Freshman Year

Among thousands of kids trying their best to make college work, freshman, Alex, played by writer/director, Cooper Raiff, is struggling; he feels alone and depressed. He is homesick and can’t make new friends but home is 1500 miles away and he’s finding it difficult to find a reason not to go back. Maggie, Alex’s sophomore RA, has been crushing college since day one. Today though, Maggie is dealt an unexpected loss. After a party at Shithouse, Maggie wants some company and finds it in Alex. Two young people raised in very different households, Alex and Maggie challenge each other and grow up together.

What the critics say….

“It’s rare to see young people depicted so honestly or so simply…this a college experience that takes it all in: from the lovestruck to the pants-shitters. As a sensitive portrait of what college is like for the awkward lonely types…and an ode to just staying up late and shooting the shit — Freshman Year is a funny, tender treat”. John Nugent, Empire Magazine

“There have been some terrific films about the misery of homesickness. Now we can add a splendid rom-com, Freshman Year, to the list…a really engaging film: funny, moving, exquisitely observed. If you’ve ever been homesick or have children who have suffered, it will doubtless strike a chord. Even if not, it’s well worth seeing. And Raiff is a talent worth watching”. Brian Viner, Daily Mail (UK)

“…it’s one of the freshest college movies in years…a breakthrough of rare sensitivity that announces more than one new talent…(Dylan) Gelula is off the charts… she’s as beguilingly elusive as any great film noir actress”. _Jake Coyle, Associated Press _

“Life can be desperately embarrassing in your first year at university when you are trying out new identities and personalities. This film replicates that agonising discomfort”. Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“It’s a warming, energizing film,… and deeply compassionate toward its likable characters”. Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair