Being 17

Being 17

2DCSCS/ES15
Director:André Téchiné
Cast:Corentin Fila, Alexis Loret, Sandrine Kiberlain, Kacey Mottet Klein
Premiere:16. February 2017
Length:116 minutes
Genre:Drama

Director: André Téchiné  •  Cast: Corentin Fila, Alexis Loret, Sandrine Kiberlain, Kacey Mottet Klein

In his most youthful film, the 70-year-old André Téchiné depicts a tale of two teenagers from a small French town whose turbulent relationship starts with hate-fuelled assaults and bullying at school, yet step by step develops into a tender bond. Neurotic, detailed, purely physical takes, underlined by aggressive cuts, fantastic directing of the actors (particularly the dazzling Kacey Mottet Klein and the novice Corentin Fila), the clever idea of framing the naturalistic personal drama with the majestic Pyrenees - these are the major fortes that make the film diverge from other gay romances. At the same time, Being 17 does not strive to conceal its being a male counterpart to Abdellatif Kechiche’s La Vie d’Adèle (Blue Is the Warmest Colour). The film is just as restless and explosive as its heroes. It is a celebration of the “élan vital”: the magical time of adolescence, suffused with abandon and unremitting anxiety, with spontaneous violence meeting sensuality, and agonising losses alternating with sweet discoveries.

Length: 116 min

Year: 2016
Local premiere date: 16. February 2017

Country of origin:

  • France

Director: André Téchiné  •  Cast: Corentin Fila, Alexis Loret, Sandrine Kiberlain, Kacey Mottet Klein

In his most youthful film, the 70-year-old André Téchiné depicts a tale of two teenagers from a small French town whose turbulent relationship starts with hate-fuelled assaults and bullying at school, yet step by step develops into a tender bond. Neurotic, detailed, purely physical takes, underlined by aggressive cuts, fantastic directing of the actors (particularly the dazzling Kacey Mottet Klein and the novice Corentin Fila), the clever idea of framing the naturalistic personal drama with the majestic Pyrenees - these are the major fortes that make the film diverge from other gay romances. At the same time, Being 17 does not strive to conceal its being a male counterpart to Abdellatif Kechiche’s La Vie d’Adèle (Blue Is the Warmest Colour). The film is just as restless and explosive as its heroes. It is a celebration of the “élan vital”: the magical time of adolescence, suffused with abandon and unremitting anxiety, with spontaneous violence meeting sensuality, and agonising losses alternating with sweet discoveries.

Year: 2016
Local premiere date: 16. February 2017

Country of origin:

  • France