A First-Look at HBO Documentary FIRST COMES LOVE

I had the chance to preview an HBO documentary, FIRST COMES LOVE — an autobiography about the decision of filmmaker, Nina Davenport, to have a baby on her own at age 42. The touching film is opening theatrically at the IFC Center in NYC on July 24 for a one-week run, and premieres July 29 on HBO as part of their Summer Documentary Series.

This real-life GIRLS follows Davenport’s quest to have a baby on her own in New York, complete with all of the emotional moving parts that surround such an undertaking:

Hormone injections.

Post-natal chaos.

Her conventional family’s reaction to her unconventional decision.

Davenport bares her soul in this film, through a combination of vulnerability, strength, humor and a side dish of family ties and friendship.

Her best friend, Amy, easily becomes your best friend, too (I thought they were actually sisters – the resemblance is uncanny!), when you see how close these friends are and the extent they go for one another.  Upon Davenport’s decision to move forward with having a baby on her own, Amy is right there next to her as her birth partner.

There are many touching moments throughout FIRST COMES LOVE – from the raw emotion depicted in scenes of death and birth, to some amazing quotes from Davenport and her friends that I feverishly scribbled on my notepad while watching the film, feeling that I could completely relate to, and I’m sure you will, too.  My favorite is:

“I loved my children before they were born. I just had this vision of who they were and how it would all be.”  – Davenport’s friend, Dave

Another frank quote comes from her pragmatic sister, who tells her that she’s “Running out of time, biologically.  Put the camera down, go get some sperm and get pregnant!”

And when Davenport consults with her OB-GYN, nervously asking if he sees many other women like her, he replies with exuberance, “In New York?! Tons!  Tons! There are tons of single women in NYC having a baby!”

So there you have it.  Whether you live in Chicago, Florida or right here in the NYC Metro Area, FIRST COMES LOVE 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. It’s relatable, raw and inspiring all at the same time.

And if you live in the suburbs, you’ll thank your lucky stars that you never had to labor in a NYC taxi cab!

FIRST COMES LOVE is running at the IFC Center in New York City from July 24-30.

As an exclusive offer to mom a la mode readers, the producers of FIRST COME LOVE are offering a 15% discount on tickets.  Simply print out this blog post and present it at the box office.

You can also catch it during HBO’s Summer Documentary Series on July 29.

For more info, visit:

Website + Trailer: www.firstcomeslovemovie.com

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/13f9ERJ

Kickstarter: http://kck.st/17sTHIj (campaign ends July 23rd at 10pm)

oxox

-mom a la mode

{I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I received an advanced copy of FIRST COMES LOVE on dvd for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are solely mine.}