acting was sometimes clumsy and a bit fake but is still worked because it could be read as choices he made on how to play the part and the fact that he truly is a teenager playing one, not an adult actor trying to go back to his youth.

Even the ending worked for me so a strong 8 star rating is what I felt it deserved and if you speak French and want to spend some time getting to know these characters, they all have something to offer and I for one enjoyed the journey and can safely recommend it warmly.

This movie was quite charming. While it was easy to anticipate a story of repressed adoration channeled in the form of antagonism, as is the case for many nonhetero- and questioning folks, it was very rewarding and exciting to see the two main characters come into their own, especially Thomas. Tension is a marvelous instrument and what I liked was that nothing in this movie was presumed or handed to you, everything took it's sweet time to present itself.

Beautiful character development, Damien and Thomas had great chemistry and rawness. To me, Thomas is crucial to the film, race is big (and I could go into that further). It was also not surprising that Marianne (Damien's mother) got such rave reviews. She was absolutely splendid, captivating the screen with her restrain, affection and depth!

Plenty of beautiful vistas to mirror the emotional range of all the characters... this IS a good film, one that I relate to and applaud, BUT in writing this, I am curious of the perspectives of those who are not accustomed to seeing these kind of romances/coming-of-age stories. So, I encourage any and all to see this, a movie that caters to its audience with characters who all feel, react and grow before your eyes.

In a small town in the mountainous Pyrenees region of France, two teenage boys in the same grade have an intense dislike for each other: Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein) who lives in a pleasant house in town and whose family is well-off; and Tomas (Corentin Fila) who is bi-racial and adopted by a farm family whose home is a long distance from town. Lurking beneath the mutual contempt is a sexual tension.

The beautiful location enhances the charm and depth of this moving film. In addition to the story of the two boys, there are subplots in each of their families that add greatly to the story overall. While the story of the boys' conflict seems to linger too long, the movie can be credited for being unpredictable and full of surprises.

The characterization of Tomas is particularly rich and filled with contradictions. In one moment, it is easy to despise him for his bullying ways; in the next moment, it is easy to pity him for his difficult daily life and the uncertainty due to a change that is about to happen in his family. Though not explicitly explored, he also has the difficulty of seeming to be the only non-white person in the small town.

The actors are both great in their roles as is Sabine Kiberlain who plays Damien's mother and is also a doctor. She's very nurturing in both roles and is also quite touching as someone in a crisis in the movie's second half.

By the film's end, one has compassion for all of its characters. - dbamateurcritic.