The French Festival has arrived and it is hard to believe that a year had already passed since I stood in Embarcadero Center Cinema, in a line pouring onto the outdoor garden full of anticipating faces. The seasonal short festivals presented by San Francisco Film Society are always a treat that unfortunately often goes unnoticed by the people who would loyally frequent the International Film Festival in the spring. I genuinely believe that there should be more attempts at getting the word out to the general public via fliers or posters. But that is just my modest opinion…
“Goodbye First Love,” my first film this October, is a charming drama by Mia Hansen-Love, featuring two young lovers who over the course of eight years struggle to find connection and maturity to hold onto their tender yet fragile first feelings. Is it love, you may ask? Infatuation? Whim of burgeoning sexuality?
The characters of Camille (Lola Creton) and Sullivan (Sebastian Urzendowsky) are touchingly real giving the movie both inspirational qualities as well as cringe-worthy episodes. Although Camille annoys with her passivity and helplessness to forsake the romance that could as well have been an illusion all along, her character is what gives the film its tragically realistic touch. Camille is flawed because she is human. She is at moments weak and powerfully persevering at the same time. She is a touch of innocent conviction that is so close to every woman's heart. Camille is a part of woman that is left behind with the teddy bears and first hesitant kisses but emerges spontaneously as a glint of vulnerability that is pure and undeniably true.
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