Good Movies: Goodbye, First Love

(contains spoilers)

Goodbye, First Love (Un amour de jeunesse) is a French film about not only losing a first love as the title implies, but losing them twice. The movie begins by unraveling the love story of 15 year old Camille and her boyfriend Sullivan. While Camille is head over heels in love with him, Sullivan constantly toys with her emotions and views her more as someone he could have when he wants. Sullivan ultimately goes on a trip, doesn’t come back when he said he would, and stops writing Camille. I loved how earlier in the movie she said she wanted to cut her hair short but he said he would break up with her if she did that and then when he actually leaves her she cuts her hair short like she wanted. The film then takes a different turn and becomes more about chronicling Camille’s life as she becomes an adult working for an architect. She begins a relationship with her professor, other things happen, and Sullivan pops back into her life. She has an affair with him given that she never stopped loving him and the tables turn from him threatening to leave her like it was before in their relationship to him begging her to live with him. While at this point it seems like they’re maybe going to stay together, he leaves her again with nothing but a note. A lot of the comments about this movie (on netflix which is where I watched it) say that the movie moves too slowly but really it moves too fast. Despite being lengthy, the movie goes by years of time (8 years)! Overall I really enjoyed watching this movie, but it’s not for everyone. I thought the ending scene was absolutely brilliant… I don’t think she ever catches that hat.

If you liked Goodbye, First Love you might like:

An Education

Endless Love

Splendor in the grass