If there’s one thing that cinema can reliably do, it’s perfectly capture thepain, angst, and heartache of coming-of-age.Ever since the dawn of movies, filmmakers worldwide have been sharing their universal experience of growing up and putting it to picture, often in unique, innovative, but always relatable ways. If viewers are looking to laugh, cry, and feel a shot of nostalgia right into their veins, the coming-of-age movie is perfect.
What makes this genre so special is its ability to evolve for each generation. Although many of the themes stay the same, the setting, soundtrack, and cultural touchstones in every single coming-of-age movie are altered for its relative generation. Because of this, the genre is beautifully personal, lending itself to becoming many people’s favorite films.With that in mind, here is a ranking of 10 essential coming-of-age movies.
10’Stand by Me' (1986)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Friendship is one of the key ingredients to a successful coming-of-age movie, withStand by Meone of the best examples of harnessing this element and running. The movie follows a group of friends in the hot summer of 1959, who embark on a journey of discovery together after one of them learns of the location of a missing boy’s body.
With the potential to shape a young person’s entire world-view,Stand by Mefulfills one of the quintessential rules of the coming-of-age tale. Featuring star-making performances from the likes ofRiver PhoenixandWill Wheaton,Stand by Mebecame an unlikely underdog at the 1986 movies, even earning itself an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing.
Stand by Me
9’Bend it Like Beckham' (2002)
Directed by Gurinder Chadha
The coming-of-age movie often has a duty to shine a light on the underrepresented, such as the unseen and unheard feelings most teenagers felt/feel. InBend it Like Beckham, this is perfectly realized, withGurinder Chadhatelling the tale of a young Sikh girl who, against the better wishes of her parents, dreams of becoming a professional soccer player.
Featuring top-notch performances from bothKiera KnightleyandParminder Nagra,Bend it Like Beckhamis, to this day, acultural touchstone for many a young British girlwho dreams of breaking from the societal boundaries placed on her.Chadha’s magnum opus in a career defined by tales of the young British female experience,Bend it Like Beckhamis simply fantastic.
Bend It Like Beckham
8’The Graduate' (1967)
Directed by Mike Nichols
To be young is to do battle with the confusing, burning desires of burgeoning romantic interests. InThe Graduate, this is explored in fine detail, asDustin Hoffman’s Ben Braddock, a young college graduate, finds himself torn between two lovers. The catch? One is the older, experienced Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), and the other is her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross).
One of Hoffman’s finest performancesin a career bursting at the seams with genius,The Graduatewonderfully examines the perils of young love and lust through a lens that feels both truthful and boundary-pushing.Mike Nichols' direction is stellar throughout, with several of the movie’s memorable moments still held as some of the finest camerawork in cinema history. Add this to one of the best soundtracks ever crafted, and a recipe for coming-of-age success is born.
The Graduate
7’The Florida Project' (2017)
Directed by Sean Baker
Some eight years before he was making Oscars history and taking home the Best Picture prize forAnora,Sean Bakerwas once again dazzling audiences with the coming-of-age taleThe Florida Project. The film followsBria Vinaite’s Halley, a woman living in a motel with her six-year-old daughter, Moonee (Brooklynn Prince). Together with the motel owner, Bobby (Willem Dafoe), the pair look to shelter the young girl from the terrors of a difficult modern world.
Baker’s eye for finding strange hope in the realistic horrors of 21st-century life is on full display inThe Florida Project.Visually stunning and sure to tug on heartstrings, many still call this Baker’s finest work, even despite his recent success withAnora. A pensive, colorful tale that reaches into the soul of modern struggles,The Florida Projectis a modern masterpiece.
The Florida Project
6’The 400 Blows' (1959)
Directed by François Truffaut
Almost in spite of its genre,The 400 Blowswill forever be an essential piece of viewing for any movie fan. Fashioned by one of the industry’s great pioneers,François Truffaut, the movie follows 14-year-old Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), a boy ignored by society and troubled by bad behavior, whose attentionless life leads to criminal activity.
An innovative feat of filmmaking meets with a gripping, timeless tale in one of Truffaut’s best works. A portrait of anignored generation of post-war Parisian boys,The 400 Blowsis both a microcosmic exploration of a period in time and place as well as a universally understood and painful reality.
The 400 Blows
5’American Graffiti' (1973)
Directed by George Lucas
Several years before he was changing cinema forever with theStar Warsfranchise,George Lucaswas changing lives with this stunning coming-of-age tale. Set on theperfect night for any coming-of-age movie, high school graduation night,American Graffitifollows one last blowout for the class of ‘62 before they eventually head their separate ways.
Featuring a youngHarrison Ford,Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, and others,American Graffitiproves perfect coming-of-age viewing for anyone about to leave education and staring down the barrel of adult life.Gloriously joyful but tenderly bittersweet,American Graffitideserved all of its five Academy Award nominations, and perhaps even deserved to take home a Golden Statue.
American Graffiti
4’Almost Famous’ (2000)
Directed by Cameron Crowe
Written and directed byCameron Crowe,Almost Famousfollows high-schooler William Miller (Patrick Fugit), who dreams of one day becoming a music journalist. Earlier than expected, Miller’s big break arrives as he is allowed to follow a band on tour and write about the experience for Rolling Stone. Expecting to see the chaotic heights of rock and roll fame, Miller instead uncovers a different side to the industry and subsequently learns much more about himself than he could’ve ever imagined.
A tight, heartfelt story featuring one of the mostmemorable sing-along momentsin movie history,Almost Famousis everything a coming-of-age fan could want.Whilst being intricately clever, the movie is also gut-wrenchingly honest, providing an entirely relatable tale of the ups and downs of chasing a dream.
Almost Famous
3’The Breakfast Club' (1985)
Directed by John Hughes
Perhaps the most famous coming-of-age movie of all time,The Breakfast ClubisJohn Hughes' magnum opus. Simply, the movie follows a group of high schoolers in weekend detention, as their time together makes them realize that their entirely different outward identities hide ultimately similar feelings inside.
Whether it is a jock, a brain, a criminal, an athlete, or anything else,the experience of being a teenager riddled with the anxiety of growing up is simply universal.The Breakfast Clubis the perfect examination of this sentiment, told in a play-like setting that allows the characters themselves to flourish without the bells and whistles of filmmaking. Even 40 years later, everyone is stilldreaming of that iconic final shot.
The Breakfast Club
2’Lady Bird' (2017)
Directed by Greta Gerwig
When it comes to capturing the modern-day experience of teenage girls, no one has quite done it better thanGreta GerwiginLady Bird. The movie follows the titular Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan), who is sick of her home life in Sacramento, California, and dreams of escaping. However, dreaming too fast could lead to Lady Bird missing the pivotal relationships she already has.
Powerful, hilarious, and painfully truthful,Lady Birdis one of the most stunning directorial debuts of all time.Perfectly capturing the fraught relationship daughters and mothers can so often fall victim to, the movie dances around the tender, disquieting experiences of teenagers caught in troubled circumstances and earnestly paints a picture of this struggle without ever trying to offer a definitive answer.
1’Moonlight' (2016)
Directed by Barry Jenkins
This moving modern masterpiece from the mind ofBarry Jenkinsexplores three pivotal stages in the life of Chiron, a Black man growing up and exploring his sexual identity. Against the cruel, backward views of his society, and in spite of the bruising social reality of his underprivileged community, can Chiron find a way to make it through?
When considering every aspect of filmmaking,Moonlightis superb. Whether it is jaw-dropping cinematography, painfully real dialogue, or a selection of career-best performances,Moonlightstands tall as a fine example of 21st-century cinema. Perhaps the movie’s best achievement, even beyond its win for Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards, is itsability to tackle the specific experience of a cross-section of society without ever losing its ultimately universal relatability.
