HIGH SCHOOL REFLECTIONS, MEMORIES & THE TEENAGE DRAMA: Seven Minutes In Heaven (1985)

The teen movie ruled the roost in the not so distant 1980s, so much so that many great ones fell through the cracks. Seven Minutes In Heaven is a much sweeter, more innocent affair than the more bawdy, colorful hits of the day, but nails high school melodrama superbly. Three best friends move about their lives together- one boy, two girls. Natalie is only interested in her future political ambitions, Jeff is into Polly, and Polly is distressed over not having a boyfriend, until she falls in love with baseball player Zoo Knudsen. Jeff has trouble at home- a child of divorce, a demanding stepfather- so he moves in with Natalie temporarily while her father is out of town. Natalie starts dating Jeff's friend James, who is not as faithful as she thinks. Seven Minutes In Heaven specializes in gentle, warm vibrations- it does not avoid the pitfalls of teen life- bullying, parental problems, teacher difficulties, first crush fever- rather presents these issues in a less vulgar, ridiculous, comical way than many of it's contemporaries. The film captures the aching, longing, bittersweet emotional impact of life at 16- how every incident, every crush, every moment is a monumental experience to be held in awe, the newness of living on this planet still a fresh idea, before the realities of experience spin us in directions in and out of our control.