8 unexpected and inspirational coming-of-age films

We all love coming-of-age movies—these wonderfully inspirational, often heartwarming yet gut-wrenching, growth-centered movies. That’s likely why there are so many lists that cover this genre.

So, for our list, we purposefully leave out some obvious picks, like Stand By Me (1986), SuperBad (2007), and Mean Girls (2004), because we know you know them. Instead, we’re refreshing the category with some stand-out coming-of-age movies that most lists miss.  

We’ve got movies about growing up queer, growing up African American, growing up in the deep South, growing up in middle America, and growing up under Capitalistic realness.

So, here is our list, with some spoilers, you have been warned and in no particular order, of our top 8 coming-of-age movies. 

Boy Erased (2018)

What is it like growing up gay under the rule of a Baptist preacher? In Boy Erased, Jared, played by Lucas Hedges, is forced to go to a conversion program after his preacher father and mousey mother learn he is gay. In spite of the program’s anti-gay agenda, Jared steps onto the path to true self-discovery. Notable cast includes Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and writer and director Joel Edgerton as the supposedly “ex-gay” program leader. 

We love this movie because it exposes the horrors of so-called “Conversion Therapy”, a program that is based on the false premise that one’s sexual orientation is a choice, and can be changed if one only prays hard enough. And while there is some hope in this movie, we are shown that more often than not, these programs backfire, creating irreparable harm. 

Thirteen (2003)

Tracy is a thirteen-year-old honor student who desperately wants to be cooler, so she befriends the school’s queen bee, Evie, who leads them both down a path of destruction, filled with sex, drugs, and petty crime.  

This film made it to our list because it captures the angst and ennui felt by most suburban teens and their deep desire to break free from their parent's rules. We also have to shout out co-writer Nikki Reed, who based the script loosely on her own life and was actually fourteen years old at the time of the movie’s writing. 

Boyz N the Hood (1991)

This masterpiece of the early 90s centers around Tre, played in his debut role by Cuba Gooding Jr, a young Black man who is pulled in different directions as he navigates family and a community ruled by gangs, violence, and drugs. Will his relationship with his father strengthen or further deteriorate?

We love this movie because it is essential ‘90s cinema from the singular voice of John Singleton, Rest in Peace. More than that, though, this movie covers the often exploitatively told subject of growing up while Black in America with much-needed depth, sincerity, and compassion. 

American Honey (2016)

Teenager Star leaves her abusive home for the greener pastures of a traveling band of young misfits who sell magazines across middle America. Star’s journey is filled with parties, a sweet love story, and hard lessons about American values. 

This movie made it to our list because it exposes, in painful detail, the harsh reality that in America, everything from magazines to the earth, is for sale. This pick also celebrates the amazing Sasha Lane in her breakout role. Interestingly, Sasha, who had no acting background before this role, was discovered by director Andrea Arnold on a beach in Florida. 

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Stuck in a tiny farming town in Idaho, where there is not much to do but be a Future Farmer of America, Napoleon Dynamite fancies himself an undiscovered star. Though he is often the butt of everyone’s jokes, including Uncle Rico, his older brother Kip, and schoolmates, Napoleon discovers friendship and love with like-minded outsiders, Pedro and Deb.  

Napoleon Dynamite’s subtle hilarity is why it made it to our list. There is something so very wholesome about its honest quirkiness and charm that makes this movie a definite shoo-in for a best-of-coming-of-age movie list. 

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

In this dystopic fantasy movie, Wink (Dwight Henry), and his imaginative little girl Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) are prepping for the end of the world as ice caps melt around their remote Delta community, awakening fantastical beasts called aurochs.

This dreamy tale made it to our list because it is imbued with so much hope and resiliency, as our tiny heroine moves from one disaster to another, and manages to triumphantly grow in spite of the world literally crumbling around her. 

Boy (2010)

We could have chosen JoJo Rabbit (2019) for this list, but instead, we wanted to shout out Taika Waititi’s earlier New Zealand-based, out-of-the-box family drama. In Boy, it’s winter of 1984, the world is Michael Jackson-obsessed, and a little boy named Boy is waiting for his badass, cooler-than-life dad to come home.

It's setting in a forgotten town in New Zealand, the hard-edged plot that meets dry and wry wit, and the fact that it feels deeply personal are the reasons why we think this is one of Waititi’s best films and why it made it to our list. 

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

The last Coming of Age movie on our list is also possibly one of the best movies ever made. In Call Me By Your Name, 17-year-old Elio is starting to come into his own sexuality when Oliver, a handsome older man, comes to stay with him and his family in their Italian villa.  

This movie is full of inspiration and hope, showing us a world where a teen can come to his own without judgment, even though he may not be so sure of that fact. Timothy Chalamet would go on to make another beautiful and very out-of-the-ordinary love story with director Luca Guadagnino, called, Bones and All, which is another coming-of-age movie that is a must-watch. 

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