*** (R)
A new, unique female voice is discovered with "The Edge of Seventeen." Writer-director Kelly Fremon gives us an incisive look at female teenage-dom. Nadine, a never better Hailee Steinfeld, is already an awkward and isolated high-schooler when she finds out her best friend is dating her older brother, that sets up a chain of events that feels both unexpectedly moving and hilarious. A geeky boy in her class (Hayden Szeto) seems to be the escape she needs, although she isn't sure if she actually likes him. Oh, to be a teenager.
The top-notch cast is rounded out by Kyra Sedgwick, playing Nadine's mom and Woody Harrelson as Nadine's History teacher, and mentor. The Edge of Seventeen is the most John Hughes-esque film to come around in quite some time. It feeds off of the awkwardness of its characters plights, but also humanizes them in ways that are so rare for the teen movie genre. You could tell Fremon brought some of her own personal experiences to the table for the film, which is also the funniest movie I have seen so far in 2016.
We spoke to the writer-director about her personal imprints on the film, Hailee Steinfeld's staggering talents and how she actually managed to turn her screenplay into a $7 Million feature film that also happens to be her directorial debut.