It Felt Like Love (2013) User Reviews

A weird dive into the emotions and thought patterns of a 14 year old girl.

[JustinBell4 · 6/10 · 29 January 2013]

A movie about a 14 year old girl who decides she wants a boyfriend, because her best friend always seems happy with hers, and pursues an older guy. We follow her throughout the film, and watch her thought pattern, decision making, and emotions.

I...am not sure on this one. I watched it about a week ago at Sundance 13 and every time I think about it, I can't decide if I liked it. The production of the movie felt fine. It didn't feel poorly made, and the actors all played their characters pretty well, however, the main character didn't seem to ever show emotions. The movie definitely stirred up some weird feelings inside of me, and wasn't all that comfortable to sit through at parts.

All in all, I'd probably not suggest it.

talented, but not really recommended

[RealSmiff · 7/10 · 22 November 2014]

There's a lot of talent here, Gina Piersanti may be a future star. Great editing, great camera work, solid directing, decent acting all around. Reminds me again of Lukas Moodyson and other European directors, there's some of that dogme style that's fairly unusual in American films. For a first feature this is promising.

But I'm not rating it higher because it's so monotonous and flat. Other films have told similar stories with humour and fun. I'm not sure if it was fully intentional or not, probably it was. one of those films that's better after you've seen it, if you can make it through - one of the longer "good" 1hr20 movies i've seen? Also slightly awkward to watch as a guy. I'm presuming it's somewhat autobiographical? Will be interested to see what the director does next.

A young girl, envious of her more experienced best friend, tries to win the love of a boy.

[Amari-Sali · 7/10 · 13 July 2014]

Independent films often times are very odd motion pictures, if just because they usually try to tell a story which doesn't feel like something you are used to seeing. With this though comes a risk of not connecting with the audience for if it is too weird or just is hard to connect with. As for It Felt Like Love, while a coming of age film which certainly seems to want to stand out, I don't know if it may connect with you.

Characters & Story

Poor Lila (Gina Piersanti) has seemingly lived the life of being best friend Chiara's (Giovanna Salimeni) 3rd wheel for who knows how long. And with them both approaching 16, and Lila living vicariously through Chiara, it seems Lila is ready to try to get out there, date, and fall in love. Leading us to watch as Lila pursues this guy named Sammy (Ronen Rubinstein) who is cute, knows Chiara, and seems like someone decent.

Praise

Films which deal with self-discovery, especially during the teen years, are usually from varied perspectives but almost every single one of the deal with being validated by winning the attention of someone. This one is no different, but what I like about this one is that Lila comes off utterly average. She doesn't seem to have the appeal Chiara has which makes guys gravitate to her, she isn't the best dancer so she doesn't have a draw there, and her being such a basic run of the mill person makes her so strangely relatable. For without any bells and whistles, all she has is the fact she is human and wants attention and affection.

And while, I'll admit, I wasn't too fond how she went for it, at the same time you can understand her sort of silent desperation to connect with someone she wanted to care for her. Also, shifting things to Chiara, while she may have all the stuff a guy may want, the issue is, as we see with the first guy introduced Patrick (Jesse Cordasco), that even having what is desirable isn't all it is cracked up to be for it comes with its own issues. For then you have to deal with insecure boys, not being treated as you feel you should, and while Chiara certainly isn't the main focus, she does show that rarely seen side of the girl who has it all, and yet still can't really get the ideal.

Criticism

Leading to the criticism which perhaps could be taken as a praise depending how you look at it. This filmed feels like they filmed an actual person's life, and with that comes this dullness which may give authenticity, but creates an immense sense of boredom. For with the film feeling like it represents a two week period, in which there isn't much in terms of growth really, you are left wondering what is the film trying to put out there? Unless the main goal was simply finishing the film. For with this being Writer/ Director Eliza Hit-man's first film, as well as the first film for many of the actors, I almost feel this wasn't made necessarily to show off talent, but simply for exposure for the young artist, and Hit-man gaining a sense of accomplishment by finishing a film and getting it out there.

With this feeling, and noting this is the first movie for nearly all involved, I feel this weird need to give this film a pass for having a weak story, and sort of bland characters. And yet, at the same time I feel like I should still compare this to other indie movies and call it out for being lackluster.

Overall: TV Viewing

Honestly, a part of me wants to say you should skip this. Yet, at the same time I value the fact that for most of those involved this was their first big film and while it may not have been to my liking, it doesn't mean it is horrible. If anything, it is one of those films in which you have to respect the conditions of how it was made and who took part in making it. Also, with Lila we get the rare girl who seems perfectly average. She isn't rich, doesn't have much to offer but her time, and yet still, like any of us, believes she is worthy of someone she likes loving her. And it makes me want applaud the film for it certainly reminds you of the value indie movies have for they try to portray something different than usually seen. And while between the director's vision, and the ultimate produce, it may not have seemed to have worked, you have to admire all that was done so you even get to see the film. So, taking note of what was said, I'm labeling this as "TV Viewing" for it may not be exemplary, but it is adequate.

"It Felt Like Love" follow's Lilia (Gina Piersanti) in her journey to womanhood.

[jmcentofanti · 7/10 · 24 August 2014]

"It Felt Like Love" can only be described as the film embodiment of female teenage sexuality. In her debut as both a director and screenwriter Eliza Hit-man has been able to accurately capture the awkward moments in time in which girls become women, and how these events shape us. The film's often unsentimental setting reflects it's overall tone of disenchantment. Lila (Gina Piersanti) naturalistic acting reminds us of our own struggles in painful stage of growth. The film redefines the concept of coming of age in literature and film by dissecting the romantic concepts often found in Bildungsroman type stories. "It Felt Like Love" shows the gritty and devastating consequences of discovering one's sexuality, and in a way that many veteran director, writers, and actors have not been able to before.

Good indie

[Johannesn · 6/10 · 27 December 2021]

It's funny, I only rate the movie 6/10, but it's still these kind of small indie movies that I absolutely adore.

It was a really strong performance by Gina Piersanti as Lila. Her fatalistic sadness just really resonated with me, how it is to grow up with one parent, and trying to be accepted by your peers.

There were some cringe moments for me, but that's part of the beauty of filmmaking. I still wouldn't change anything, this movie is hella art.

Started With Promise

[mcjensen-05924 · 3/10 · 15 March 2021]

This film started with a good plot premise and some decent atmosphere but soon deteriorated into a meandering mess of a film . Gina P. shows promise here but her skills in this movie aren't developed. While pretty and rather pathetic in her thoughts and actions, her flatline performance eventually wears thin. A lousy rap soundtrack and some very sloppy camera work drag this down to almost unwatchable status. At first it seemed like the entire movie was going to be about watching her best friend make out with a revolving door of boyfriends. Way too much of that and completely unnecessary to further the plot. She's a tramp-we get it! Continually swapping spit is kind of an overkill the average viewer could do without. There's scenes in here that just begin to develop but then just fizzle out and go nowhere and then we are at the next scene. Jumps around with very little coherence. The ending is absolutely dumb and pointless and resolves nothing at all. A big swing and a miss, but I will look for Gina P. in more roles. The rest of the cast in all frankness stunk up the screen. Not sure if the director has any future in this business but if pressed to hazard a guess she should brush up on her waitressing skills. Nothing of merit offered in this movie.

Depicting adolescence as if it were a soul without a body

[ahmedyo · 5/10 · 28 March 2023]

Perhaps what you see, Gina Piersanti's performance was good and deserves praise, but there is something lacking in perfection and being within the category of good movies. Going through it during her life.

The scenario depicted this age stage as a passion that is always accompanied by lethargy and laziness. There was no passion, there was no life indicating joy, even if Gina's character in the movie was based on introversion and shyness, but she lacked the vitality that any human being has in this age group. .

The director portrayed the youthful stage as a period of old age and boredom with this new age stage. The film depicted the teenage stage as if it were a soul without a body always, and this needs you to say that it is wrong.

What a waste of time!

[hemril · 3/10 · 18 July 2014]

When your main actor delivers a bad performance, your movie is in trouble. I know some people may be uncomfortable with the subject of the movie. But it is either because they forgot the time they were that age or to be politically correct. In the case of the young girl portrayed in this film, I was at first wondering if she had real desires for the opposite sex or if she just wanted to be the equal of her friend. The latter seems to be the obvious reason, but it is not clear because the main actress never gives us a concrete sign of the finality of what she is looking for. It is disappointing because the topic is not without interest.

Nailed every miserable minute of female adolescence

[violetta1485 · 9/10 · 20 January 2015]

It's all there: the cool best friend who keeps you around mostly so she can feed off your envy; the cool guy whose slut-boy reputation doesn't guarantee he'll bother with you; the younger friend you try to impress by copying your cool best friend's vulgarity without realizing that it is in fact vulgar, not cool; plus the resolution that is no resolution at all, because this isn't a John Hughes film where you triumph over the miseries of adolescence, and the best our heroine can do is survive them. Most tellingly, the most devastating possibility Lila faces isn't what you might expect it to be.

Some have criticized this film because it isn't clear whether Lila's interest in Sammy is love, lust, competition with cooler Chiara, or just curiosity, but I think that's the point--Lila herself doesn't know. More to the point, Lila doesn't know HER SELF: in a world where superficial sex is celebrated (Chiara pretends each of her shallow relationships is The Only One) and traditional crushes are embarrassing, Lila doesn't get a chance to work through old-fashioned puppy-love until she's ready for something else.

If I don't give it a 10, it's because I'm not sure I could bear to watch it again. The desperation for something, anything at all to happen, even something catastrophic, is too much like the real thing.

It Felt Like Boring

[jimlacy2003 · 5/10 · 10 July 2014]

Like the title says this movie was..well booorrriinnng.

I checked the "spoiler" box just to be safe, but really I don't give much of the "plot" here.

Kind of interesting at points, reminds me of the movie "KIDS" a little.

A lot of it pretty depressing really. Most of the people seem to be very down-tone, uncouth, and pretty indifferent, etc. In particular the father. He doesn't seem to care about his daughter at all. It seems to me if she just had at least one supportive person in her (the protagonist's) life, someone sane she could talk to, then she'd be doing a hell of a lot better in her life. Life sucks if you live with a bunch of zombies and in the absence of love. Maybe that was the moral of the story..?

On a side note the two rave reviews about this movie appear to be shills that have never reviewed any other movie.

At any rate you will probably want to skip this movie as you could probably find something much more fun to watch..

First time director has potential but tale of deluded, sex-obsessed teenager is too one-note

[Turfseer · 5/10 · 14 February 2015]

"It Felt Like Love" is first-time writer-director Eliza Hittman's coming-of-age meditation on a Brooklyn teenager's burgeoning sexuality. The teenager in question is Lila who lives with her permissive, aging hippie of a father and occasionally brags about imaginary sexual exploits to Nate, a boy who lives in the neighborhood. The mother is not a factor, having died of cancer some years before.

Lila spends most of her time with her good friend Chiara and her boyfriend, Patrick. While with them at the beach, she makes the acquaintance of Sammy, an older college student who she ends up pursuing. When Sammy gets drunk and passes out, Lila crawls into bed with him. The next morning Sammy can't remember anything and Lila implies that maybe they had sex together.

Mike D'Angelo, writing in "Dissolve," bemoans the generic nature of the world Lila inhabits: "Lila exists in an art-movie void, with no friends or interests that don't directly reflect her predicament; the film is set in the present (characters text each other, etc.), but so strenuously avoids any sort of cultural specificity that just a few revisions could shift it to 1987…That sort of sparseness can be deliberate—a means of conveying timelessness—but here it just seems like a failure of imagination, turning Lila into an emblem rather than a girl."

Eventually Lila finds herself over her head when she finds herself alone with the older guys. Matt Seitz of "RogerEbert.com" describes the encounter but remains dissatisfied: "Several scenes in which Lila hangs out with Sammy and his buddies in a man-cave are mortifying. She is clearly an interloper, and they treat her like one, and somehow their snickering indifference and dimwit innuendo are part of the male-female dance in this world. Lila's closed-off expressions suggest that she if not welcomes, at least expects to be treated with contempt. These rec room scenes rank with the most pessimistic depictions of teen sexuality in recent cinema. Yet however heartfelt and keenly observed this pessimism is, it becomes monotonous.

A.A. Dowd of the "A.V. Club" gets to the essence of "It Felt Like Love's" limitations: "Lila, for all the authentic awkwardness Piersanti breathes into her, is defined so entirely by her mission—embarked upon with an equal measure of anxiety and anticipation—that she never quite comes alive as a character."

"It Felt Like Love" has some impressive cinematography but Ms. Hittman's one-note portrait of teenage obsession, prevents us from believing that these are real people. Nonetheless, I see good things for this director in the future, as this film still shows potential.

Struggles of coming of age

[8bithummingbird · 5/10 · 1 October 2022]

A heart-breaking coming of age story of a teenage girl. You see around through her lenses and can't help but remember what a daily struggle to become an individual in a wide world full of coyotes and predators.

The director wants us to see Laia's yearning; yearning to be seen, to be heard and to be felt and mostly yearning to feel things she never felt before. A sense of lingering is all around.

Like the Sting says "I just wanna feel real love, feel the home that I live in, 'cause I got too much love running through my veins, going to waste." Laia just wanna feel too in a not-so-suitable environment.

If you wanna walk into some teenagers' world today, here's your pick!

It Felt Like Hate

[EvylOverLord · 2/10 · 26 November 2023]

I Sometimes I watch random movies, without looking at anything more than the titles. I wish I had looked at more than the title with this one. I felt bored, creeped out, and embarrassed watching this. This film is inappropriate for younger viewers, but that's who the movie seems geared towards? So kind of a little bit of confusion as it felt inappropriate for adults too.

I am reviewing this so you can avoid my mistake in viewing choices. Frankly, I almost stopped watching it several times, and really wish I had stopped! I had really hoped that the film would turn around, and have some meaning, purpose, or resolution. Instead there's a dance number, then it abruptly ends. I can't tell, did the characters die? What just happened? I just really really hope this is not based on true events.

So, apparently, this is a new director, and this was their 1st film. As such, I do want to say that the person definitely has potential as a film maker. That said, maybe next time make content that isn't completely inappropriate for the age group it is geared towards to watch. There were some artistic elements, but they felt mostly empty or forced. The plot was severely lacking in substance, and was way too sexual and confusing. I really felt embarrassed for the poor girl.

Challenging look at female adolescence

[arriweeks · 10/10 · 20 July 2013]

When many filmmakers approach the young girl searching for love story, they tend to turn it into a game where the young female protagonist's objective is catching the guy, through cute and sometimes provocative means. It's the tried and true teen movie structure—awkward girl transforms herself to be the object of desire for the popular, more sexually advanced male. But what happens when real girls internalize that model as they explore their own sexuality and adulthood? What happens when you take that off the Hollywood stage and situate a film in the often-overlooked working class Brooklyn? Eliza Hittman's film, It Felt Like Love, deftly is walks the line between potentially dangerous consequences of the girl transforming herself for the male gaze and sex object and the rite of passage that is discovering one's own sexuality and the often awkward and mortifying route that discovery can take.

The film opens with long, dialogue-less shots of a day at the beach for Gina Piersanti's young, inexperienced Lila. She has tagged along with her seemingly more mature friend, Chiara (Giovanna Salimeni) and Chiara's boyfriend. While the couple has wandered into a house, Lila is left to her own devices. The camera sometimes takes on her point of view as she investigates her surroundings, where the audience has the opportunity to return to their youth and inexperience. Other times, the camera lingers over Lila. While in less adept hands this lingering could be potentially cloying and sentimental, Hittman uses these shots to establish the dichotomy between Lila and the majority of her audience. While the audience may have been young once, this is a different generation whose own rite of passage is unique to their time. These shots of Lila, therefore, establish the difference between her youth and our experience. Much of the tension of the film resides here, since we watch Lila insinuate herself into increasingly, potentially dangerous situations and are unable to do anything about it.

It is clear from the start that Lila is envious of the more mature Chiara, as her friend seems to be maturing as our society suggests a young female should—using her sex to hold onto the guy, being the sex object he desires. Chiara's current boyfriend is jealous that there have been other boys before him; however, it is unclear if this is factual or not as the camera focuses on Chiara's face when they discuss this. In this scene, in particular, the actors' subtle performances are crucial in establishing the ambiguity. It's a double-edged sword for the character. If she confirms that she is not a virgin, then she's the whore and less desirable to her boyfriend; while on the other hand if she says she is a virgin, then she's less sexually experienced and desirable.

While Chiara's boyfriend is her age, Lila has set her sights upon an older acquaintance of Chiara's, Sammy (Ronen Rubenstein). She goes through the motions of what she believes maturity to look like, but the plans she devises to see him and get his attention reveals her youth. She packs a bag of groceries and pretends to be in his neighborhood, when she stops by the bowling alley he works at. She tries the cliché smoking of a cigarette to be perceived as older (it's cliché precisely because it is not only so common place in depictions of youth but also because it is the go-to standard for youth's perception of adulthood). It feels as if Lila has a checklist of what it means to be an adult, and she's running through the pieces one by one.

As she moves along this checklist, Lila puts herself in situations that are cringe-worthy at the very least and potentially dangerous. One of the most pivotal and challenging scenes comes when Lila has invited herself to Sammy's apartment. It is in this scene in particular where Hittman's work as a director shines through. She is able to coax out the performances from the young actors, not just with dialogue, but also their reactions to the dialogue and actions in the scene. Sammy is not alone, hanging out with the guys, smoking weed and drinking beers. Through close-ups of Sammy's face, Hittman seems to suggest that Sammy is aware of Lila's youth and sensitive to it as she tries to prove her sexual experience. However, in front of his friends, Sammy also seems to be pulled toward acting like one of the guys and going along with the act. That tension demonstrates that it is not only young girls trying to navigate the tricky waters of our porn and sex obsessed culture, but young men are also trying to figure out what manhood looks like.

While the experience of young adults discovering their own sexual nature is nothing new, what Lila and Sammy (to some extent) seem to be grappling with feels very particular to this moment and time. Just as Larry Clark's Kids examined what the teenage years looked and felt like in a very raw way at the end of the previous century, Hittman explores more specifically the expectations and desires of female adolescence in today's society. The success of It Felt Like Love arises from Hittman's ability to challenge the audience with this depiction, while also creating a thoughtful and honest look at her characters. She not only portrays those difficult and embarrassing aspects, but also the comical and naïve parts of self-discovery. And Hittman does all of this with a beautifully shot, seamless film.

Really liked it

[lolitaxxx7 · 10/10 · 26 July 2014]

Hittman's beautifully composed sequences could function as still photographs. Not a good choice for a casual viewer looking for a "Spring Breakers" thrill, Hittman's film puts a very fine point on the heavy, achingly quiet loneliness of adolescent girlhood.

Certainly not an experience shared by all, it will still resonate with some: fourteen year old Lila navigates Brooklyn neighborhoods both alone and with her best friend two years her senior, Chiara. In the sweaty late summer nights, she boasts untruths to her younger neighbor and frequently finds herself a third wheel with Chiara and her boyfriend. She chooses to focus her attention upon the older Sammy, a local college kid who grudgingly lets Lila insert herself into his hard-partying scene.

Ebert, in his review, compared the film to the oeuvre of Larry Clark and Harmony Korine: "Clark and Korine's work, whatever their other virtues, often seem to take place in a universe of users and abusers that's devoid of real love, indeed any possibility of anything but a fleeting connection. " It is an apt comparison. It isn't obvious what Lila is looking for, and we as the audience aren't sure if she got what she wanted, either.

Strong, Confident Debut From Brooklyn Filmmaker

[akeleman-1 · 10/10 · 11 August 2013]

From the controlled, nuanced storytelling to the inventive camera work, Eliza Hittman's 'It Felt Like Love' is a quiet stunner, and a thoroughly confident first feature. It doesn't hurt that Hittman found an incredibly gifted and fearless performer in the young lead, Gina Piersanti.

The story unravels with a deep maturity and rawness, as we follow Lila (Piersanti) through the murky waters of sexuality and adolescence during a hot Brooklyn summer. 'Love' creates a fully realized portrait of a lost teenage girl discovering how wounding unrequited love can be. Seek this film out immediately!

Brilliant piece of work

[geekerr · 10/10 · 29 December 2020]

This is a masterpiece reminded me of the great Federico Fellini, everything about it was masterful. The scenes were taken to the right ending whereas most go just a bit too far , but this is a work of art. The acting was superb as well as the writing which is far more critical to get. This work demonstrates like no other what many young people are faced with coming of age and the fear and unknown but also the compelling need to know . I look forward to more from this director writer She has a gift the world needs for its advancement if this movie is any indication

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

[juanmuscle · 10/10 · 23 January 2021]

I am here becuase of her new installment and had to back-track and I fell in love! I really love how much fun she makes the characters and the stories and teh fun and all the stuff that happens and the dialogue is so much fun and I love how she can do so much with very little latitude in horology.