DVD The First Time – Bedingungslose Liebe
Run time: 91 min
Rating: 6.4
Genres: Drama
Director: Timmy Ehegötz
Stars: Florian Ahlborn, Timmy Ehegötz, Denise Ilktac
|
|
Storyline Details |
|
Plot Keywords: piercing, hugging, bathtub, crying, dancing | |
Details: Country: Germany Release Date: 15 July 2011 (Germany) |
|
Box Office Budget: €13,500 (estimated) |
|
DVD The First Time – Bedingungslose Liebe
previous post
2 comments
this is a youth film project by youth for youth. therefore we must also note the review that the film doesn't compare with big film productions.
The focus is the first great love between billy and nick and the failure of this relationship. which is also a central theme. In addition, it is about the friendship and how important it is to cope with problems in order to live. The first assessment here I found odd, because the problems is treated by the parents, but this not the center point is. Maybe I've seen a different film.
Conclusion: amateur actors at work here, but just because I was personally very positively surprised. I don't think it happens often that a high school student turning a feature film that appears on DVD … So from time to weaken despite formal for me a highly recommended film.
I was hoping for another Summer Storm, but was disappointed.
Spoilers ahead: This story of first love, the subtitle means 'unconditional love', sorely lacks focus. Rather than concentrating on this love story, the attempts to provide a credible background backfire. The mother of one of the leads starts divorce proceedings, but this occurs when the father appears in the movie for the first time. Her best friend is not introduced but appears out of nowhere. The parents of the other lead are also divorced and his sister, and fag hag, is leaving for London to live with her father. A goodbye scene between mother and daughter at the airport is shown, but neither of the leads is present, so it's hard for the viewer to feel anything.
As for the love story itself, the younger lead, Billy 17, who's in love for the first time with Nick 19 comes across as needy and selfish. He apparently cannot understand that Nick has other friends and a sister that demand some of his time as well. Initially the viewer is made to feel like Nick, the older one, is also the more mature one. However, this changes when we discover that Nick has been chatting online to another guy. Billy is not Nick's first boyfriend and as it turns out, not his only one either. He spends a weekend with his chat buddy without telling his boyfriend Billy. When Billy finds out, the relationship turns sour and becomes physically violent. They split up and one the same day Billy has sex with another guy at the Berlin Love Parade even though he still loves Nick. He cannot let go and continues to send letters and texts to Nick. When they accidentally meet in a bar, things turn violent once again. Afterwards, Billy commits suicide and the movie seems to end. It doesn't, the suicide attempt failed and there's a final scene three months later of Billy and his fag hag meeting another guy…
There are a few good scenes with great camera work, the dialogue feels natural (though the parents' dialogue does not) and the actors generally do an OK job (though the actor playing Billy overacts his various breakdowns). The actor playing Billy, Timmy Ehegötz, also wrote, directed, produced and edited the movie. I feel he should improve his writing and editing whereas his acting and directing seem more than adequate.