Quand on a 17 ans

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.

I don't know why this film has not been watched by many. This is a good film, a good French gay film. Like many reviewers had already mentioned, this is not your typical gay theme. It would have been better if you had tried it without knowing what kind of story is this. Anyway, I mentioned it, but it is not a spoiler if you thought so. It would have landed at you in one way or the other while learning about the film.

It was more a drama than the romance. But everything has to have a nicer initiation. So, that's how the film characters take the shape. Only those important characters like the main two and another 2-3 were the all focus. The narration clearly ignores everything else to put the story straight, despite it was not about the straight guys.

The tale was told from the perspective of Damien, a new boy moved into the small foothill town with his doctor mother and while his father serving in the army in an away tour. Sometimes, the perspective takes neural to accomplish the other aspect of the story. An unexpected rivalry begins between Damien and his classmate, Thomas, a loner who lives up in the hills in a farmland.

As the film progresses, their fight intensifies. But there comes a time to compromise when the developments around them forces them to do so. It's the turning point for them, yet they're not in the mood to shake hands. You could say what comes henceforth, but that's where you might go wrong. This tale breaks the stereotypes and brings a fresh perspective on homosexuality. Although not fully unpredictable narration.

❝I don't know if I'm into guys or just you.❞

Besides, the places where the film shot was magnificent. Takes place in different seasons, and each time the story well exploited the region to blend with the emotions, fierce and other moods in the drama. The two boys were good. Because of the type of their role, the film looks slow in some parts. But overall gets better with its upcoming scene.

The first two acts were nothing but the boys and their struggle to get over with their conflict. More like the random acts of normal reaction to such incidents. Only if it had tough guys on both the ends. But where it all leads were well planned that you may slightly disappoint with it. Like I was aware of a couple of things from the story, and it indeed that's how it turned out at the latter part. Otherwise, there's no complaint about it.

Despite I enjoyed watching it, not the film that I wanted. I blame my anticipation for having such opinion. I was looking for more and more things to happen, whereas the narration was riding in the simplest manner. Especially the last half an hour brought the best out of it. Yeah, you could say it ended strongly and probably a turning point for the audience to change their stance if they were not happy so far.

Firstly, it is worth watching for being a different for such concept, and that's because of the writing. Secondly the cinematography, direction, including the actors made it a better flick. But personally I was not happy about failing to come to the point in the early section. It recovered, almost at very late. And then it ended better. But still I agree it was a perfect portrayal of the older teenagers and their confusing sexuality. The contents were realistic while the film stayed true to cinematic. I hope people watch it with low expectation and patience.

7/10

This movie is the best-directed contemporary gay love story I've ever seen. It doesn't over- dramatize the stigma that all gay youth deal with when coming out to themselves and others, but it doesn't pretend such stigma isn't important. It presents attraction and love and friendship and family and desire as the complexly interwoven mess that it always is, but is so rarely seen in media. It shows love as not the solution to all your problems, but also that it doesn't have to be tragic. It portrays traditional families charitably, alongside gayness - they don't have to be natural enemies, but they have different dynamics which are usually either ignored or treated one-dimensionally. Most importantly, this film describes coming out as it really is: a profoundly individual act, and usually played out non- tendentiously and in a narrative completely unique to that individual. Most coming out films I've seen swerve into clichés and predictable outcomes. Although this film's plot resolution is fairly conventional, somehow the characters' authenticity, uniqueness and vulnerability fulfilled the story in a deeply touching, yet unsentimental way. Bravo.

If you're not gay, you might think this movie is nothing special, the way some straight people I know thought Brokeback Mountain was tripe, not paying any attention to the repression central to that story. The moving qualities in this film are mostly a coming-out thing, so perhaps straight people won't relate, but there are glimmers here (and in our times) of that narrative holding enough substance to speak to universal truths.

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.

So this is what being 17 feels like?! This is a slow-moving, mundane yet beautiful, subtle drama that captures the bleak lives of two teenage boys, both living in different family backgrounds. Accompanied by constant shivering snowfalls, they both end up feeling 'something' between them.

This is a simple come-of-age story that doesn't show us usual intensity of gay relationships or obvious flow of surging passion (that concludes with I-love-you or I-like-you confessions). On the contrary it is more about wavering confusion and love-hate tension that grows between two adolescent boys studying in the same institute.

What makes it different from other gay films of similar themes is its ability to grip your attention and tease you with slightly puerile curiosity about: "will they come together?"

There are several unique elements that work as essentials of this story: sense of solitude, fierce jealousy, suppressed infatuation, silent expectations, teenage ego, and of course, the urgent hatred that often emerges from helpless, pent-up affection.

I especially loved the natural, engaging and poised performances of two young actors who seemed to know what they were supposed to do on screen - they appeared quite involved and effortless. Exhilarating indeed!