Fans of romantic dramas have a new film to add to their watch list this summer. First Love, starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Jim) and Sydney Park (Ann), follows two high school students on their journey of first love and heartbreak. Described as a "poignant look at a young man’s difficult entry into adulthood," First Love contrasts the love story of Jim and Ann against Jim's parents' relationship as they struggle after a financial crisis. It is set for a summer release from Voltage Pictures.
The film was initially confirmed by Deadline in May 2021. A.J. Edwards, known for The Better Angels and Age Out, wrote and directed the piece. Diane Kruger serves as executive producer with producers Nadine de Barros, Henry Kittredge, and Lucas Jarach. Edwards is also listed as a producer, with Tyler Glodt and John Williams as co-producers and Todd Spradlin as an associate producer.
Ready to experience your first love all over again? Here's everything you need to know about First Love before it hits theaters.
First Love: The Plot
Like many high school seniors, Jim and Ann are deciding where to go to college, figuring out where they want life to take them, and testing themselves by entering a new relationship before heading to separate coasts. Jim is trying to earn a running scholarship at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Ann is accepted to a university in New York. Based on the trailer, he pursues her, faking a note to get her out of class, and seems to experience the most heartbreak in their presumed breakup. He tells his father (Jeffrey Donovan) he wants to call her, but the paternal figure says to give it time. Will time work in their favor?
Jim's parents seem to really like the two of them together, but Ann's parental figure doesn't seem so sure. She doesn't want Ann to tie herself down so young, which is understandable, but certainly puts doubt in the graduating senior's mind. Neither of them has had a serious relationship before, meaning the other is their first love, potentially first breakup, and their first everything.
The two teens aren't the only ones trying to navigate the future. The synopsis describes Jim's parents as "dealing with the familial fallout of a financial crisis of 2008," which might be why he seems so set on the running scholarship. It also gives the time period the film is set in, which is a bit different from most romance films coming out today. Will this crisis put a strain on his parent's relationship? Will his scholarship make or break his ability to go to college? The paired stories, showing the struggles of each generation, may help inform Jim and his parent's on the best path forward.
First Love: The Cast
Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Sydney Park portray Jim and Ann, respectively. Audiences likely know Fiennes Tiffin from his leading role as Hardin Scott in the After franchise, the Wattpad-to-screen sensation. Park is recognizable from her work in The Walking Dead and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Diane Kruger (Troy, National Treasure) and Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice, Hitch) play Jim's parents. Blake Weise plays Nick, who seems to be one of Jim's friends helping him in his heartbreak.
The other cast members on the film's IMDb page include Diane Venora (Bird) as Aunt Irene, Nikolai Tsankov (Manifest, The Americans) playing Father Alex, Harrison Cone (Stage Fright) as Tol, Elena Heuzé as Kim, Chris Galust as Nick Albright, Bruce Wexler (Euphoria, Brotherhood) as Vance Hughes, Kiara T. Romero as Liz, Dominique Gayle as Natalie, Makeba Pace (Truth Be Told) as Sonia, and Stephen Singleton as Kris. Nanrisa Lee (Bosch, The Morning Show) is listed in an unnamed role.
Release Date
According to the trailer, the film will be released on June 17, 2022. Based on the trailer released by Nu Metro, other regions can expect the film around or on the same date, with South African audiences able to view the film on June 24, 2022.
Everything Else We Know
First Love isn't the first time director Edwards and Kruger have worked together. The two were a part of The Better Angels, with Kruger starring Sarah Lincoln and Edwards directing and writing. The film is a historical drama looking into the early life of President Abraham Lincoln, specifically his childhood in Indiana. It debuted at Sundance in 2014. It should be interesting to see the two together again on such a different project.
This also isn't the first time Fiennes Tiffin has been in a Voltage Pictures film. Voltage Pictures is the production company of the After series, making this the fifth film and second major project he's done with them. It does mark the first time he's used an American accent in one of their films though. Fiennes Tiffin's American accent nearly makes his voice unrecognizable in the trailer, but it's a welcome change from the British accent fans have come to associate with the dark and moody Hardin Scott.
Make a mixtape and walk down memory lane (maybe not for first love but for the crisis) when First Love hits theaters this summer.