The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
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A troubled teenager navigates the complexities of friendship, family, and self-discovery after a falling out with her best friend.
The story
Seventeen-year-old Nadine Franklin navigates a turbulent life marked by a strained relationship with her mother, a complicated bond with her popular older brother Darian, and the loss of her father. Her only constant support is her best friend, Krista. However, when a night of heavy drinking leads to a misunderstanding involving Darian, the girls' friendship is pushed to the breaking point. As Nadine struggles to find her place in her social circle and deal with her internal insecurities, she must navigate the fallout of her fractured friendship while attempting to find a way to connect with the people around her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a night of drinking leads to a falling out with her best friend Krista over a misunderstanding involving her brother Darian, Nadine finds herself isolated. She attempts to connect with classmates like Erwin Kim and a local student named Nick Mossman, but her efforts are often met with mixed results. Following a series of escalating tensions with her mother, Mona, Nadine eventually takes off on her own, leading to a series of events where she is confronted by Nick and eventually reunited with her brother. In a final confrontation, Darian reveals his own struggles with the pressures of being the 'responsible' one. The film concludes with Nadine reconciling with Krista and finding a sense of peace and acceptance regarding her identity and her relationships with her family and friends.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kelly Fremon Craig
- Writers
- Kelly Fremon Craig · writer
- Cast and characters
- Hailee Steinfeld · Nadine; Woody Harrelson · Max Bruner; Kyra Sedgwick · Mona; Haley Lu Richardson · Krista; Blake Jenner · Darian; Hayden Szeto · Erwin Kim
- Genres
- comedy-drama; coming-of-age
- Themes
- coming-of-age; sibling dynamics; mother-daughter relationships; friendship; self-identity
- Tone and mood
- dramedy; raw
- Premise and plot tags
- teen; high school; drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Besties
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, particularly praising Hailee Steinfeld's performance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · scale: percentage · review count: 222; Metacritic · score: 77 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled for a September 2016 release.; The screenplay was originally titled 'Besties'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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