Goodbye First Love (Mia Hansen-Løve)

[Stay Puft]

UN AMOUR DE JEUNESSE (GOODBYE FIRST LOVE)
Director: Mia Hansen-Løve

IMDb page (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1618447/)

http://i2.listal.com/image/3023254/600full-goodbye-first-love-poster.jpg

[Stay Puft]

This gets released next week. I saw it seven months ago and I wish I had written something at the time as I'd be hard pressed to get into specific details now, but anyways... this was my favorite film from TIFF last year. A gorgeous film. I could fill a paragraph with pointless superlatives but I'll spare you from that.

Father of My Children was one of the best films of its respective year and this one might be even better (it's certainly the best film I've seen so far for 2012). Hansen-Løve is going to become one of my favorite filmmakers if she can keep this up.

[elixir]

This film is very good. I actually just saw it, but yeah, I feel like any positive descriptors I would throw out there would just make the film seem trite, which it isn't as all. It's lovely.

This (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/notebook-reviews-mia-hansen-loves-goodbye-first-love) is a pretty good review.

[Melville]

This looks tremendous. Never heard of the director until now.

[Izzy Black]

She's married to Oliver Assayas.

[elixir]

She's married to Oliver Assayas.
Yup. And she acted in his Late August, Early September, which one can draw comparisons to with this film, along with Summer Hours as well, probably more so, I'd say. Maybe mostly in terms of the way the film feels more than anything else.

[Melville]

Yup. And she acted in his Late August, Early September, which one can draw comparisons to with this film, along with Summer Hours as well, probably more so, I'd say. Maybe mostly in terms of the way the film feels more than anything else.
That damps my expectations. Wasn't so keen on Summer Hours. Too French.

[NickGlass]

That damps my expectations. Wasn't so keen on Summer Hours. Too French.

This is really French, too, but there's a wry awareness of its French-ness. Hansen-Love's previous film, The Father of My Children, is pretty darn good, too.

[Izzy Black]

This is really French, too, but there's a wry awareness of its French-ness. Hansen-Love's previous film, The Father of MY Children, is pretty darn good, too.

No doubt. Particularly the scene where they walk out of the movie theater and Sullivan criticizes it for it being "so French" and "self-indulgent" with "annoying characters that talk too much." Camille's response is that she's more sensitive than he.

I really appreciated the self-reflexive gesture there, but I'm not sure the self-awareness does much to kick the criticism. I mean, don't get me wrong, I thought it was a beautiful, entertaining film, but it's a bit slight, no?

[dreamdead]

She's married to Oliver Assayas.

Ah, thanks for that... my interest is now piqued. I love Assayas' work, and I'm game for anyone who ends up directing projects akin to his work. The Summer Hours/LAES connections also intrigue me. I'll single out her earlier film next month, methinks...

[EyesWideOpen]

This is on netflix so more people should be watching it.

[dreamdead]

This is on netflix so more people should be watching it.

I'm hoping to get to it tomorrow or Thursday. It seems like the kind of film that MC should enjoy, so I'm hopeful.

[dreamdead]

I mean, don't get me wrong, I thought it was a beautiful, entertaining film, but it's a bit slight, no?

Yeah, it is. While it is no more and no less than a focused study on Camille's relationship ordeals, her lack of growth over a period of years is distressing. She never appears truly connected to Lorenz or his child, despite describing how the son visits sometimes. The ease with which she's willing to vacillate between men certainly suggests a generational inability to commit, but whereas something like Trier's Oslo, August 31st opens up from the main character's perspective to show other ideological positions, this film is too restrictive in its p.o.v.

I love the film's study of architecture and the worldview that Camille occupies in these scenes, as well as the changes to Camille's family, but Sullivan's return damages what the film can thematically achieve. It stays on the Camille's mentality to such an extent that it never seems to suggest some more larger epiphany.

It's good enough, but I had a much more conflicted viewing than I expected to have. And while Lola Créton is admittedly gorgeous, she doesn't reveal enough nuances to broaden the film's focus.

[elixir]

A lot of these criticisms don't really strike me as inherent problems for the film really. So I dunno. Maybe it's slight, but I don't really care -- I know it's remained with me. Lola Creton is great in it, too.

[Lucky]

Has a film ever felt so universally nostalgic before? It's one thing to witness a character's nostalgia onscreen, but this is a case where it's quite easy to get sucked into time yourself.

[The Bad Guy]

I wasn't too impressed with this one. I don't think that its one note script was all that engaging.

Decent film, but nothing special.