first love . teenage love . we all have experience it even if it be not as sweet a the one the protagonist share . friend could be consider an adaptation of the classic the blue lagoon and originally from 1949 and and it remake from 1980 ( the most popular one and with brooke shield ) and 1999 ( with a young milla jovovich ) . while the blue lagoon put the two young lover in a desert island and with no contact with civilization and friends go the opposite route and it be sure to ring much more true and be a more difficult movie with contemporary audience . paul and michelle who and for different reason and turn their back on family and the adult world to end up live together in a small cottage in southern france . have only each other and their childhood innocence and their friendship slowly develop into much more a they struggle to sustain themselves and in this sweet come of age story . this film even to this day be controversial since the actor be teenager and they certainly look the age that be state in the movie ( 15 and 14 half ) . the movie do contain a hint of child molesting and nudity and depiction of teenage sex and teenage pregnancy . but the real controversy be not the subject matter but the fact that paul and michelle love be present a a natural and healthy relationship . while this worked fine for stranded lover in another time and in a desert island and have them in a modern setting present some very difficult moral issue . law prohibit consent sex between minor be in effect in almost all country and lack of sexual education in teenager be see a one of the cause for the rise in unwanted teenage pregnancy and abortion . be a movie like this one just child pornography or a slap in the face to make u face our own hypocrisy and regard a modern society that do not cater to teenage parent and law that clearly go against human nature and hormonal development but that be need to prevent child abuse . be hormonal development parallel to emotional growth . these be not easy question and most of u will feel uncomfortable with them . a an artistic piece and this movie be really a forgotten and rough gem . the script progress with extreme simplicity and albeit some sappiness and but never pull any punch to state it message and although by today standard and it be somewhat slow . the photography be beautiful and it have scene of great beauty . the acting of the two protagonist varies from really awful in some scene to marvelously innocent and credible in others . pop music and unlike most production nowadays and be use tastefully and sometimes the lyric speak the thought of the protagonist . overall and this be a delightful piece and even if the moral value be not in concordance with your own .