#edge of seventeen

random-french-girl:

on the subject of hailee steinfeld’s filmography btw i will say that the edge of seventeen was surprisingly good and her acting in it wonderful and def deserving of that golden globes nom BUT

my god the story really would have benefited from making nadine textually queer. and not only because the intense sense of alienation and betrayal and abandonment that she feels re: her best friend dating her brother situation works so well for a reading in which nadine DOES in fact have some romantic feelings for said friend

but also because of the super complicated relationship between nadine & her mother & femininity, with that focus on her mom’s romantic relationships and her mom not understanding nadine at all. and the mess of jealousy/envy/resentment/admiration/longing nadine has towards her older (straight) brother for whom everything is EASY (and who gets the girl…) like damn! literally the family dynamics of a confused gay teenage girl.

and like! she spends so much of the movie saying that she hates herself and is terrified that she’ll always feel that way! hello?? her having a crush on the seemingly unattainable hot bad boy and projecting all her sexual desire onto him only to immediately regret it when he tries to have sex with her! using another (kinder, and thus non-threatening) boy’s crush on her as like. a source of attention and a way to not be alone but not actually being all that interested in him (until the end at least)! come on.

this, all of this. i really dont appreciate the fact that the writers/producers of this (very good) film took the title of an actual queer indie film from the 90s and straightwashed it. everything was there and tbh i wouldnt have even mind if krista still ended up with darian, as long as we had gotten nadine confessing her feelings for her or even saying those feelings outloud to anyone

Stevie Shrine