It’s okay to feel lost in crowds, to be a dull light among shining stars, to wish you were a little less awkward, to wish you were a better person. It’s okay to wonder whether you are a disappointment, a lost cause or maybe just not up to the stakes. All of us who feels, aches but all of these sufferings need not be inflicted upon others.
Its fascinating how well rounded characters can still be written. Nadine is your next door confused teenager. She is angry, irritated, violent and unpredictable. What surprises is how shrewdly she has been brought to life by writer and director Kelly Craig. She never lets her fall into tropes of crowd pleasing and envelops her completely into a small story with a heart as big as an ocean. Hailee Steinfed nails the character to its adolescent feels and speaks tons through her eyes. She walks Nadine, talks Nadine and inhabits her skin completely.
At the heart of it all, The Edge of Seventeen grasps deeply affecting life lessons from its basic premise. It can be easily related to and serves as a one way trip to nostalgia of days gone by. It’s beautifully sun drenched as the bright lights compliment the overall vibe of the affairs. To the amazement of the genre, it is neither outlandishly fancy nor cheaply plastic. It’s as real as teenage turmoils can ever get.
The Edge of Seventeen is a sweet tonic saying that everything in life will eventually be fine. It pats your back lightly and whispers words of comfort in your ears. Gentle in its love and warmly intimate, it is one of the most endearingly honest coming-of-age movie to have graced us this decade.
★★★★
