Review of It Felt Like Love (2013) by Jacob G — 12 Sep 2014

It Felt Like Love is an awkward, awkward movie.

The basic story is simple--earnestly so--such that most people should be able to identify with it; if not from their own lives, then knowing someone similar.

A young girl experiences mixed emotions as she watches her best friend (and best friend's boyfriend) hang out. There seems to be a sense of abandonment, and jealousy, and probably a lot of other feelings, too.

And so she decides to find herself a boy of her own. Her target? An older fellow who will have sex with anyone (as rumor has it).

It's so awkward watching her trying to push her way into this boy's world. He has no interest in her, and he humors her for a while. When things get bristly and strange, the pace of the movie seems to slow down, forcing the viewer to feel every awkward bit of awkwardness in all its awkward glory.

It doesn't help that we stop caring about this girl and her quest for this dude midway through the movie. The more interesting storyline is that of her best friend/boyfriend. We see the downfall of that relationship in all its glorious terror. The boyfriend is caught up on the fact that she is more experienced sexually than he is. And watching this best friend navigate the crap that this guy says and does to her almost washes our mouths from the bitter taste of the main storyline.

That said, it's hard to see who the target audience is for It Felt Like Love. It's didactic simplicity (and awkwardness) might make it too annoying for people who have matured beyond these stages. But at the same time, it's certainly not a movie that will capture the attention of other 14-year-old girls, you know?