Quand on a 17 ans

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.

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.

In 'Being Seventeen' we meet Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein), who is surprised when his mother Marianne (Sandrine Kiberlain) calmly accepts his declaration of sexual attraction to a classmate. But why would she be surprised? Damien's candy-coloured rhinestone earring hardly shouts 'macho man'. But it is fair to say he is not the stereotypical film closeted homosexual: he enthusiastically takes boxing lessons from a friend of his army pilot father; and he is not even sure whether it is men generally he is attracted to, or just that particular classmate: Thomas (played by male model Corentin Fila).

The trouble with Damien's attraction to Thomas is that the latter bullies the former. But when Marianne, the local doctor in the Pyrenean community, hospitalises Thomas' weak, pregnant mother, she invites him to stay with her and Damien, and so the two boys are thrown together...

There are occasions when this film loses the way: Damien and Thomas are plainly the centre of the story, so sequences focusing exclusively on Marianne seem pointless and add little to the main story. But Kiberlain certainly provides a decent performance as the friendly mother who chats happily to the boys while serving them a glass of after-school wine (did I mention this is a French film?), before a personal tragedy means she must pull her life back together. Fila and Klein are given likable characters to play - Thomas concerned by his mother's condition; Damien the bully's victim - and also turn in good performances.

But the best aspect for me is the scenery: director André Téchiné gets the best of filming in the Pyrénées, with the endless snow-covered mountains (most of the filming seems to have taken place during the depths of winter) gradually giving way to deep, verdant valleys as the film and seasons progress. But it is not just a travelogue - this film is well worth seeing for its take on awakening sexuality.

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!

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