First Love, Last Rites

I rent a lot of movies. I enjoy a lot of the Independent and offbeat ones. But this one definitely was on my top 10 of hard to keep watching because it was soooo borrrring! Even though every other scene was sexually "titilating" I was disappointed. Don't bother!

The most realistic portrait of a first intense relationship I have ever seen on film. Certainly slow at times, but life is not always the pace of an action film. The characters are so smoothly drawn and achingly acted, that the mere sight of them on screen makes the heart cry out for their plight.

Natasha Gregson's portrayal of the confused Sissel is nothing short of brilliant. Any man who was ever profoundly confused by a woman in his life will not find the answers in her character - only more frustration with her realistic nuances on screen with Giovanni Ribisi. And any man who has ever been hopelessly in love will sympathize with Ribisi's lovestruck character and his honest stumblings trying to understand the woman he loves. The setting is perfect for this film, and is beautifully shot. There are subtle suggestions that Sissel may have been the victim of a drowning, but I have yet to pull out enough information to prove this interpretation.

Not for everyone, but if you are looking for an honest, real picture of first intense love without an ending that smacks you in the chops or filled with stupid Hollywood cliches about love, this is the film for you....

This is an excellent film, marked by nicely nuanced acting brought forth by a splendid first-time director. The screenplay, editing and cinematography are all first-rate. Wagner and Burke, in particular, master their roles. Ian McEwan's symbolism in the original story is nicely transferred to the screen. A strong feeling of tension keeps one fascinated until the ending.

I watched this one a couple of months ago on video while I spent some time in the USA. I especially liked the performances by Giovanni Ribisi (who is also great in "The Gift") and Natasha Wagner (one of my all-times favorites). Another positive effort is the nice soundtrack and the slick editing.

The main problem of "First Love, Last Rites" is that first-time director Jesse Peretz sometimes slows down the pace a bit too much so that you may need some patience to sit this one through. Nevertheless it´s still worth watching especially if you like Ribisi and Wagner.

By the way: ever since I watched this movie I tried to find out whether or not it has been released on DVD (no matter which country or regional encoding as long as there´s an English-language track on it). So, if anyone who reads this knows where, when or how to get "First Love, Last Rites" on DVD inform me about it, I´d be very pleased!!!

First Love, Last Rites may say it's directed by Jesse Peretz. And Peretz's pedigree as a former member of the Lemonheads (since when is that something Cool?) and as a commercial and video director may get this film its only real notice. And Ian McEwan may get credit for having written the story the film was based on. And Natasha Gregson Wagner and Giovani Ribisi may be the recognizable faces that would make somebody stop when the movie comes on TV. But only Tom Richmond, the director of photography, really deserves to put this film on his highlight reel. First Love, Last Rites is a slow, contemplative film that doesn't develop into anything. It's possible this might work better for some people than others.

Sissel (Gregson Wagner) and Joey (Ribisi) are two kids spending the summer in a one bedroom shack up from the Bayou. They're basically drifting -- Joey from his Brooklyn roots and Sissel from her feuding parents. Basically they listen to records, have sex, and throw garbage around their place. Naturally it smells. Naturally there's a rat in the walls. And naturally they both need outlets. When Joey begins to go into the eeling business with Sissel's father Henry (Robert John Burke), Sissel goes to work at a sugar factory. And things get stressed.

The story, by Ian McEwan is 14 pages long. And it's set in England. Why Peretz thought that moving the story to Louisiana and expanding it to 100 minutes is a bit of a mystery. Thanks to the beautiful colors and images Richmond produces, First Love, Last Rites at least feels like it's set somewhere. The fact that the actors all seem a little adrift is something else.

It isn't just that the writing doesn't give any character depth to anybody. Ribisi gets to deliver a pointlessly Freudian monologue about the first time he was his parents having sex. Gregson Wagner gets to pout a lot. Burke, as the Vietnam vet father, has the most colorful part and his intensity seems both out of place and strangely pleasant. Even if he feels like he's acting in a different movie, his appearances strengthen the film. None of the actors effectly reproduce any kind of accents.

The film that immediately comes to mind after seeing this one is Victor Nuñez's Ruby in Paradise. That, of course, is a better film. Nuñez produces the thing that Peretz most fails at -- authenticity. Ruby features authentic emotions, authentic performances, authentic images, and a plot that grows organically from the surroundings. Gregson Wagner, Ribisi, and Burke are all very sincere in their performances, but no amount of trying can make any of it seem real.

A side note: Another review of the film made note of the preponderance of drowning imagery involving Natasha Gregson Wagner. Now, seeing as how much of her appeal as an actress (an actress, let me emphasize, who's beginning to get much too old to keep playing teenagers and innocents) comes from her similarities to her mother, Natalie Wood, isn't the director who keeps showing her drowning a little bit sick? I think so... Neither here nor there, I guess.

First Love, Last Rites is a film of greens and blues, of sunsets and squirming eels. It's a film of beautiful pictures and minimal story. The photography is very fine, but it's not enough to give this film more than a 5/10.