“An extraordinary classroom experience…the film is moody, thoughtful, outrageous, and wonderfully poignant as it closely observes the nature of love, friendship, and family. It is a film with as much heart and narrative intelligence as any I have seen in years.”
- Robb Moss, Professor & Chair, Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University
“Hard to resist . . . there are many glimmers of truth in Davenport’s painful but beautiful documentary about becoming a parent.”
- The New York Daily News
“Wise, warm, funny, open, and more interested in life as it’s actually lived.”
- The Village Voice
- Robb Moss, Professor & Chair, Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University
“Hard to resist . . . there are many glimmers of truth in Davenport’s painful but beautiful documentary about becoming a parent.”
- The New York Daily News
“Wise, warm, funny, open, and more interested in life as it’s actually lived.”
- The Village Voice
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“Compulsively watchable!” - Vogue
“A highly entertaining, frequently hilarious, sometimes sobering look at single motherhood...The film should be required viewing for any woman contemplating having her child on her own, and highly recommended viewing for the rest of us.” - Ross McElwee, Professor, Harvard University “Relatable, raw, and inspiring…offers an engaging and ultimately heart-warming slice-of-life of a woman in New York City who is motivated by love to have a child on her own.” - Mom a la Mode “Heart-breaking and hilarious, First Comes Love mines the complexity of the ties that persist in binding us, even as adults, to our families of origin....an unconventional, unforgettable, utterly 21st-century alternative to the conventional models of heterosexual marriage and parenthood.” - Caroline Weber, Associate Professor, Barnard College “First Comes Love is a must-see documentary for everyone who is a parent, or thinking about becoming a parent.” - SheScribes “It’s an instantly likable crowd-pleaser at times on par with a Judd Apatow-produced work. Think Girls, only 15 years later and with additional heartbreak.” - Film Stage “A truly eye opening documentary…All parents should watch Nina Davenport’s fascinating documentary of her journey to become a mother.” - Hollywood Life “First Comes Love is brave autobiographical filmmaking that invents new cinematic strategies for reflecting upon the messiness of making babies, the complexities of intimacy, and the many threads of love that parenthood weaves. Students in film studies, cultural studies, and gender studies have much to learn from Davenport’s work.” - Jann Matlock, Co-Organiser The Film Studies Space, Senior Lecturer, Univ. College London “Unexpectedly self-effacing and brave, Davenport’s many-layered film explores the miraculous and often quiet bonds of love that give rise to children, to new generations, and to powerful works of art.” - Karen Underhill, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago |
FILM INFORMATION
Public Performance Rights Licensing:
Universities, Schools & Libraries starting at $299
Organizations starting at $399
Organizations & Institutions please contact info@passionriver.com for a quote
Subject Areas: Gender Studies, Family, Documentary, American Studies
Synopsis: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage. For filmmaker Nina Davenport, that old playground song didn’t go as planned. Single at age forty-one, she decides to have a baby on her own, never minding the odds stacked against her or the extra hurdles of living in New York City. In her quest for motherhood, Nina enlists her best friend Amy as a birth partner and her gay friend Eric as a sperm donor. The process of baby-making affects all their lives profoundly. Additionally, Nina struggles to cope with the recent death of her mother, who had been a source of strength, and seeks to improve relations with her father, a source of discouragement. The film taps into the zeitgeist topic of how the modern family is being re-imagined in the early twenty-first century. They say it takes a village to raise a child. In Nina’s case, that village is populated by urban sophisticates who have delayed procreation for as long as possible and are late in confronting its joys and chores. Nina is unflinching at exposing her inner and outer self as a case study. She’s refreshingly frank and funny about the trials that women endure in order to get pregnant, give birth and manage the early years of parenting. After watching, you’ll want to thank your mother. |
