Edge of Seventeen (1998)

Admirable film.

A different way of telling a story

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Edge of Seventeen is a brilliant film for so many reasons. The writing, directing and acting are all spot on. God knows how much effort it must have taken to put a jewel like this together. This was clearly a labour of love. A mega budget could never have produced integrity like this.For those of you panning the soundtrack, fuggedaboutit. I was 20 in 1980 and I know New Wave like the back of my hand. I witnessed it being born. It was absolutely huge here in Toronto. Whoever selected the music for this film deserves an award. They knew what they were doing.The detail with regard to 80s paraphernalia and "style" is unbelievable. The level of accuracy with which this movie presents the 80s is akin to what one might see in a Merchant-Ivory costume drama. Every minute detail is correct. The movie even "feels" right.Edge of Seventeen has "bona fide" written all over it. Major kudos to the writer and director. You've nailed the 80s like no one ever has. This could be a gay companion piece to The Breakfast Club, except it's deeper and more honest.There is a reason why Edge of Seventeen is such a cult film: it has penetrated the soul of the times. Stafford's confusion, angst, vulnerability, denial, and acceptance all ring true. The main actors are fleshed out and "real".What an intelligent, thoughtful, sincere film. Those of us who appreciate what is being represented through this movie can only regard it as brilliant! This is what the art of movie making is all about. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Sexually confused young man is comfortable with frequenting a gay bar, having gay friends and being sexual with other boys--but when his concerned mother wants to know "what's going on", he realizes he's stuck in the closet. Lots of great '80s alternative music on the soundtrack gives this low-budget opus a little pep, no matter how extraneous, but the high school lead seems to have open access to bars, cars, girls and boys that hardly seems convincing (never mind that the actor looks too old to be still be living out of a locker). We get no insight into his school life except that he's admired by girls, and the mother character is a bland cliché (she waits up all night for her son to get home sitting straight-back in a living room chair--and later, when there's confronting to be done, she plays the piano). Movies like this are well-intentioned, but are usually (and, in this case, painfully) hetero-friendly, as if nobody involved did any more research than take a quick trip down to the local Manhole. *1/2 from ****

I found this to a fair film of growing up in a traditional household, with certain parental expectations differing from personal ones. There is a common theme with other movies of this genre but each is different. Finding out who you are and who your real friends are is very important regardless of your sexuality. And that is the real value of this film. I only wished there was more family involvement and exploration of the pesonalities of the characters.

CHris Stafford makes an amazing screen debt as Eric, a young man on "The edge of Seventeen"(named after the Stevie Nicks song of the same name, yet not featured on the fabulous soundtrack of 1980's songs). Set in the summer of 1984, Eric must confront his true sexuality while dealing with the pains and fear of homosexuality. Stafford's acting is flawless, as are all the actors in this BEST GAY COMMING OUT FILM of all time, in my opinion.