It Felt Like Love

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It Felt Like Love

Released Mar 21, 2014

1h 22m

Drama

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85%

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27 Reviews

43%

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1,000+ Ratings

Lila (Gina Piersanti), a lonely teen from Gravesend, fabricates a story about dating Sammy -- a thug -- and becomes fixated on it happening. In a predatory way, she pursues a sexual encounter with Sammy, but she becomes the prey.

Bill Goodykoontz

Arizona Republic

In Gina Piersanti, also making her feature debut, Hittman has found the perfect actress to portray the difficult undertaking of growing up, or at least trying to.

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 24, 2014

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Hittman draws attention to the pervasive cultural forces (rap music, Internet pornography, suggestive dancing on TV) that present young girls as sexual objects, making the scenes of exploitation seem sadly inevitable.

Apr 3, 2014

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Inkoo Kang

Los Angeles Times

Rarely has the zone between girlhood and womanhood been captured with such urgent honesty than in Eliza Hittman's superb teen drama "It Felt Like Love."

Mar 27, 2014

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

A raw and brutal portrait of teenage lust.

Aug 23, 2024

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Dave Giannini

InSession Film

If you want to see the beginning of a career that will likely have a meteoric rise in the independent film world, it is still incredibly impressive from the very start.

Feb 20, 2024

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Zach Hollwedel

Under the Radar

It Felt Like Love is Hittman's first credited feature, and when it begins to slow, one can tell that she is perhaps still navigating the transition from short to full-length.

Rated: 5/10

Sep 8, 2014

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Kaleb O

otimo filme de drama adolescentes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/17/24

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Elver C

For a debut film, it is really impressive, "It felt like love" It's not like any other coming-of-age film that you have ever seen, it explores that world that promises teenagers pleasure, only to find deception and rejection. With great performances and a compelling story, it's worth watching even if it feels very slow at times.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

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Audience Member

Sad story of a girl from an abusive family continuing to have her soul crushed by shitty teen behavior and a traumatic experience that will scar her for life. Not a hint of empowerment, not the best storyline.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Really solid dive into the mind of a 16 year old. Also very Brooklyn!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

This didn't feel like it even had a real storyline. No ups, no downs, it was just the same throughout the whole movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

The performances range from pleasantly candid to forced. The camera does its best to persuade of the authenticity. The central character feels laid out for a psychological autopsy (albeit an incomplete one) - it feels as if it's decided that there's no hope for her before the movie starts. I wanted the emotional catharsis of a Dardennes film, but instead it gave the provocative nature of something Larry Clark might direct. Which is not an insult at all. There's a lot of potential here.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Eliza Hittman

Director

Gina Piersanti

Lila

Ronen Rubinstein

Sammy

Nyck Caution

Patrick

Richie Folio

Justin

Andrew McCord

Zach

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Synopsis

Lila (Gina Piersanti), a lonely teen from Gravesend, fabricates a story about dating Sammy -- a thug -- and becomes fixated on it happening. In a predatory way, she pursues a sexual encounter with Sammy, but she becomes the prey.

Director: Eliza Hittman
Producer: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner
Screenwriter: Eliza Hittman
Distributor: Variance Films
Production Co: The Group Entertainment
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 21, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.2K
Runtime: 1h 22m

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