The film "Almost Seventeen" (The Edge of Seventeen, 2016) is a raw and brutal portrayal of teenage life.
Life filled with pain and suffering, where everything is magnified, and senses become an open wound.
A troubled teenager is like a container of inner pain, poisoning both their own life and becoming unbearable for those around them. Their actions are like a twisted dance from the tale of the frog princess: wave a hand—one bone flies off in one direction, wave the other—someone gets hit in the forehead. It seems no matter what they do, everything turns out badly and has a destructive nature.
And the root of the problem lies in the catastrophic lack of love and self-acceptance. This inner aggression erupts outward, as if from the crater of a volcano.
In Nadine’s relationship with her perfect brother, an interesting contrast is shown between two family roles: one plays the "perfect child," while the other is the "troublemaker." It’s a cruel game in which, unfortunately, adults often reinforce this destructive division.
In the film, this is well illustrated through Nadine’s brother, who shows that being the "good son" isn’t so simple—you have to act as an adult for your parents, take responsibility for them, and also for the "troublemaker sister," caring for them throughout life. The film makes this need obvious even to a casual viewer: the kind-hearted father dies young, and the mother turns out to be an infantile, immature personality.
Here’s a shout-out to systemic therapists, who know just how destructive it is when a family member occupies the wrong (in this case, "childish") role.
Incidentally, the "troublemaker" isn’t in such a bad position after all. This is their way of adapting to an unfavorable environment. What’s the advantage of playing the "bad one"? As long as you’re a rebel, you can do whatever you want: send shocking texts to the boy you like, steal your mom’s car. The "troublemaker" has far more personal freedom than the "perfect child." But the inner world of the "troublemaker" is sometimes so unbearable that it not only triggers destructive behavior toward the outside world but also leads to self-destruction. These people "can’t carry themselves."
At the same time, we see that Nadine, the "troublemaker," can’t rely on her immature mother. In her difficult psychological situation, she has to take responsibility for her mother’s emotional state. Interestingly, Nadine seeks a parental figure in her history teacher.
What stands out in this context is that her communication with him is therapeutic and projective: she projects her problems onto him, creating an imaginary image that better matches her psychological state than the real person.
A brilliant plot twist occurs when Nadine visits her teacher’s home and realizes his life isn’t what she imagined.
I think it’s accurate that the filmmakers showed a constructive resolution to the situation. Though in real life, this process would take longer and be more painful—if it happened at all. For example, unfortunately, a girl with such a great need for love and such self-loathing wouldn’t have the courage to say "no" during sexual contact with an unsuitable boy in real life. Even if something went wrong.
Her state, aside from her chaotic sex life, is also a direct path to alcohol and drug addiction. People will do anything in their self-destructive rebellion.
To a casual viewer, Nadine may seem unbearable. How could anyone sympathize with someone so selfish, self-absorbed, aggressive, and full of hatred toward the world, people, and themselves?
But this is a cry for help, a plea for love—something that doesn’t fit neatly into the strict rules of common sense.
No wonder the moment of healing comes in her brother’s arms.
Though the film is about teenage life, it may also interest adults, especially parents of children at this difficult age. Look at most of the mother’s attempts to connect with Nadine: she focuses on superficial external signs of her child’s crisis, but most of her efforts to reach an understanding miss the mark—not just failing to hit the target but flying wide off it.
