"History of a No"

"The 'Story of a No' tells of the first kiss that is not as one dreams it to be, of families that are not as we would like them to be, of love that is confused with possession. It is the story of Martina, who decides to set boundaries. Translated from German by Brigitte Korn-Wimmer.

Martina is 14 and lives alone with her father, who is always there for her and can make great lasagna. She is doing well in school, has pajama parties with her friends, and dreams of her first kiss with Sebastian. It has to be completely romantic. However, her first kiss is with Alessandro, a good-looking boy in brand-name clothes, who spends 20 minutes every morning styling his hair. And that moment is completely different from what she expected.

The two get to know each other when Martina is harassed by a man in the park. Alessandro helps her and walks her home. They look deeply into each other's eyes, and neither knows what is happening to them. Butterflies in the stomach, they can't stop thinking about each other, holding on, and kissing. Is this what love feels like? Alessandro is sure of it. He doesn't want to be without Martina for a moment. When he is with her, he forgets the stress at home, where his father constantly shouts at his mother. Martina likes him a lot too, but she soon feels overwhelmed. He becomes jealous when she spends time with others, prevents her from going to school, and demands one proof of love after another.

Martina finds all of this too much, but she cannot bring herself to say 'no.' The 'Story of a No' tells of the first kiss that is not as one dreams it to be, of families that are not as we would like them to be, of love that is confused with possession. It is the story of Martina, who decides to set boundaries. By Annalisa Arione and Dario de Falco."