Dix-sept ans

Formerly, I respected nature too much. I stood before things and landscapes and let them be. That’s over. Now “I shall intervene”. (Henri Michaux, Mes propriétés)

“Jean-Benoît is 17 years old and lives with his mother in the suburbs of Rouen. When he was twelve, his father suddenly took his own life. As a fragile teenager, haunted by the temptation of self-destruction and by hesitant half-measures, he is constantly on the razor edge. As summer draws to a close, he begins a job as apprentice mechanic, to keep a promise he made his father to have a trade, prove himself, make his way in life. His apprenticeship turns out to have many facets. He meets young Helena, with whom he discovers love and kindness. He confronts the absence and violence of his mother. He must also find his place at the garage in a man’s world. The film was shot over three years and becomes not only part of Jean-Benoît’s experience, but also means of learning and thinking. It enables the teenager to confront his own image, becomes a sort of relay, and gives him the means to act. A common effort to convey the difficulty and delicate task of crossing over into the adult world.” (Didier Nion)