First Love is an earnest but unremarkable romance wrapped around an intelligent and sometimes powerful story of the destruction that capitalism inflicts on middle-class American families. It is written and directed by A.J. Edwards, a protege of visionary spiritualist Terrence Malick who has made two films in a Malickian vein (“The Better Angels” and “Age Out”), but this third effort is more of a straightforward ensemble drama.
Set in the aftermath of the financial collapse of late 2008 during George Bush’s second term, it follows one American family, the Albrights, as they try to survive and readjust to drastically reduced economic prospects. The father, Glenn, gets laid off from the financial sector and seems unable to accept that he might never again have a job as prominent as the one that was taken from him. His wife Kay (“Better Angels” costar Diane Kruger, who coproduced here) eventually offers to take a second job and runs headlong into the barrier of her husband’s pride.
The dialogue that articulates the Albright’s tight situation is often bland and oversimplified, but it’s still a (pleasant) shock to see an American feature film dealing with the financial collapse in something other then genre-based metaphors (as, for example, the excellent crime thriller “Killing Them Softly” did).
When Kay goes to the bank to try to get a loan, the bank officer looks at her application and wants to know if her husband is sick, and if not, why he isn’t working. “Even a minimum-wage job would look better on the record than things are now,” he says.
We later learn that friends and family members have largely abandoned the Albrights in their time of distress. There’s a paranoid intimation that people have stopped answering their phone calls because they don’t want to hear about their suffering or risk being asked for money. When the priest at their church says, “Where is the pleasure in life that is unmixed with sorrow?” it sounds less like a balm than a cop-out. “This place is a box,” Glenn grouses after the family moves into a more affordable place.
First Love (2022)
Directed by: A.J. Edwards
Starring: Diane Kruger, Jeffrey Donovan, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Diane Venora, Sydney Park, Harrison Cone, Nanrisa Lee. Bruce Wexler, Elena Heuzé, Chris Galust, Nikolai Tsankov, Kiara T. Romero
Screenplay by: A.J. Edwards
Cinematography by: Jeff Bierman
Film Editing by: Alec Styborski
Costume Design by: Julianne D’Errico
Set Decoration by: Gina Canavan
Music by: George Kallis
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Vertical Entertainment
Release Date: June 17, 2022
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