In 2019, a Spanish film by the name ‘Seventeen’ made its world premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, back on September 27th in 2019. This film was warmly received by critics and film enthusiasts alike and it went on to get released in theatres by the first week of October, again in 2019. Netflix then started streaming the movie a couple of weeks later, on its streaming platform. Check out the intriguing trailer for this slice of life flick, in the link at the end of this article.
As the name suggests, the movie focuses on a 17-year-old-kid – a 17-year-old boy called Hector, in this case. Hector runs away from the youth correctional center he has been in for the past two years after finding out that the dog he had bonded with over the past few weeks, Oveja, had been adopted from the animal rescue shelter. His elder brother, Ismael, joins him on his quest for his search for Oveja – to make sure that Hector doesn’t get in trouble while doing so. During their journey, the brothers (re)discover something they had forgotten which is just as important as Oveja.
While there have been many coming-of-age films released before this movie, many after this film and many will continue to release in the future – this movie represents the rage and helplessness of a 17-year-old that comes from being on the cusp of adulthood. Not a child anymore, but not an adult just yet; taking up more responsibilities while knowing that even tougher responsibilities are coming their way – this feeling is quite daunting and this film finds a unique way to show (remind) us that perspective.