Coming-of-Age Films You Need To Watch
In an edition where we celebrate things that are imperfect and human, what better films to explore in our latest watchlist than coming-of-age stories
We have known for some time that we wanted to explore the theme of “coming of age” with this edition. Our love for that idea and everything it embraces started with the films that encapsulate it best. The awkwardness and discomfort of those years are reflected honestly. Still, there’s a warm feeling you get while watching the highs of those days, reminding you of the times you once experienced, or filling you with a longing for the memories you never got to live. Realistic themes and problems, which, paired with characters that almost everyone can identify with in some way, make coming-of-age films universally relatable, yet still personal.
In a way, this edition has always just been an excuse to celebrate those films, so with that, here are some of our favourites:
Dazed and Confused
The 1993 cult classic is the ultimate hangout film. Written and directed by Richard Linklater, it follows the adventures of a group of teens on the last day of school in 1976.
A stacked cast featured early breakout roles for the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck.
Superbad
A film so familiar that it doesn’t really need an introduction. Written by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, the 2007 film follows high school seniors Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) as they aim to party and lose their virginity before they graduate, while their plan proves more difficult than expected.
A definitive noughties film, the wider cast includes Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Emma Stone, and Seth Rogan.
Submarine
Written and directed by Richard Ayoade, based on the 2008 novel by Joe Dunthorne, the 2010 film features original songs written by Alex Turner. One of the most popular tracks from the film, “Piledriver Waltz”, was later re-recorded for the Arctic Monkeys album Suck It and See.
The film itself follows 15-year-old Welsh schoolboy Oliver Tate as he pursues a relationship with a classmate while attempting to repair his parents’ marriage.
Moonlight
The story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining parts of his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2017.
The cast includes: Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome.
Little Women
Greta Gerwig’s second film was an adaptation of the endlessly loved 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott, which sees four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
With a cast that includes Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen and Timothée Chalamet, it’s hard to see coming-of-age without thinking of the warmth, growth and familial love that persists between the young women in this story.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
When selling the film rights to his much-loved book, Stephen Chbosky ensured he was allowed to write and direct the 2012 adaptation. The story follows Charlie, who is always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love.
With Logan Lerman as Charlie, the cast also includes Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman and Kate Walsh.
Booksmart
In Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, two graduating high school girls set out to finally break the rules and party on their last day of classes.
Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein star in the lead roles in a film often compared to Superbad, but one that is just as good.
Easy A
There was a golden age for coming-of-age films between the late 2000s and early 2010s, and this is another from that time period. With Emma Stone in another one of her early iconic roles as Olive, an average high school student, who sees her below-the-radar existence turn around overnight once she decides to use the school’s gossip grapevine to advance her social standing.
The cast also includes Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Lisa Kudrow, and Stanley Tucci.
Lady Bird
Naturally, several films on this list cover the period of leaving high school and heading to university, but what sets Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut apart is its focus on the complex relationships between its characters. Mainly, that of a daughter and her mother, played by Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf.
Greta Gerwig not only directed but also wrote the 2017 film, which has a wider cast that includes Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges and Timothée Chalamet, in one of his breakout roles.
Stand By Me
Stand By Me is also celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and for many, it is the definitive coming-of-age film.
Directed by the great Rob Reiner, the film follows four boys who embark on a journey to find a dead body, while their adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell play the four lead roles, with Kiefer Sutherland also starring.
Sing Street
A teenage boy (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) escapes his strained family life and forms a band to impress a mysterious girl (Lucy Boynton) in 1980s Dublin.
The 2016 film was written and directed by John Carney, with the cast also including Jack Reynor, Ben Carolan and Kelly Thornton.
Rushmore
In Jason Schwartzman’s first film, and Wes Anderson’s second, he plays an ambitious teenager named Max, who quickly falls in love with a new teacher at his school. However, the situation soon gets complicated when Max’s new friend becomes involved with her, setting the two pals against one another in a war for her attention.
The film also stars Olivia Williams, Bill Murray, Seymour Cassel, and Brian Cox.
Clueless
Written and directed by Amy Heckerling, 1995’s Clueless is a timeless coming-of-age classic. The film follows a shallow, rich and socially successful high school student, Cher (Alicia Silverstone), who wants to do “good deeds”. She befriends a newcomer and decides to give her a makeover while playing matchmaker for her teachers and examining her own life.
Scrapper
A resourceful 12-year-old, who secretly lives alone in her flat in a working-class suburb of London, makes money stealing bikes with her best friend Ali and keeps the social workers off her back by pretending to live with an uncle. But when her estranged father turns up out of the blue, she’s forced to confront reality.
With Lola Campbell and Harris Dickinson in the lead roles, Scrapper was the debut feature of writer/director Charlotte Regan, and is one of several debuts on this list.
How To Have Sex
The feature debut of writer/director Molly Manning Walker sees three British teenage girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday—drinking, clubbing and hooking up, in what should be the best summer of their lives.
A film so accurate in confronting discomfort and vulnerability as a teenager. It is sadly a film that every young person should try to watch and understand, despite its ability to make you ball your hands up in anger and anxiety.
The cast includes: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Enva Lewis, Lara Peake, Samuel Bottomley and Shaun Thomas.
Boy
In this New Zealand-set film, written and directed by Taika Waititi, an 11-year-old boy gets a chance to know the absentee father he idolises, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.
Although undoubtedly hilarious, perspective is the magic of the film. Boy’s childlike imagination and hope are what he has to face to grow up, while he’s forced to deal with the consequences of idolising something not real.
Y Tu Mamá También
In Alfonso Cuarón’s much-loved 2001 classic, two teenage boys take a road trip with a woman in her late twenties in Mexico, and learn about life, friendship, sex, and each other.
The film stars Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, and Diego Luna, while Daniel Giménez Cacho serves as the narrator.
Gasoline Rainbow
Perhaps a little under the radar is 2023’s Gasoline Rainbow. The film received lots of love on the festival circuit, and rightly so. Written and directed by Turner Ross and Bill Ross, the story tracks five teenagers who embark on one last adventure, 500 miles to the Pacific coast, as they make friends and memories along the way.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Next month will mark 40 years since the release of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but the film remains a timeless coming-of-age classic.
Written and directed by John Hughes as a love letter to Chicago, it follows charismatic high school slacker Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), who skips school for a day with his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and his best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck).