First Girl I Loved 2016 Movie Review

『The Excitement and Confusion of First Love, a Coming-of-Age Drama of Uncertain Identity』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: First Girl I Loved (2016)
🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA
🎞️ Genre: Coming-of-Age Drama / Queer
🗓️ Production & Release: Feature Film
⏳ Runtime: 94 minutes
📢 Director & Screenwriter: Kerem Sanga
📺 Platform: Limited streaming and VOD services

👩‍💼 Cast: Dylan Gelula – Anne
Brianna Hildebrand – Sasha
Clifton Collins Jr. – Clifton (Anne’s longtime friend)

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

🌱 The Sprout of First Love and Confusion

Anne is an ordinary high school student active in the school newspaper club, who until then had only shown interest in boys. But at a softball game, when she notices Sasha, she experiences feelings she has never had before. Sasha, athletic and popular among her peers, naturally draws Anne’s attention and admiration.

Anne uses her position in the newspaper club as an excuse to approach Sasha, taking her photos and requesting an interview. At first Sasha doesn’t show any special feelings, but gradually opens up to Anne, creating a subtle tension and excitement between them.

💬 “I’ve never really liked anyone before... But you’re different.”

Anne acknowledges the new feelings stirring inside her and openly confesses them to Sasha. For both Anne and Sasha, this is an unfamiliar experience, but they begin to fall for each other.

⚡️ Friendship, Jealousy, and Conflict

Anne’s longtime friend Clifton has secretly loved her for years and can no longer hide his feelings, demanding a relationship. Confused, Anne briefly considers it but soon realizes her true feelings belong to Sasha. Unable to accept Anne’s truth, Clifton becomes fiercely jealous of Sasha.

💔 Social Pressure and Self-Denial

Sasha is uncertain about her own sexual identity and conscious of her popularity at school and her friends’ opinions. To protect herself, she denies her relationship with Anne and pushes her away. The film delicately portrays Sasha’s inner struggle of loving but lacking the courage to embrace it.

🌈 The Complex Crossroads of Teenage Identity and Love

This film is more than just a teenage romance—it sincerely captures the inner conflicts of adolescents navigating their identities while facing societal expectations. Love and friendship, possessiveness and jealousy, self-acceptance and external judgment intertwine, making the characters’ emotions realistic and relatable.

🦋 Emotional Resonance and Thematic Meaning

🎬 Honest Portrayal of Teenage Emotions

Director Kerem Sanga depicts teenage love, confusion, and struggles with identity in an unembellished and truthful way. Following Anne’s emotions, the narrative naturally reminds viewers of the awkward yet thrilling sensations of a “first love.”

📽️ Cinematic Touch and Directorial Style

The film emphasizes understated cinematography, natural dialogue, and subtle facial expressions to capture the characters’ inner worlds. Without melodramatic exaggeration, the emotions are delivered with depth, and a documentary-like realism enhances the authenticity of youth.

🔍 Social Context and Identity Exploration

The story realistically portrays how queer identity in adolescence collides with external environments and self-awareness. It thoughtfully examines how school, friends, and family influence teenagers’ emotions and relationships.

⚠️ Limitations and Areas for Improvement

Sasha’s inner storyline feels underdeveloped, and if her process of understanding and expressing her feelings had been depicted more fully, the depth and immersion of the relationship would have been stronger. Also, while Clifton’s extreme actions do reflect realistic conflict, his lack of consideration makes them feel somewhat exaggerated.

🎯 Personal Rating (Subjective)

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★