Synopsis & Film Details
Fresno Filmworks presents the original French drama and New York Times Critics’ Pick “Being 17.” The movie focuses on two teenage boys: Thomas, a confident North African boy adopted by a French family; and Damien, a gay teenager who is taunted at school by Thomas. When Thomas’s mother falls ill, Damien’s mother Marianne, the local doctor, is called to the isolated farm where Thomas and his mother live. Impressed by Thomas and unaware of the antagonism between the two boys, Marianne invites Thomas to live in town with them to be close to the hospital where Thomas’ mother has been admitted. Thrown together by circumstances, Thomas and Damien must learn to unravel emotions, desires, and tensions that lurk below the surface within each of them. This moving exploration of adolescent sexual awakening was co-written by award-winning French directors André Téchiné and Céline Sciamma. In French with English subtitles. Closed Captioning and other assistive listening services are not available for this film.
Director: André Téchiné
France • 116 minutes • Not Rated
Distributor: Strand Releasing
SCREENING SPONSOR:
L’Alliance Française de Fresno
Since 1983, L’Alliance Française has promoted the French language and culture in Fresno and the central San Joaquin Valley. The organization provides a lecture series in both French and English; a weekly French conversation group; a French-language school; scholarships for students of French; co-sponsorship of area cultural events; traditional French celebrations; and collaboration with the Fresno Pétanque Club.
Filmworks thanks Jewel FM 99.3, The Fresno Bee, Vida en el Valle, and Stella Artois for their ongoing support.