"The Edge of Seventeen," which was written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, tells the story of Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), and her awkward attempt at coming into her own. I went into the theater with high expectations for this film, and left feeling both nostalgic for high school and glad that it's over, due to the delightfully hipster soundtrack, surplus of dramatics, and Portlandia-appropriate outfits.
I never thought that I'd see a film which chose "When I'm Small" by Phantogram to play as a teenage girl mistakenly fell for a bad boy, unless I directed it myself. "Somebody Else" by The 1975 set the scene for a night in the hot tub, where you could tell that Nadine was falling a little bit in love with Erwin. And "Big Jet Plane" by Angus and Julia Stone struggled through the speakers of a shitty car in a rainy parking lot, just like it always should. I felt like the director peaked inside of my journals and Spotify playlists and liked what she saw.
Nadine perfectly encapsulated the awkward, cynical, and hopelessly romantic girl in search of love that I think most of us can remember being, or still are. While I have never sent a text about wanting to do it in the Petland stockroom, had my brother fall in love with my best friend, or be driven home by a middle-aged man who happened to be my teacher, I found myself comforted by her crazy antics.
Seeing "The Edge of Seventeen" prompted me to reflect back on some of my favorite elements and scenes in movies. While the lessons I have learned in my film class this semester allow me to understand each scene in mechanical terms, films like this remind me of why this industry is so special. I think back to Emma Watson reflectively staring out the car window in a fur jacket in "Palo Alto." I delightfully recall my heart breaking during the bath-tub scene in "Big Fish," while trying not to sob in public. I can picture Matthew Broderick in his vest atop a float, making us all fall in love in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
"The Edge of Seventeen" was a glimpse into high school and life's hardships that sometimes turn out to be blessings in disguise. I saw my parents enjoying the film, probably knowing that I've been through many of those same scenes and emotions, and maybe reflecting back on their own high school years. This film was the perfect mix between funny, heartbreaking, realistic, and cringe-worthy, and showed the behind-the-scenes workings of a family in distress.
Just like the real film critics, I'd give it 3.5/4 stars.
