My First Love - DVD

Film: Zachary Scar (Martin Cannavo) is a true rebel. On several occasions he has been kicked out of expensive private schools to which his heavily wealthy father has sent him. And even at the venerable boarding school Fresnaie, he already shortly after his arrival, with his non-conformist behavior. Especially the ambitious Sarah (Esther Comar) is the new classmate a thorn in the eye. Again and again the two clash. But once again the old wisdom proves true: what teases, loves each other. After initial arguments, a romance develops between the two, but Zach doesn't seem to take it seriously at first. Only slowly Sarah manages to get through to the closed rebel. While he softens more and more through her, her school performance suffers badly from the relationship - and that so shortly before graduation. No sooner have the two found happiness than tensions and arguments arise again and again - and the first great love seems to be over before it has had a chance to really unfold...

With My First Love, director Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar (Welcome to Brittany) has staged a beautiful romantic drama for girls aged 15 and up, which melts the hearts of its target audience with its beautiful imagery, likeable lead actors and a very emotional story. Especially in the moments when Sarah and Zach drive each other crazy with evil pranks, which then turns into tender romance, the film works really well. Martin Cannavo and Esther Comar have great chemistry, which makes things crackle quite a bit on screen.

The dramedy itself is very riddled with clichés, which almost feels unintentionally funny at times. However, the teenage target audience won't mind this much, as the conflict situations that are rousing for them are only created by these clichés. The nice soundtrack and the pretty pictures also console over the lack of originality of the story. What the film really suffers from a bit, though, is the director's attempt to add some depth to the story through a particularly dramatic subplot involving Sarah's best friend Pauline. In a way, this is entirely commendable, but the execution is far too perfunctory to live up to the ambition. Pauline is struggling with a really serious problem, which she more or less has to fight out on her own, as Sarah's thoughts only revolve around Zach. The path Pauline then takes is consistent, but after that this plotline more or less fizzles out. This, of course, has something to do with the dramatic ending, but at the same time it also shows that this plot thread is completely superfluous to the actual story.

The final act, which is already hinted at in Zach's voice-over commentary that opens the film, can provide a few tear-jerkers for squeamish viewers. Here, Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar hits just the right emotional note, making up for even a few bumpy staged moments. Of course, we won't tell you here how the whole thing ends. Just as a little tip: who is already a little heavy around the soul, should perhaps wait with the viewing until the mood has improved again a little.

My first love is overall, despite many clichés, a very pretty film that girls who like movies like the recent Nicholas Sparks adaptations will certainly like and will also move them very much. And that's all that can really be expected from a teen romance. Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The DVD's image is dominated by very warm colors. The image sharpness is on a good level and shows only in the dark moments a few small weaknesses. The audio, available in Dolby Digital 5.1, is dominated by the dialogue and the score, as usual for this genre. A few minor sound effects like the hum of Zach's motorcycle here and there add a little movement to the otherwise very centrally mixed proceedings. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD has to offer a Making of worth seeing, which goes into detail in just under 37 minutes on various aspects of the shooting. This documentary is complemented by a good look at the creation of the film music in the legendary Abbey Road Studios (approx. 7 min.). The trailer for the film and other programming tips from the provider round out this pretty decent supplemental offering.

Conclusion: My First Love is a French teen romance that comforts over some dramaturgical clichés with good actors and beautiful images. For girls from 16, who like it sometimes a little more dramatic and sad, a film worth seeing, which is supplemented on the DVD by a Making of worth seeing. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp