The Musical Marvel (1917)

Warning for discussions of sexual violence in First Girl I Loved.  

First Girl I Loved is a 2016 coming-of-age film directed by Kerem Sanga which follows Anne (Dylan Gelula), a 17-year-old who falls for a girl named Sasha (Brianna Hildebrand) and begins to discover her identity as a lesbian. This process is made more difficult by her best friend Clifton (Mateo Arias), who, out of his romantic feelings for Anne, does his best to get in the way of this budding relationship. Though well-intended, First Girl I Loved suffers from serious missteps in an effort to tell an honest story of sexuality and identity. 

First Girl I Loved does have good intentions--for the most part. If the story were to focus more on Anne as an individual as opposed to her relationship with Clifton, it may have been an overall better film. As it is, First Girl I Loved gives off confusing and at times offensive messages, with a glorified male character at the center of it all. 

First Girl I Loved should, by all means, be solely about the journey to discover sexuality and identity. Though Clifton acts as an antagonist for much of the film, by the end he is meant to be forgiven, both by Anne and by the audience. This is difficult to do, however--towards the beginning of the film, there is a brutal and off putting scene in which Clifton, in his insistence to get Anne to return feelings for him, rapes the girl despite her efforts to stop him. After this, Anne comes clean and tells Clifton that she is crushing on a girl, to which his reaction becomes even more violent and negative.