First Time starts out on ‘Side A` of this charming paean to young love, complete with endearing characters and quirky, visual poetry cinematography to boot. However, the plot begins to meander once the film launches into ‘Side B` As the story unfolds, the pair`s budding romance drastically changes both their lives far more than they expected it to; and the foundations of their relationship begin to fall apart when Shiqiao begins to realize that Gong Ning has his own share of dark secrets. The film gets so tangled up in a myriad of plot twists that it loses both believability and the sweet, nostalgic charm that made the first half of the film so likeable. From that point on, it becomes really easy to sympathise with Mark Chao`s emotionally-frazzled male lead because the movie simply gets increasingly tiresome.
Strong performances from the principal cast are what keep First Time watchable in the face of clunky scripting. It`s compelling to watch Angelababy`s doe-eyed female lead evolve from resembling the manic pixie dreamgirl archetype into a woman who makes her own decisions and learns to seize opportunities and love life. Alongside her, Mark Chao delivers a performance of great emotional depth and maturity, portraying a layered and flawed character in a way that makes you want to love and hate him all at once.
While the ‘vague mental illness` and ‘tragic family history` plot devices make First Time seem reminiscent of a Nicholas Sparks novel at times, the film somewhat redeems itself through its personable characters and the naturalism in their story arcs. First Time is an attempt at retelling a ‘been there, done that` romance story in a way that starts out strong, but unfortunately loses its likeability as the movie progresses.
Summary: Fans of the genre will particularly be able to appreciate the melodrama, but it`ll probably be less enjoyable for those of us who are slightly more cynical.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Zimin Ho