Review of The Edge of Seventeen (2016) by Quinn P — 20 Nov 2016

"The Edge of Seventeen" was a wonderful coming of age movie about so many wonderful things. It reminds us of our awkward, confusing, and uneventful paths that we walk down trying to find ourselves. When I watch a film I want to feel things that I connect with, sentiments that bring me back to a particular moment in time: this movie did just that and more. It made me forget about everything going on in my life and focus on the story, the characters, the plot, and just everything in between. It made me connect a lot with the protagonist in the film because, lets be honest, who hasn't been in her shoes as a 17-year-old teenager?

Nadine was a misunderstood outcast amongst her peers who seemed to not be able to connect with anyone. She always played the victim and acted like she was the ONLY one who felt that she was lost in melancholic world alone, yet at the same time you loved her because you've been where she has. You've lacked confidence, you've had your best friend crush on your sibling, and even had that somebody you put on a pedestal and obsessed over -- who never gave you the time of day. I know I sure have as a teenager and anyone else would be lying if they said they didn't. One scene in particular that really resonated with me was where her Mother gave her advice on how to deal with her unhappiness and outcast personality. She went on to say, "When I get mad I get really quiet and really still and I say to myself  'Everyone in the world is as miserable as you are, they're just better at pretending.'" It's funny, while this wasn't the most 'positive' advice, it was the perfect counsel that she needed at the time. It really stuck with me too. I grew up always thinking everyone had it easier than me, excelled at EVERYTHING, and was just better at life in general, that it was just me who had it hard and felt different. The truth of it all -- is that they don't, people are very good actors; I soon figured out. This movie was refreshingly honest, but it had the integrity of more than I can say for most films -- it really brought the viewers back to when they were seventeen, and all of the things they went through during that jagged and crooked period that we all once traipsed. Steinfeld and Harrelson's performances were remarkably authentic and they imbibed us in from the first time they were on-screen. The sardonic humor between them was one of my favorite things about these characters, but it was also their genuine ability to just connect in such a unique way. Nadine acted selfishly in thinking that NO ONE in the world dealt with anything that she did; that it was all her, that no one understood, and that anyone else's life or agony couldn't compare to hers. Little did she know, that everyone around her truly loved her; and unbeknownst to the audience until the end, she was the one who was facing egocentrism. Towards the beginning we believe that these people in her life (her best friend and brother) appear to be these self-centered, melodramatic drama-seekers as antagonists; when in actuality, they truly loved her -- she was just so distracted by everything in her life and letting her trials destroy her, that it wasn't transparent enough. I'll close with mentioning my favorite scene in the film. The scene where she came to terms with her actions and reconciled with her brother, while I cannot remember word for word what she said -- it was everything the movie needed for a perfect closure. She not only was sincere, but she realized that she needed to change her life and let things fall into place -- without trying to run away from everything that she doesn't like. It made the audience get her and understand where she was coming from, and all at the same time love her for swallowing her pride and craving a change for a new outlook on things. It was her true moment of starting a new and her search for happiness and authenticity. This movie was definitely a life-changing one for me and I'll never forget it for as long as I live, my new favorite film; emphatically.