It Felt Like Love (2013)

Directed by: Eliza Hittman
Country: USA

Movie Review: Warm summer breezes could be felt in “It Felt Like Love”, a fresh coming-of-age tale set in southern Brooklyn. Written and gorgeously directed by debutant Eliza Hittman, the film centers on Lila (Gina Piersanti), a 14-year-old perplexed girl who is decided to find someone to start a relationship, after growing a bit envious of her best friend Chiara (Giovanna Salimeri) and her boyfriend Patrick (Jesse Cordasco), a couple whose intimate moments she likes to observe from a distance. Her choice falls on Sammy (Ronen Rubinstein), an older and tough boy whom she starts to pursue, creating a false illusion of commitment. This kind of obsession and every attempt to be someone she really wasn’t could have had much worse repercussions in Lila’s life. All her little schemes and insinuations grew uncontrollably, making her lose face in front of friends. The moving camera concentrates in different parts of the characters’ bodies and a resolute intimacy is achieved through colorful image sequences. The film revealed some limitations in terms of narrative, but in return, engenders a noteworthy ambience, sometimes awkward, that relegates a simple story of sexual awakening into something more artsy and appealing. Sporadic images brought to my mind Malick’s “To the Wonder”, while the score relied on vigorous hip-hop tunes. Controlled and unintrusive, “It Felt Like Love” always seemed right, despite its minor faults.