The Edge of Seventeen
2016 · Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig
Original language: English
- comedy
- drama
The story
Two high school girls are best friends until one dates the other's older brother, who is totally his sister's nemesis.
What it’s like
Bright, unfussy Portland daylight and sweater-weather overcast fill the frame, with handheld-leaning camera work that stays close to a teenage girl's face as she sulks, spirals and stumbles through her own head. Scenes of school hallways, bedrooms cluttered with posters, and a cramped family kitchen carry a warm, lived-in texture, and the soundtrack leans on bright indie pop and wistful needle drops that punctuate the awkward silences. The vibe is sharp-tongued and tender, a wry coming-of-age comedy with real ache underneath, and it suits a rainy Sunday, a comfort rewatch, or a late evening when you want to feel seen rather than soothed. The pacing is conversational, with long dialogue exchanges and quick cuts between sarcasm and sincerity, and its emotional arc follows a lonely, prickly teen slowly learning to see the people around her more clearly. Language is frequent and some scenes turn raw around grief, humiliation and the sting of rejection, but violence is absent and sexual content stays largely off-screen and comic. It is for people who want a funny, honest portrait of adolescent loneliness and sibling friction.
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