Perhaps because of the differences in the cultural backgrounds of Asia and Europe and the United States, the audience will have a preconceived impression when selecting films, believing that the youth films of European and American countries will be too bold and outward, and the campus and youth expression methods are also different, which is difficult to resonate, so it is necessary to give priority to finding the same type of works in Japan and South Korea to replace.
In fact, it is not, today to recommend to everyone is a youth movie released in 2016, from the United States -
The Growing Edge
（The Edge of Seventeen）
The film is also the self-written and self-directed debut of young American director Kelly Flemon Craig, and was widely acclaimed as soon as it was released. In the same year, the young director also won the Best Debut Award at the 82nd New York Film Critics Association Awards for this work, and the heroine of the film, Hayley Steinfield, was nominated for best actress at the 74th Golden Globe Awards for her outstanding performance.
Some people may wonder, why does such a come-of-age story that does not tear up or spill dog blood, just tell a lonely and unsociable girl' growth story, why does it have such a big charm? So that each of us can see in this girl more or less the inferior and willful, rebellious and stupid self of that adolescent.
The film begins with flashbacks, with the protagonist Nadine rushing into the classroom breathlessly during her lunch break, and as soon as she sits down, she speaks in a startling manner.
She said to the middle-aged male teacher in her class who was enjoying her lunch break reading time: "I decided to commit suicide." ”
Let's turn the finger to the beginning when everything has not yet begun, Nadine is not very sociable since childhood, so she is not social at school, and is often bullied by other little girls in school.
Not only school, but also family brought her great pressure, and the "culprit" who made her feel burdened was her brother Darian.
In Nadine's cognition, the world's people have long been divided into two types, one like her brother Darian, who is born with self-confidence, spontaneously attracts the attention of everyone around her, is a winner in life, and his mother is still his number one fan, and only his brother exists in his eyes.
The other is a loser like her, a lonely, eccentric, shadowed loser who only her own father can patiently understand and comfort her when she is immersed in negative emotions and abandons herself.
One day, when she was once again taking care of herself because she was bullied by her classmates at school, an "angel" with a caterpillar in her hand and dressed like a little old man appeared in her life, and Nadine made her first friend in life, Krista.
They became best friends.
All the secrets that cannot be said can be confided in the other party.
Especially after witnessing Krista's family is not very happy, after her parents quarrel all day, this makes Nadine feel that the other party is the same as herself, so she is determined to accompany each other and feel sorry for each other.
The first major change in her life occurred when Nadine was 13 years old, when her father drove her to cheeseburger to comfort her, but on the way back she accidentally fell ill and died.
The blow of this incident made Nadine more self-enclosed, unable to properly handle normal communication, and her only outlet for communication with the outside world was her long-time friend Krista.
However, even if she is accompanied by her friends, her heart still feels strongly uneasy and lonely all the time.
Once, after indulging in drunkenness at home, Nadine spat on the side of the toilet, and then asked her friend Krista, "How can you like me, which string is wrong?" ”
Because in her opinion, she can't find an advantage in her whole body, this self that even she can't like herself, how can anyone be willing to like it.
Nadine even felt that she could only end up alone in the future.
God has always been joking, often giving you another blow when you think it's already bad, telling you that it's just a small case.
So when she woke up drunk the next day, Nadine, who was groggy, found that her world had changed dramatically again.
Krista, a friend of her own, rolled into the same bed as her brother, whom she had always hated the most, and the two of them planned to formally date to put the unexpected relationship on track.
Nadine rightfully saw all this as a betrayal, and the psychology of resistance expanded infinitely to the outer galaxy.
Confused and entangled, she can't refuse Krista's request, and finally agrees to go to the party with them, trying to accept the change of this new relationship.
However, after seeing Krista's ease of integration into the new environment at the lively party, she felt more and more that her faceless and socially unsociable self was isolated like an alien.
It was hard to pluck up the courage to talk to others, but learned that in the eyes of others, he and his brother Darian were two diametrically opposed groups, the other was radiant, and he was like the funny bald little man in the old movie.
Her self-esteem is destroyed at this moment, and she ends up angry and sad and flees from the party like a loser.
Of course, even introverts like hers will also yearn for a relationship like no other in this restless adolescence.
Driven by the inner desire to get rid of the shackles of a mediocre daily life, the object of his crush at school is Nick, who is dressed up and angry.
But the reality is that even a friend application for Nick on the social software has been deleted several times but has not had the courage to send it.
She was so intimidated that even she herself shouted oh my god.
In fact, Nadine also has no shortage of suitors, such as Erwin, an Asian boy in the same class, who carefully expresses his good feelings to her, but is ignored and looked down upon by her pretentious people again and again.
Never speak well, and even praise the other party with a lofty attitude.
Arguing in order to gain the upper hand and completely disregarding one's own words will hurt others.
However, he will regret what he just said in the next second after the two sides have quarreled and dispersed.
After losing Krista," she finds herself unable to find someone to talk to, and deliberately pretends to be indifferent to her teacher Max in order to hide her fragile self-esteem.
Saying things like "I'm not interested in making friends" and "My generation is all stupid."
But after being broken by Max with a sentence "Maybe no one likes you", the small universe of instantaneous emotions exploded.
Subconsciously, he began to attack the other party with all kinds of harsh words.
But in fact, after thinking about it, I found that what Max said was exactly the core point of all this -
In fact, it's not that others don't like you, but because you hate yourself first.
When questioning why others don't like themselves, they never think about whether they first erected a high wall around them in the name of self-protection, not allowing others to enter their own world, and at the same time, they were locked in the wall and could not take a new step to communicate with people.
After breaking off relations with girlfriends, fighting with his brother and arguing with his mother.
After recognizing that the true face of the crush object is actually a scumbag who has no grace after the failure of the gun, Nadine suddenly feels that her life is bleak and she is useless.
Nadine finally chose to unload her years of defense, no longer making a fuss, no longer full of aggression, but began to honestly reveal the true thoughts buried in her heart to others.
It was only then that she understood that many things were actually just a step away from taking the initiative first.
If you want others to like yourself, you must first like yourself.
Seeing this, I know that she has reached a reconciliation with herself and her life, and from the funeral of a life where she shouts about suicide when she encounters a bad heart, she has grown into a brand new seventeen-year-old girl, Nadine.
In the process of watching this movie, you can easily award yourself to enter Nadine's state of mind, you know her, you understand her, you miss her, and even you used to be her.
But you also know that you will not be her again in your life.
Because you understand that the fleeting, restless adolescence has passed, and you have grown into an adult who can stand alone.
As for whether Erwin, who is gentle and golden, will eventually cultivate with Nadine?
Then you have to wait until you go to the movie yourself to reveal the mystery...