I never read the book nor seen any of the other adaptations (and my entire French ancestry is probably rolling in their graves as I say this), so I can't comment on how good an adaptation of it/them it is. You seem to know and I have no problems taking your word for it.
My problem with the movie isn't whether it is well-adapted. In the end, it's not even about whether or not Annette and Sebastian have sex.
I'll even go one further, I am sure this is a good movie. I'm sure its quality is very high.
I didn't like it. But, if I think Joshua Jackson was the best thing about it, then you can hardly expect any different from me, can you?
I'm ready to admit that "giving" Sebastian her virginity can be understood as part of his character arc or, in some way I don't understand, as an act of love. But that's not the way I see it. To me, it doesn't resonate that way at all. I think that, if you're going to change your entire game plan about something has crucial as your first time, than the guy had better proven himself. And even then...
She had made a choice for herself. It's not the one I made, but it was her choice. And she changed her mind, for someone else. You can say it's love, and I do agree that she loved him, but I don't see love as a good enough reason for compromising your principles and yourself for someone else. Mind you, that could also be why I'm alone right now. :lol:
But, more importantly than any and all of that, I wasn't nearly half as interested in the Annette/Sebastien storyline as I was in his interaction with Kathryn. I know it was based on the book, so I guess that's why there wasn't more of the latter. Who knows? Maybe I wouldn't like the book either.