First Girl I Loved

Last updated

First Girl I Loved
First Girl I Loved poster.jpg
Directed byKerem Sanga
Written byKerem Sanga
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRicardo Diaz
Edited byShane Hazen
Music by John Swihart
Production
companies
  • PSH Collective
  • Tilted Windmill Productions
  • Bee-Hive Productions
Release dates
  • January 24, 2016 (2016-01-24)(Sundance)
  • October 18, 2016 (2016-10-18)(United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

First Girl I Loved is a 2016 American romantic drama film written and directed by Kerem Sanga. It stars Dylan Gelula, Brianna Hildebrand, Tim Heidecker and Pamela Adlon. The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award for "Best of NEXT". [1] The film follows two teenage girls, nerdy yearbook editor Anne and softball star Sasha, wrestling with their sexuality at a Los Angeles high school. [2] [3] It was released in the United States and Canada in select theaters and on demand October 18, 2016.

Contents

Plot

While watching a high school softball game, yearbook editor Anne falls for the team star Sasha. She confesses her realization to her best friend Clifton, who reacts badly due to his own feelings for Anne. He kisses Anne, and, after she pushes him away, Cliff rapes her, while she remains frozen in shock. She eventually pushes him away and tearfully expresses that her current crush is not a boy, as Clifton had assumed, but a girl. Clifton calls her a dyke and accuses her of leading him on.

Under the guise of yearbook interviews, Anne visits Sasha and the two begin to strike up a friendship. Their relationship grows over the upcoming weeks through their texting, culminating in Anne comforting Sasha after the latter causes her team to lose their big game.

Clifton continues to lash out at Anne in jealousy. When Anne discovers he broke her bike lock and caused it to be stolen, she attacks him during their yearbook class, causing her to receive disciplinary action from the school. Clifton remains engaged in his plan to sabotage Anne, ultimately asking out Sasha himself. However, he begins to regret his actions during a meeting with his guidance counselor.

After being reprimanded by the school and arguing with her mother, Anne goes on a hangout with Sasha and convinces her to let her sleep over at Sasha's house. That same night, the two sneak out to a bar and flirt with some men, but end up dancing with each other and kissing. Sasha is confused following their encounter, but lets Anne return home and the two share her bed.

The following day, Sasha refuses to speak to Anne and attempts dating Clifton, but he has accepted Anne dating her and mistakes Sasha's offer to be for him to be a beard. Anne tries unsuccessfully to resume her relationship with Sasha, even admitting her crush in public, but Sasha remains distant.

Growing hurt, Anne secretly includes a picture in the school yearbook of her and Sasha kissing. The swapped photo is printed in every yearbook, and the families of Clifton, Anne, and Sasha are called by the school to convene. There, Sasha asserts that the encounter in the photograph was non-consensual and depicted Anne taking advantage of her while she was drunk. Clifton, grappling with his own breach of Anne's consent, takes the blame for placing the photo in the yearbook and expresses how much of the student body knew the two were dating. Sasha ultimately concedes that she "doesn't know" if she hadn't or had consented. Anne and her mother then leave the meeting.

Later that day, Anne visits Jasmine, the owner of the bar and retail store where she and Sasha hung out, now to test herself for HIV. The two share a period of reflection over her history, in which Anne comments on another coercive sexual experience. Anne discuss her heartache over Sasha and accepts that she is gay. As she leaves, she sees her stolen bike in the shop window and reenters the store.

Cast

Critical reception

The film has received positive reviews and has a 90% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews. [4] The website's critics consensus reads, "Intelligent, empathetic, and well-acted, First Girl I Loved explores teen romance from a refreshing - and emotionally resonant - perspective." [4]

Toronto Star critic Peter Howell praised the "smouldering drama," saying "Sexual disorientation in high school makes for movie brilliance in this "Best of NEXT" audience award winner from Sundance 2016." [5] Consequence of Sound critic Justin Gerber wrote: "What writer and director Kerem Sanga captures so well in First Girl I Loved is high school. What he captures even better is falling in love, or the naïve idea of what it means to be in love as a teenager." [6] Bilge Ebiri of Vulture admired the way language, both spoken and unspoken, is used in the film, saying: "All around these kids swirls a matrix of communication: voice-over, multiple languages, text messages, innuendo, made-up diction, fake accents, even softball signals. Writer-director Kerem Sanga finds stylistic ways to express this diversity of speech." [3] Variety critic Dennis Harvey favored the acting performances, but stated: "The results are more well intentioned than actually purposeful, but nonetheless slick and pacey enough to hold attention." [7] SLUG 's Alexander Ortega praised the film's "nontraditional narrative structure" and commented: "The sensations that First Girl I Love generates through the fugue storytelling device, however, communicates their urgency and gravity." [8] Collider critic Tommy Cook described the film as "a collage of time-half-remembered," saying that "for a film that tackles such weighty subjects as consent & homophobia, First Girl I Loved never gets bogged down in melodrama. It's a kind film – heartfelt and empathetic – a memory more than earned." [9]

Awards

2016 Audience Award: Next at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Hathaway</span> American actress (born 1982)

Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her films have grossed over $6.8 billion worldwide, and she appeared on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2009. She was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Fontaine</span> Luxembourger film director

Anne Fontaine is a Luxembourger film director, screenwriter, and former actress. She lives and works in France.

Addison Timlin is an American actress. She played Jami Lerner in The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014), Colleen Lunsford in Little Sister (2016) and Sasha Bingham in Showtime's Californication.

<i>Bratz</i> (film) 2007 American film

Bratz is a 2007 American teen comedy film based on the fashion dolls of the same name from MGA Entertainment. The film is directed by Sean McNamara with a screenplay by Susan Estelle Jansen, from a story written by Adam de la Pena and David Eilenberg. It is the first live-action film based on the toyline after a series of direct-to-video animated films and a television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Caplan</span> American film producer

Seth Caplan is an American film producer who lives in Los Angeles, CA. His works include, First Girl I Loved,In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Flatland: The Movie, and Teenage Dirtbag. Seth grew up in Chicago, Illinois where he attended the Francis W. Parker School. He is a graduate of the Plan II program at the University of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sasha Grey</span> American former pornographic actress

Marina Ann Hantzis, known professionally as Sasha Grey, is an American actress, model, writer, musician, and former pornographic film actress. She began her acting career in the pornographic film industry, winning 15 awards for her work between 2007 and 2010, including the AVN Award for Female Performer of the Year in 2008. In 2023, she was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame and the XRCO Hall of Fame.

<i>Terri</i> (film) 2011 American film

Terri is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Azazel Jacobs and starring Jacob Wysocki, Creed Bratton, and John C. Reilly. The film is about the friendship that develops between an oversized teen misfit and the garrulous but well-meaning school principal who takes an interest in him. Filming took place in Los Angeles, California.

<i>Very Good Girls</i> 2013 American film

Very Good Girls is a 2013 American drama film and the first feature film directed by American screenwriter Naomi Foner, whose script for drama Running on Empty was Oscar-nominated. First screened publicly in early 2013, the film stars Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen as two friends who fall for the same man. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2013; it was given a release on home formats on June 24, 2014.

<i>Laggies</i> 2014 film by Lynn Shelton

Laggies is a 2014 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lynn Shelton and written by Andrea Seigel. It stars Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sam Rockwell, Kaitlyn Dever, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, Mark Webber, and Daniel Zovatto. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2014, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 24, 2014, by A24.

Dylan Nicole Gelula is an American actress who is best known for her role of Xanthippe on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as her work in independent film. Gelula made her film debut as the lead actress in romantic drama film First Girl I Loved (2016) and has since acted in the films Flower (2017), Support the Girls (2018), Her Smell (2018), Shithouse (2020), and Dream Scenario (2023).

<i>Mistress America</i> 2015 film by Noah Baumbach

Mistress America is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Noah Baumbach. It was written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, and stars Gerwig and Lola Kirke. The film was released on August 14, 2015, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliza Hittman</span> American film director

Eliza Hittman is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer from New York City. She has won multiple awards for her film Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which include the New York Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award—both for best screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brianna Hildebrand</span> American actress (born 1996)

Brianna Caitlin Hildebrand is an American actress. She is best known for appearing as Negasonic Teenage Warhead in the films Deadpool (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). She is also known for appearing in the web series Annie Undocumented, and as the character Aurora in the Netflix show Lucifer. She also portrayed Elodie Davis in the show Trinkets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Sundance Film Festival</span>

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 21 to January 31, 2016. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 2, 2015. The opening night film was Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The closing night film was Louis Black and Karen Bernstein's Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny.

<i>The Miseducation of Cameron Post</i> (film) 2018 film by Desiree Akhavan

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a 2018 coming-of-age drama film directed by Desiree Akhavan and written by Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele, based on the 2012 novel by Emily M. Danforth. It stars Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck, Marin Ireland, Owen Campbell, Kerry Butler, Quinn Shephard, Emily Skeggs, Melanie Ehrlich, and Jennifer Ehle. Moretz plays a teenager sent to a gay conversion therapy centre. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2018. It was released in the United States on August 3, 2018, by FilmRise, and United Kingdom on September 7, 2018, by Vertigo Releasing. It received positive reviews and has grossed $2 million globally.

<i>Flower</i> (film) 2017 film by Max Winkler

Flower is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Max Winkler, from a screenplay by Alex McAulay, Winkler, and Matt Spicer. It stars Zoey Deutch, Kathryn Hahn, Tim Heidecker, Adam Scott, Joey Morgan, and Dylan Gelula.

<i>Support the Girls</i> 2018 American film

Support the Girls is a 2018 American comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. It stars Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, James LeGros, Shayna McHayle, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, Brooklyn Decker, Jana Kramer, John Elvis, Lea DeLaria, and Victor Isaac Perez.

<i>Her Smell</i> 2018 film directed by Alex Ross Perry

Her Smell is a 2018 American drama film written, co-produced and directed by Alex Ross Perry. It stars Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin, Ashley Benson, Dylan Gelula, Eka Darville and Lindsay Burdge and follows Moss as fictional rock star Becky Something, whose band experiences brief fame but is broken up by her self-destructive behavior.

<i>Horse Girl</i> 2020 film by Jeff Baena

Horse Girl is a 2020 American psychological drama film directed and produced by Jeff Baena, from a screenplay written by Baena and Alison Brie. It stars Brie, Debby Ryan, John Reynolds, Molly Shannon, John Ortiz, and Paul Reiser.

<i>I Want You Back</i> (film) 2022 American film by Jason Orley

I Want You Back is a 2022 American romantic comedy film directed by Jason Orley from a screenplay by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger. It stars Charlie Day and Jenny Slate as two recently dumped strangers who team up to sabotage the new relationships of their exes. Manny Jacinto, Clark Backo, and Mason Gooding also star.

References

  1. ↑ Patten, Dominic; Hipes, Patrick (January 30, 2016). "'Sundance Film Festival Awards: 'Birth Of A Nation' Pulls Off Double Win, Gassy 'Swiss Army Man' Takes Directing Prize'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  2. ↑ Maloney, Devon (February 11, 2016). "Dylan Gelula, Ready For Her First Girl Love". Out . Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Ebiri, Bilge (January 26, 2016). "First Girl I Loved Plays With the Meaning of Words — and How They're Delivered". Vulture . Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "First Girl I Loved (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  5. ↑ Howell, Peter (October 6, 2016). "First Girl I Loved". Toronto Star . Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  6. ↑ Gerber, Justin (January 30, 2016). "Sundance Film Review: First Girl I Loved". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ Harvey, Dennis (January 28, 2016). "Sundance Film Review: 'First Girl I Loved'". Variety . Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ Ortega, Alexander (January 24, 2016). "Sundance Film Review: First Girl I Loved". SLUG Magazine . Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ Cook, Tommy (January 31, 2016). "'First Girl I Loved' Review: A Sweet Look at a Burgeoning Teen Romance". Collider . Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  10. ↑ "First Girl I Loved". www.sundance.org. Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.