A beautiful later work from the great Andre Techine. If you have seen his 1994 masterpiece Wild Reeds, you will notice several familiar motifs. The main difference is that the protagonist in this story is the polar opposite of the protagonist in Wild Reeds. One senses that Techine sought to break down the emotional and cultural barriers that were omnipresent in the earlier film.

Nice movie about two boys exploring their sexuality. The nature is stunning and every scene in the mountains has a nice atmosphere. Maybe what would make this movie perfect is to somehow end it ? In the end there were many questions unanswered and for me I wanted a better and meaningful end. But definitely worth watching.

Não é novidade para ninguém que a França é um dos maiores polos artísticos do mundo, dito isso, não precisa de muito para saber que 'Quand On A 17 Ans' é uma obra de origem francesa e que encanta e desperta as mais diversas sensações a todos que se aventuram a mergulhar numa história interiorana, simples, mas com grande potencial. O longa tem como eixo central a história de Damien e Thomas, que por sinal, é um fascínio puro de tensão sexual e descobrimento, trazendo com força, a forma em que adolescentes limitados lidam com sua sexualidade. Seguindo uma linha narrativa pouco previsível, a história dos rapazes acaba revelando grandes atuações, e são essas atuações as responsáveis por elevar o entendimento do público, que entre controvérsias e complexidades dos personagens, acaba deixando em certos pontos, a história mais acessível. O Plot Twist trabalhado desde o início da história, surte um efeito que muda o rumo de tudo a partir da metade do segundo ato. E essa mudança repentina que acaba abrindo espaço para que a chave central da história comece a se desenvolver com mais intensidade, e bota intensidade nisso. 'Quand On A 17 Ans' é uma história rica, gravada de maneira modesta e simples, mas apaixonante e sensual na medida que deve ser.

Granted the movie needed pre & post-production help (Writing, editing, etc), but the acting and directing was really quite good was really quite good.

Charming story in a scenic setting.

A really, really good gay/coming of age film. Not just about the kids' problems with being gay and their attraction, but also what shapes them as humans, with as much emphasis on especially one of the boys' mother, it was as much her story as it was theirs. Great acting. Beautiful, but not "big" cinematography - although the snow covered mountains made me almost miss snow - and I HATE the cold! And it was not over the top/sugar-coaty as most American movies (or was about just drugs and screwing every guy you come near, as also happens in most gay-themed American movies) in this genre, which gives it extra points.

The performances are naturalistic and strong, even if the plot is at times rather predictable. But what I was not a fan of was the camerawork, which somehow manages to make breathtaking scenery look kinda dull, and serves up shaky handheld extreme closeups a little too often for no discernible reason.

Rivalry, that's where sometimes it all begins. I don't know why this film has not been watched by many. This is a good film, a good French gay film. Like many reviewers had already mentioned, this is not your typical gay theme. It would have been better if you had tried it without knowing what kind of story is this. Anyway, I mentioned it, but it is not a spoiler if you thought so. It would have landed at you in one way or the other while learning about the film. It was more a drama than the romance. But everything has to have a nicer initiation. So, that's how the film characters take the shape. Only those important characters like the main two and another 2-3 were the all focus. The narration clearly ignores everything else to put the story straight, despite it was not about the straight guys. The tale was told from the perspective of Damien, a new boy moved into the small foothill town with his doctor mother and while his father serving in the army in an away tour. Sometimes, the perspective takes neural to accomplish the other aspect of the story. An unexpected rivalry begins between Damien and his classmate, Thomas, a loner who lives up in the hills in a farmland. As the film progresses, their fight intensifies. But there comes a time to compromise when the developments around them forces them to do so. It's the turning point for them, yet they're not in the mood to shake hands. You could say what comes henceforth, but that's where you might go wrong. This tale breaks the stereotypes and brings a fresh perspective on homosexuality. Although not fully unpredictable narration. ?I don't know if I'm into guys or just you.? Besides, the places where the film shot was magnificent. Takes place in different seasons, and each time the story well exploited the region to blend with the emotions, fierce and other moods in the drama. The two boys were good. Because of the type of their role, the film looks slow in some parts. But overall gets better with its upcoming scene. The first two acts were nothing but the boys and their struggle to get over with their conflict. More like the random acts of normal reaction to such incidents. Only if it had tough guys on both the ends. But where it all leads were well planned that you may slightly disappoint with it. Like I was aware of a couple of things from the story, and it indeed that's how it turned out at the latter part. Otherwise, there's no complaint about it. Despite I enjoyed watching it, not the film that I wanted. I blame my anticipation for having such opinion. I was looking for more and more things to happen, whereas the narration was riding in the simplest manner. Especially the last half an hour brought the best out of it. Yeah, you could say it ended strongly and probably a turning point for the audience to change their stance if they were not happy so far. Firstly, it is worth watching for being a different for such concept, and that's because of the writing. Secondly the cinematography, direction, including the actors made it a better flick. But personally I was not happy about failing to come to the point in the early section. It recovered, almost at very late. And then it ended better. But still I agree it was a perfect portrayal of the older teenagers and their confusing sexuality. The contents were realistic while the film stayed true to cinematic. I hope people watch it with low expectation and patience. 7/10

Techine is a wonderful French film director who's body of work is incredibly rich and interesting. Focussing on two teenagers slowly discovering their mutual attraction, the film explores their inner lives and personalities, offering two beautiful teenage portrait. Well written and acted, the film becomes a fascinating playground for this blossoming romance on screen. A delightful film.

No, not my cup of tea.

all and all the plot is pretty cliche for a coming of age gay movie, there's denial, there's tragedy then bam. ACCEPTANCE. But it still conveyed all those nice feelings of being young, in love, and confused. It's both straightforward and implicit at the same time.

Made me remember how I fell in love with the cutest kid in my class once upon a time. I got beaten up too but that's the closest we ever got.

meandering and low key but also tender and observcant

Oh those French. What looks like a fun, coming of age high school yarn, turns a seemingly bullying conflict into a basic sex conundrum, that slips in some family, racial, political and class conflicts to boot. There's a lot going on here. A lot. But director Andre Techine is totally up for the task, revealing the story in a natural, unromantized manner. Everything moves along as in life: bumpy, full of challenges, but never stopping for time. The two leads, Kacey Motten Klein and Corinten Fila, are excellent as the privileged white boy and the industrious, hard working brown boy, discovering their relationship through wildly fluctuating emotional and physical means. Their growth through much turmoil is fascinating to watch. So go watch it. - hipCRANK

André Techiné, el director que nos entregó una de las mejores actuaciones de Catherine Deneuve en "Les Voleurs" y activo desde la década del 60, nos presenta su último trabajo llamado "Quand on a 17 Ans". Esta es la historia de Damien y Thomas, dos adolescentes que rivalizan permanentemente en la escuela y luego en el hogar de Damien, cuando los padres de este acogen a Thomas. Techiné nos ofrece aquí un rito de pasaje, en el que, con mucha delicadeza, nos muestra la confusión producto del despertar sexual de los jóvenes (interpretados magistralmente por Kacey Mottet Klein y Corentin Fila). Sandrine Kiberlain ("Floride") también es espléndida interpretando a la madre de Damien, una doctora que debe afrontar tanto la soledad como la conexión con su hijo. "Quand on a 17 Ans" es una cinta que se puede comparar con "La Vida de Adéle". Es un estudio humano y profundo sobre la juventud dirigido por todo un experto que dejará una impronta en el corazón del espectador.

André Techiné, el director que nos entregó una de las mejores actuaciones de Catherine Deneuve en "Les Voleurs" y activo desde la década del 60, nos presenta su último trabajo llamado "Quand on a 17 Ans". Esta es la historia de Damien y Thomas, dos adolescentes que rivalizan permanentemente en la escuela y luego en el hogar de Damien, cuando los padres de este acogen a Thomas. Techiné nos ofrece aquí un rito de pasaje, en el que, con mucha delicadeza, nos muestra la confusión producto del despertar sexual de los jóvenes (interpretados magistralmente por Kacey Mottet Klein y Corentin Fila). Sandrine Kiberlain ("Floride") también es espléndida interpretando a la madre de Damien, una doctora que debe afrontar tanto la soledad como la conexión con su hijo. "Quand on a 17 Ans" es una cinta que se puede comparar con "La Vida de Adéle". Es un estudio humano y profundo sobre la juventud dirigido por todo un experto que dejará una impronta en el corazón del espectador.

French filmmaker André Téchiné may be 73 now, but his latest films proves that he still has a firm grasp on the sensibilities for being young. Being 17 is a realistic yet dramatized coming-of-age story, with commendable filmmaking and acting. Also, co-writer Céline Sciamma (who directed last year's Girlhood) clearly engineered a good amount of the script modern appeal, and it does bare a strong resemblance to her work in structure. It's nothing complex or overtly different, but Being 17 a fine latter day film from one of France's most important directors.

This is a movie that has Frenh cinema written all over it. It really is a very different kind of cinema America provides, it's really European and very French. It had its moments, but it never managed to win me over. I couldn't quite connect with any of the characters and the plot was gettng really tiresome at points. The beautiful scenery, used as a plot point, managed to stand for more than that and was a sight for everyone's eyes. "Quand on a 17 ans" is a good movie, slow but meaningful, but it never became what it should have been.