It Felt Like Love

Released Mar 21, 2014

1h 22m

Drama

List

85%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

43%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Rent It Felt Like Love on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

Playback:stl

[Hittman's] offbeat visual style ... helps put you inside the mind of the lead character, for whom nothing is clear.

Rated: 7/10

May 16, 2014

Full Review

Read all reviews

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie was painful to watch because you just wanted to scream at the girl on the screen "don't do it" - but she is determined to learn the hard way!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Eliza Hittman

Director

Gina Piersanti

Lila

Ronen Rubinstein

Sammy

Nyck Caution

Patrick

Richie Folio

Justin

Andrew McCord

Zach

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

100%

92%

Beauty Mark

73%

61%

Young & Beautiful

88%

64%

Paradise: Hope

87%

66%

Heaven Knows What

76%

69%

Nymphomaniac: Volume I

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Americans Season 4, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 2, and More Available to Stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime

Gotham Independent Film Awards 2014 Nominations

Critics Consensus: Divergent Disappoints

View more photos

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: Tyler Brodie, Hunter Gray, Gill Holland
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

Most Popular at Home Now