Stars:
Sandrine Kiberlain, Kacey Mottet Klein, Corentin Fila
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In 'Being Seventeen' we
meet Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein), who is surprised when his mother
Marianne (Sandrine Kiberlain) calmly accepts his declaration of sexual
attraction to a classmate. But why would she be surprised? Damien's
candy-coloured rhinestone earring hardly shouts 'macho man'. But it is
fair to say he is not the stereotypical film closeted homosexual: he
enthusiastically takes boxing lessons from a friend of his army pilot
father; and he is not even sure whether it is men generally he is
attracted to, or just that particular classmate: Thomas (played by male
model Corentin Fila).
The trouble with Damien's attraction to
Thomas is that the latter bullies the former. But when Marianne, the
local doctor in the Pyrenean community, hospitalises Thomas' weak,
pregnant mother, she invites him to stay with her and Damien, and so the
two boys are thrown together...
There are occasions when this
film loses the way: Damien and Thomas are plainly the centre of the
story, so sequences focusing exclusively on Marianne seem pointless and
add little to the main story. But Kiberlain certainly provides a decent
performance as the friendly mother who chats happily to the boys while
serving them a glass of after-school wine (did I mention this is a
French film?), before a personal tragedy means she must pull her life
back together. Fila and Klein are given likable characters to play -
Thomas concerned by his mother's condition; Damien the bully's victim -
and also turn in good performances.
But the best aspect for me is
the scenery: director André Téchiné gets the best of filming in the
Pyrénées, with the endless snow-covered mountains (most of the filming
seems to have taken place during the depths of winter) gradually giving
way to deep, verdant valleys as the film and seasons progress. But it is
not just a travelogue - this film is well worth seeing for its take on
awakening sexuality.