Reza Abdoh: Theater Visionary (2015)

A Japanese anime movie that brings survival, adventure, and friendship to the big screen.

"His Girl Friday" set the bar for romcoms and gave us a feminist heroine before feminism was cool.

These openly gay Hollywood figures risked so much by being honest about their sexuality: judgment, loss of employment, hate – even violence and death.

'Pariah' tells a powerful, mesmerizing, and unflinchingly honest story of identity.

A direct fall into the white savior narrative

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.