SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL features 17 And Life Doesn’t Wait in their reviews of 13 Films about Social Justice, Climate Change and More
by Maggie Knapp
Aug 03, 2021 | Filed in News & Features
17 and Life Doesn’t Wait. Distribution – Good Docs. 2019. 80 min. and 58 min. DVD UPC unavail. $129, schools/public libraries. ¬Streaming options avail.
“Audrey, Kiki, and Mich don’t seem to mind cameras following them around, sharing their senior year in different parts of the United States and Canada. Kiki hopes for a basketball scholarship; driven Audrey plans on Harvard; and Mich goes to an alternative school, loves art, and wonders if smoking weed would be a problem if she were president. The girls are likeable, occasionally mugging for the camera, and viewers will likely identify with aspects of messy rooms, pets, video games, and Instagram angst, as well as weightier issues such as a suicidal sibling, sexual identity, and feeling safe at school. This film is perhaps most useful for professional development, as it gives a window into the concerns and responsibilities of those coming of age in 2020. VERDICT Reassuring to high school seniors, who may wonder if everyone else has it more figured out, and a useful prompt for pre-service teachers to remind them that under an “I’ve got this” attitude, teens still benefit from sensitive adult support.”