The First Assignment
The First Assignment
| 06 May 2011 (USA)
The First Assignment Trailers

Nena, a girl from the south of Italy, has to travel far from home to get her first job as a teacher. She is sad, not because she has to leave her mother and sister, with whom everything is clear and sometimes difficult, but because she is having a serious love affair with someone from her village to whom she is very committed: a young upper-middle class man who seems to sincerely feel the same. They promise that nothing will change between them. It is only until June and then she can ask for a transfer. And so she leaves, a little sad and a little curious about what is in store for her. But what she finds is completely different from what she imagined.

Reviews
WillSushyMedia

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

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BeSummers

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

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Brenda

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

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Caryl

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

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FilmCriticLalitRao

If you thought that world cinema has run out of strong characters then you are slightly mistaken as "The First Assignment" written and directed by Giorgia Cecere shows us that the tradition of making films with strong characters is still very much alive.She has created a strong feminine character in the form of her protagonist Nena,a teacher who learns some crucial lessons in life when she has to move away from home in order to take her first teaching assignment.Italian director Giorgia Cecere,who has worked as a writer with leading Italian cinéaste Gianni Amelio,directs an excellent story with absolutely ordinary characters.Her film celebrates the beauty of life which must be led no matter difficulties and problems which one faces whether in love or in any other field.Much of this film's message is communicated through its portrayal of ordinary lives in a rugged southern Italian setting.This setting also heightens the film's message that ordinary people crack in surroundings which are alien to them.Il Primo Incarico shows that no logic can be attached to a human life as events beyond control may completely change its course.Lastly,Italian actress Isabelle Ragonese is a joy to watch as she gives enormous dignity to her character of Nena.This is a film for those viewers who let a drama unfold in front of their eyes at its own pace.

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Pam Strayer

A lovely film about a young woman sorting out her place in life when she's sent to teach in a small peasant village in Puglia. Complicated, engaging, heartfelt and wholly entertaining. Just when you think you know where it's going, it changes course. Highly recommended!The film took the top prize at the New Italian Film Festival in San Francisco last night - and deservedly so. I liked the film not only for the story and the acting, but also for a look at the life of people in Puglia - who almost never make it onto the big screen. For years, Marcel Pagnol's films about French peasants have been entertaining us. Now Puglia can take its place as well.

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