★★★★
To find a shelter dog he befriended, a 17-year-old boy escapes a juvenile detention center and is joined on his quest by his older brother.
Classification: 15
How far would you go for your family? is the central question to his sweet story of a travelling pair of brothers and their elderly grandmother as the travel across Spain in search of an adopted dog. Bolstered by the spirited script from Daniel Sánchez Arévalo and Araceli Sánchez, with Arévalo also being the film's director, Seventeen focuses on the concepts of responsibility to oneself and others. Biel Montoro stars as Hector, an anti-social teenager sentenced within a juvenile centre after a string of petty crimes including theft. Montoro's performance is riveting, capturing this fine balance of frustration and skill in how handles obstacles both physical and personal. He's blunt, takes no shit and follows his own code of ethics so even if the audience doesn't always agree with him, they can understand the rationale behind his actions.
Demonstrated through the film's first act which focuses on Hector's routine on constant escape attempts complete with numbers stakes in the ground, one of the social workers finds a new outlet for his intellect. Hector becomes a trainer and caretaker for a foster dog in a programme that allows juveniles to learn social skills. Naming his dog Sheep, Hector bonds with the dog and they form a very close kinship, but Hector's success with Sheep then leads to the dog becoming adopted. Arévalo makes the relationship between Hector and Sheep very personal, using only a handful of scenes to perfectly capture that unique link that a person can form with a canine. So when Hector is separated from Sheep, the audience can easily recognise his actions from there on, Seventeen doesn't endorse Hector's crimes but doesn't lose sight of the fragile nature of his personality.
The film then puts focus on the main relationship of the film, the brotherhood between Hector and his older brother Ismael portrayed by Nacho Sánchez. The two actors have good chemistry together with Ismael constantly trying to suppress Hector's criminal behaviour to make their journey easier. Seventeen transforms into a road trip film then, with each stop bringing comedy and new insights into the characters. Sánchez's storyline focusing on his failings in raising Hector and insecurities about being a father while Montoro shows Hector's fears of being abandoned. On the trip, they bring along their dying grandmother whom Hector has a deep affection for but fears she will die whenever he leaves her constantly telling her not to die when he has to run an errand. All the positive role models in Hector's life have been taken from him, his grandmother through her illness, his brother through his behaviour, and when Hector begins to show improvement his dog is taken away from him. Seventeen has both brothers learn about each other as Hector gain a new morality while Ismael leans into his more anarchic side with his frustrations.
With every new development, Hector causes with his impulsive behaviour whether it be stealing a three-legged dog to ensure a trade with Sheep's new owner or constructing various lock breaking devices out of Ismael's beer cans. The comedy of the film has a down to earth humanity, Arévalo making every development feel natural but at the same time escalating the scale of the story. It's always focused on the ideas of family, the search for Sheep being an excuse for character introspection rather than crazy antics. Although that doesn't mean Hector and Ishmael don't get themselves in trouble, with Ismael always stating that he will take the blame so Hector can't be tried as an adult.
It does meander in the middle drawing out their journey by sidelining the storyline with Sheep by exploring the brother's relationship with their grandmother and their family history. Allowing the film to develop the themes and characters more but it can't escape the feeling that it is just filler. Arévalo's script and direction prioritise Hector and Ismael's development and make Seventeen a coming of age story but its the constant motion of their journey that allows for the tensions to run high. Having them stop to face reality is effective but there are no real consequences from it, the urge to find the dog or return Hector to the juvenile centre is just put to the side.
Seventeen is still incredibly effective because of its lead performances and the realism of Arévalo's vision for Hector and Ishmael's story. Biel Montoro and Nacho Sánchez have incredible chemistry together that makes the film a blast to experience, handling the drama and the comedy of their situation in surprising ways. The love of brothers, the love of family, the love one has for their dog, the film has a great emotional core that resonates with the audience despite the flaws in the pacing.
Director: #DanielSánchezArévalo
Release Date: October 18th 2019
Available exclusively on Netflix
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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