By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Lorraine Levy
Starring: Catherine Jacob | Marilou Berry | Pierre Arditi
Original language title: La Première fois que j'ai eu 20 ans
Country: france
Year: 2007
Running time: 98
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388351/
Bruce says: “This coming of age story features Chlotrudis award winning actress Marilou Berry as Hannah Goldman, an ugly duckling with two older, attractive sisters. Like the character Berry played in LOOK AT ME, Hannah does not know how to make life easy for herself. She is overweight but she doesn’t diet. She wears dumpy clothes and won’t listen to her thin, fashion maven sisters when they give her advice. Her parents don’t know how to respond to her outbursts.
“Hannah decides that she will audition for the all male jazz band at her school. Hannah is not particularly resolved to crash the sex barrier as much as she wants recognition that she is the best bass player and deserves the position over her less talented but popular male rival. Many disasters and false starts occur before the film reaches its happy conclusion. A subplot involving Hannah’s gay uncle adds a bittersweet flavor. Berry proves that her performance in LOOK AT ME was no fluke. She literally carries the film on her own. THE FIRST TIME I WAS TWENTY is enjoyable, yet slight. The film has also been shown as THE FIRST TIME I TURNED TWENTY. 3 cats
“(THE FIRST TIME I WAS TWENTY screened at the 2007 New York Jewish Film Festival at Lincoln Center.)”