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!

FIRST LOVE, LAST RITES is a movie that I know people will be bored with. It is slow for some tastes. Life is slow. This movie is so true to life and it's pacing seems all too real. It's amazing it's a story not of plot but of documenting time. The story inspired a screenplay that I just finished Belmar. It has such a slow core to it and is so atmospheric. Bottom line THIS IS AN ART FILM. ("A movie simple enough for a child to understand with images strong enought for an adult"-Roger Ebert. Different people will react differently to this movie. It's for the art crowd and for film students. It's not for the average multiplex movie goer unless they get darring and wana try something new. I hope Jesse Perez makes another movie, the actors were great, well I am a huge fan of Natsha Gerson Wagner. It's a very steamy masterpeace that moves with the charactors and the atmosphere. I have no idea why this film didn't make it big. It sure is a discovery on video!

I rented the movie because I already had the soundtrack and loved it. I was thinking "How bad can this movie be with a soundtrack like this?" Well.....it wasn't great. It moved pretty slow for me. It was just....there. It felt like I was just killing time watching the movie. The two main actors are much better than the roles they played. I wouldn't mind seeing the two of them together in a different, better movie. Guess you can never judge a movie by its soundtrack.

This is a strange movie. The young stars spend a lot of time at home being bored, then they have sex, get bored again, listen to a phonograph, have sex, get bored again, talk, talk and talk. Natasha Gregson Wagner looks and sounds so much like her mother sometimes it is eerie. Slow moving, I think it was meant to be that way, perhaps to get the feeling of swampy Louisiana. Wagner's character is very unappealing, and it really hurts the film, but I liked her performance. Offbeat, and it sure doesn't make you feel warm all over. There didn't seem to be much point to the film. No one in the cast but Wagner stands out and the direction is simply bland.

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.