17 Filles

Seventeen filles or seventeen girls is a french movie which depicts the lives of seventeen teenage girls who got pregnant one after the other. This film is the first director stint of Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin.

The film has the "JUNO" touch and it actually happened at a local highschool in Massachusettes wherein there was this quite alarming number of teenage girls sporting some highly-noticeable bumps which is a far cry from the usual baby fat that one usually sheds off during puberty.

French was the official language of this film and was portrayed by pretty French girls. It all started when this Camille girl discovered that she was a mom-to-be during a school health check-up. It was very evident that Camille didn't knew what she has gotten into when she told her best friends about it. And the worst part is that she's convinced herself that she can raise the child alone without having to tell the guy who got her knocked off.

Camille was your typical teenage girl whose life revolves around being stubborn both at home and at school. She's really tight with her girl friends and they pretty much live a carefree life over a limited allowance. Camille's brother is a soldier and her constant companion is her mom who works at a nearby hospital. Camille often blames her mother for not giving her enough attention that's why she mostly relied in the comfort of her friends.

What's amusing is that when she and her friends decided that getting pregnant would somehow make them look like grown-up adults. They yearn to be treated seriously, and by 16 years old, they shocked their lonely coastal town by rocking some baby bumps.

Another thing to notice is that all-throughout the film, the girls didn't stop on wearing their usual get-up of shirt pants and converse which really shows that the only thing that changed is the measurement of their tummies and it also goes to show that they're not taking this whole pregnancy thing as serious. They even get to play around and get drunk and wasted while babies are on its way.

Seventeen filles is filled with scenes which are so silent you can actually go deaf. These scenes are important though, because these are the scenes which encapsulates the moments to which these girls are alone by themselves and scared to what kind of life they're leading into.

I love European indie films and seventeen filles is a simple narration of how a girl can transform into a woman because of one decision. It captures the essence of growing up with friends while tunneling through different emotions which ranges from hate, lust, betrayal, loyalty, friendship and definitely some growing up to do.
Though the ending of the film might leave you craving for more, it's worth your 2 hours.