IFFK Bytes: Being Seventeen- Teen Angst

Third movie watched in IFFK 2016 is Being 17, a French movie directed by André Téchiné. As the name indicates it is a movie about the psyche of teenagers. It's about the complex relation between two teenagers who are classmates that progress from rivalry to companionship and culminates in love.

Damien is the son of a soldier, who is sensitive and has issues in understanding himself. Adopted son of a couple, Thomas is his classmate, but starts a bitter rivalry with Damien that borders on bullying. Damien's mother brings Thomas home when his mother is hospitalised. Naturally both are uncomfortable and the movie is about how they deal with each other.

The importance of this movie lies in the aspect that it never tries to water down the issues or introduce feel good elements into it. There is a very natural element in the movie that makes the characters believable even when they go through extremely complex movements of life. Ambitions, motivations and desires of teenage mind is expressed convincingly in Being 17.