Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Damien lives with his mother Marianne, a doctor, while his father, a pilot, is on a tour of duty abroad with the French military. At school, Damien is bullied by Thomas, who lives in the farming community up in the mountains. The boys find themselves living together when Marianne invites Thomas to come and stay with them while his mother is ill in hospital. Damien must learn to live with the boy who terrorized him.
Being 17 is a sensitive, quietly observed coming-of-age drama from André Téchiné that earns its reputation primarily through the quality of its performances. The two young leads (Kacey Mottet Klein and Corentin Fila) bring remarkable naturalism and emotional authenticity to a story about repressed desire disguised as antagonism — a familiar LGBT-teen premise handled with unusual restraint and maturity. The acting is genuinely exceptional, avoiding melodrama where lesser films would overplay. The plot follows a well-worn arc (bully-harbors-secret-feelings, proximity breeds understanding) without dramatically subverting expectations, and the mountain/rural Pyrenees setting is atmospheric but not cinematographically distinguished. Novelty sits in the middle — Téchiné's restrained, adult gaze on adolescent sexuality is somewhat distinctive, but the premise itself is recognizable territory. The ending is understated and emotionally honest without being particularly surprising or resonant.