First Girl I Loved (2016) - Kerem Sanga

Kerem Sanga's First Girl I Loved is a tender, honest portrait of adolescence, a film that effectively captures the confusion of budding sexuality and how societies' preconceived notions towards homosexuality can do a great disservice to youth.  The film is centered around Anne, a quirky 17-year-old photographer for the school yearbook, who while on assignment is struck by her initial, sudden attraction to Sasha, a member of the softball team.  Anne is startled by her powerful attraction, and in attempting to understand her sexual preference, she entrusts her best friend Cliff with her secret. Unexpectedly Cliff lashes out, having harbored feelings for Anne this whole time, becoming quite vindictive in his attempts to get in the way of Sasha and Anne's budding romance.  Considering sexual confusion and discovery is a major proponent in LGBT cinema, for good reason, many films of this ilk feel a dime-a-dozen, unable to really distinguish themselves from the pack.  With First Girl I Loved, Karem Sanga has created a film that does just that, thanks to its ability to balance its serious subject matter with a comedic tone.  One of the major aspects that stands out with First Girl I Love is simply how adorable the budding romance is between Sasha and Anne, two characters who themselves are swept away by their attraction and emotional connectivity.  Neither of these characters really have much time to think about the fact that they must be, at the very least, bisexual, but that doesn't (and shouldn't) matter, as they are following their hearts.  The film does a beautiful job of finding the piercing comedy in the awkwardness of "the pursuit of romance", laughing about the playful dishonesty that comes with trying to impress.  The awkward silences, the insecurities, all are laughed at in First Girl I Loved, as the film perfectly captures how discombobulated people can look when they are attracted to/falling in love with one and other.  This aspect of the film, even bigots should be able to be emotionally drawn too, given the universal feeling of love, but where the film really excels is in its ability to capture how detrimental societies taboos related to homosexuality can be on a teenagers natural development.  The confusion of adolescence is a universal concept, but when you combing this with the preconceived idea that homosexuality is "not normal" it can prove psychologically abusive to young teenagers who are simply trying to find comfort in themselves.  While the film is far from perfect, being a little too vindictive towards every male character in the film for my liking, there is no denying that First Girl I Loved is an honest, comedic look at budding sexuality, making an important case for society as a whole to not treat homosexuality as any different, for the sake of not only aware homosexuals, but those who are still in the process of discovering their sexuality.

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