You want to live independently and follow your dreams? Of course, you do. And so does Ella, 19, the protagonist of Norwegian writer-director Mari Storstein’s fiction feature directorial debut My First Love . But there are barriers for her that you may not even be aware of when you start watching this coming-of-age story about desire, resilience, and self-determination.

“Ella is ready to begin her adult life on her own terms,” reads a synopsis of the film, which world premiered this week in the First Feature Competition program of the 29th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in Estonia. “Born with a disability and having always used a wheelchair, she dreams of moving into her first apartment when she leaves home to study. Instead, a denied application for as

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