Review: The Edge of Seventeen
Hailee Steinfeld came upon the scene in 2011 with her remarkable Best Supporting Actress Oscar-nominated performance for True Grit. She was 15 years old. Now, after years of often good but generic performances in films ranging from mediocre to simply OK, Steinfeld finally has her breakthrough role as Nadine Byrd in the witty and refreshing teen comedy, The Edge of Seventeen.
Written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, The Edge of Seventeen begins with Nadine striding through the corridors of her high school and into the classroom of her history teacher Mr. Bruner (a fantastically droll Woody Harrelson) to announce her intention to commit suicide. What a coincidence, Mr. Bruner remarks, he was just in the midst of writing his very own suicide note talking about how his one moment of happiness during the school day, the 45 minutes he has for lunch, is constantly interrupted by the same student. And we're off...
Yet Nadine is no ordinary drama queen. There's something going on in her life - well, quite a lot of things that have upended her world. The first is the loss of her father, who died of a heart attack before her eyes during one of their regular fast-food runs and who served as peacemaker between Nadine and her mom (Kyra Sedgwick), a flighty sort who's barely there and favours Nadine's older brother, golden boy Darian (Blake Jenner). There's a boy (Alexander Calvert) she crushes on but who barely knows she exist, whilst she naturally ignores the low-key charms of fellow student Erwin (Hayden Szeto), who is obviously smitten with her. Most upsetting of all, her best and only friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) and her brother have fallen for one another, leaving Nadine betrayed and feeling even more of an outsider.
One of the film's greatest assets is that, whilst it can be classified as a teen comedy, at no point are the laughs at the expense of the characters. Every one here is highly relatable and, whilst all are familiar, they are in no way stereotypical. Fremon Craig firmly grounds The Edge of Seventeen in reality and, as a result, situations that may have been cliched in lesser hands, have more than a hollow ring of truth. It's entirely believable that Darian and Krista would fall for one another as it is that Nadine would issue an ultimatum to Krista to choose between her and Darian as it is that Krista would choose love, which indeed proves genuine, over a longtime friendship that has now become spiked with conditions.
Whilst one could point to the death of Nadine's father as the reason for her behaviour, it is but a small part. Nadine has always been a self-loathing sort and she has deployed that self-loathing to self-destructive effect. She's constantly keeping people at bay - zeroing in on their weaknesses and exposing them with relish - even when she needs their support the most. Nadine is not always likable but, as she learns to give just a little and comes into her own, she becomes a person worth admiring.
The Edge of Seventeen
Directed by: Kelly Fremon Craig
Written by: Kelly Fremon Craig
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick, Woody Harrelson, Hayden Szeto, Alexander Calvert
