The White Boy Saved Us All Again in Gladiator II
A direct fall into the white savior narrative

The EverEve show was recorded live at the Zeche Carl in Essen, Germany, January 25th, 1997. The In Flames show was recorded live at the Klangwerk in Aschaffenburg, Germany, December 11th, 1996. The Darkseed show was recorded live at the Zeche Carl in Essen, Germany, January 25th, 1997.
A direct fall into the white savior narrative
The French-born director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s strategic choice to entrust the interpretation of a conventional, feminine character to a non-binary actor pays off: Corrin’s Lady Chatterley is awkward, edgy, and uninhibited at the same time.
Not every silence is empty. Some are filled with things too heavy for words.
2026 ranks highest in Oscars history for its representation of minorities in all categories, and that’s definitely something to be celebrated.
It only seems to prove that when the company had their backs against the wall and needed an all pleasing, generic movie that had to make up for The Last Jedi, they chose to sacrifice almost everything that made their main protagonist interesting and that made her stand out as the strong female character that a generation of young movie goers was supposed to look up to. Instead, we were left with a Rey that was so much less than she could have been. And I guess that’s the real story of Rey and The Rise of Skywalker; they could have been so much more, but they were just more of the same.
Despite its glaring flaws, First Girl I Loved is not entirely undeserving of a watch. For people who can handle the more difficult aspects of the story and graphic scenes, it is worth looking into. It’s not a film worthy of rewatch, but it may still resonate somewhat with those who need a story like this. It is a genuine, if flimsy attempt at a coming-of-age tale. Were the film to be directed by someone with experiences more similar to Anne, it would likely be more powerful--as it is, it feels like a man’s perspective of what it means to come to terms with your identity as a lesbian.