Diecisiete, directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, was released on September 27th, 2019 and can be viewed currently on Netflix. This movie is about a boy, Héctor, who is in juvie and has a difficult time connecting with others. However, he finally makes a connection with a dog, Oveja, but after a few weeks, Oveja gets adopted. This leaves Héctor heartbroken, so he escapes from juvie to find his dog. He ends up at his grandmother's, who is sick, where his brother Ismael finds him and agrees to help him find his dog only after Héctor agrees to return to juvie after they find Oveja. They end up traveling all over in an RV looking for a dog, but end up finding the value of each other during this adventure.
This is a classic coming of age movie as Héctor starts as an immature boy who believes everything he does is right and has little empathy towards others. Throughout the film, he gains the understanding that you should care about other people because then in return they will support and care for you as well. In Spain, family is one of the most valuable things, and it is a huge part of the culture. Héctor and Ismael had little sense of what family was at the beginning of the movie, but as their adventure progressed, they realized the importance of being in each other's lives.
The movie was filmed in Cantabria which is located in the North of Spain, and it provided beautiful landscapes and scenery for the film. Biel Montoro played the role of Héctor and Nacho Sánchez was Ismael. Both did a great job in their roles as it was easy to see that they worked well together and portrayed the role of brothers efficiently. Overall the storyline was well written, although it was very predictable with few surprises or twists. Some parts moved slower than the viewer would have liked, but the movie had a great message of the value of family and the importance of being there for someone.
Since Héctor is the main character, the plot mainly focused on him. It would have been beneficial to show more about Ismael and his past to understand his character better. Little is known about the siblings' past so if there was more details provided, it would add greatly to the development of the characters. Overall the movie was easy to follow and understand, and is one that I recommend watching if you enjoy heart warming movies. It is easy to relate with the characters and understand the emotions they are experiencing throughout the film. For example, when the grandmother was about to die, both Héctor and Ismael stopped what they were doing, put their differences aside, and focused on spending time with their grandmother. Many people who have experienced the loss of a loved one, have had this moment where other problems simply don't matter at that time. Another relatable message is that it takes the support of someone to have the courage to open up and face responsibility. This is seen when Héctor decides to return to juvie and finish his sentence so he can start over instead of continuing to run away like he had in the past.
This is a classic coming of age movie as Héctor starts as an immature boy who believes everything he does is right and has little empathy towards others. Throughout the film, he gains the understanding that you should care about other people because then in return they will support and care for you as well. In Spain, family is one of the most valuable things, and it is a huge part of the culture. Héctor and Ismael had little sense of what family was at the beginning of the movie, but as their adventure progressed, they realized the importance of being in each other's lives.
The movie was filmed in Cantabria which is located in the North of Spain, and it provided beautiful landscapes and scenery for the film. Biel Montoro played the role of Héctor and Nacho Sánchez was Ismael. Both did a great job in their roles as it was easy to see that they worked well together and portrayed the role of brothers efficiently. Overall the storyline was well written, although it was very predictable with few surprises or twists. Some parts moved slower than the viewer would have liked, but the movie had a great message of the value of family and the importance of being there for someone.
Since Héctor is the main character, the plot mainly focused on him. It would have been beneficial to show more about Ismael and his past to understand his character better. Little is known about the siblings' past so if there was more details provided, it would add greatly to the development of the characters. Overall the movie was easy to follow and understand, and is one that I recommend watching if you enjoy heart warming movies. It is easy to relate with the characters and understand the emotions they are experiencing throughout the film. For example, when the grandmother was about to die, both Héctor and Ismael stopped what they were doing, put their differences aside, and focused on spending time with their grandmother. Many people who have experienced the loss of a loved one, have had this moment where other problems simply don't matter at that time. Another relatable message is that it takes the support of someone to have the courage to open up and face responsibility. This is seen when Héctor decides to return to juvie and finish his sentence so he can start over instead of continuing to run away like he had in the past.