What is a coming-of-age movie?
In the last 4–5 years, I have fallen deeply in love with the coming-of-age film genre. Generally speaking, these are movies about teenagers or young adults learning how to navigate the world. Popular or common conventions/themes include parent troubles, high school life, love interests, friendship, straying from the norm, and finding a sense of self (Knox).
Gerwig, Greta, director. Lady Bird. A24, 2017.
Lady Bird (2017) is a great example of what a coming-of-age movie looks like. If someone is unfamiliar with the genre, this is the first movie I recommend (I consider it the quintessential coming-of-age tale for our generation.) Directed by Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird is set in Sacramento, CA during the year 2002. Christine (who insists on being called “Lady Bird”) is a high school senior anxious to leave her hometown in favor of somewhere “cultured.” The movie is a perfect example of its genre as it covers many of Christine’s first adult experiences (getting her license, having sex, moving to college) while touching on her relationships with her family, friend Julie, and, especially, her opinionated mother. Over the course of the school year, Christine makes mistakes and learns from them, growing in the process. In the end, she defies odds and attends her dream school in New York City, but as an independent and more caring young adult.
Similar to La La Land, I credit Lady Bird with being the movie that inspired my passion for the coming-of-age genre. Lady Bird was released in my junior year of high school and it resonated with me on several levels, including location (being set in California). However, when I watched the movie, my dreams and desires aligned almost perfectly with Christine’s; I had just started thinking about where I wanted to go to college and I was dead set on attending NYU. I desperately wanted to move away from the West Coast and experience life in the bustling city. Like the movie, my parents were vocally doubtful. (Update: I didn’t end up applying to NYU! I visited New York City a couple of months later and did not feel it fit me well.) At the time, I felt represented by this character, a connection I had never felt before. My interest in Christine’s character (and Greta Gerwig’s amazing directing) led me down a similar spiral before: I scoured all streaming services for similar movies. Through each movie, I found pieces of myself scattered in each main character. I fell in love with the coming-of-age genre because I discovered it was in its nature to be understood and seen by their stories.
Freeman, Hadley. “‘When You Grow up Your Heart Dies’: How the Coming-of-Age Film Got Smart.” The Guardian, 28 Apr. 2018, www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/28/when-you-grow-up-your-heart-dies-how-the-coming-of-age-film-got-smart.
Hadley Freedman gives a loose history of the coming-of-age genre, beginning with its 1980s origins. Freedman credits director John Hughes with creating the genre and setting the standards we know today. For example, Hughes’ The BreakfastClub (1985) is about the emotions of five very different teenagers. The Breakfast Club was Hughes’ second movie about teenagers but it has arguably been the most influential because of its content matter. Freedman goes on to argue Pretty in Pink (1986), Dirty Dancing (1987), and Say Anything (1989) are the most successful coming-of-age movies from the 80s as they improve on Hughes’ original idea: exploring teen emotions and “encompassing bigger issues.” These movies deeply and captivatingly address characters’ coming-of-age stories while they are affected by social standings, first loves/sexual experiences, and “growing away” from your parents (conventions seen in previous sources).
What makes Freedman’s article interesting is her opening argument that “teen movies” and “coming-of-age movies” are vastly different. While both feature young characters, Freedman explains teen movies are often meant to exploit/draw in young audiences. On the other hand, coming-of-age movies are not meant to exploit but rather explore emotions and deep issues. I found Freedman’s argument necessary to emphasize the specificity and uniqueness of the genre. As the article notes, coming-of-films are capable of reaching/affecting wide audiences, ranging in age, background, and gender, something rare in the film industry. I wish this article was more explicit about WHY coming-of-age films have this power. But, Freedman implies the reason is the genre’s focus on shared, relatable experiences that come with finding oneself.
Fearing, Franklin. “Influence of the Movies on Attitudes and Behavior.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 254, 1947, pp. 70–79. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1026142.
Franklin Fearing’s article begins where Freedman leaves off; Fearing is interested in the connections between the films we watch and human behavior. Admittedly, the source is outdated (published in 1947), but it provides reliable generalizations about film that I can personally relate to. For example, Fearing explains why movies become important to an individual:
“Motion pictures achieve their effects because they help the individual to cognize his world” (Fearing 70).
“Like the folk tale, classic drama, primitive story-telling, or the medieval morality play, the film may be regarded as a means through which the individual understands himself, his social role, and the values of his group” (Fearing 70).
Fearing explains that film is a story-telling art form. The stories that they tell help the audience make sense of the world. Especially with different characters and perspectives, film allows audiences to “live vicariously” and experience many things they might not have otherwise. Ultimately, movies are learning opportunities. Referring back to Oscar Wilde, there are elements of characters and stories that audiences borrow, shaping their opinion, personalities, and outlook on the world.
To me, learning is a process of trial and error, and part of that process is reflection. Understanding oneself is essential to that reflection. As Fearing notes, film provides knowledge about the human condition, which we use to understand ourselves. As a result, movies have the ability to trigger the understanding that allows for reflection and, eventually, personal growth. Overall, Fearing’s article is a good resource to explain HOW movies are impactful on people.
Fearing continues,
“…what the individual ‘gets’ is determined by his background and his needs. He takes from the picture what is usable for him or what will function in his life. The stuff of films is action, movement, characterization, conflict, expressed in swiftly changing images. Whatever sense they have for the individual observer, however they are ‘cognized,’… will depend on the particular configuration of needs which the individual brings with him” (Fearing 70).
Fearing argues the impact a film has on a person is determined by their “needs.” In other words, how you interpret a movie will be different from how another person interprets that same movie. Furthermore, you do not borrow from a movie what you do not find useful in your own situation. The idea of “needs” Fearing presents is important to understand my connection to the coming-of-age genre. It is not coincidental my movie obsession has led to a fascination with this genre in the last few years. As a young adult in her first year of college, the content and themes the genre explores are extremely relevant to me. By watching coming-of-age movies while coming of age, I have taken lessons from my favorite characters on how to navigate the world, I have experienced their mistakes and used that to reflect on my own decisions, and I have been taught to become my own person with my own values. What I have borrowed from movies is directly related to what guidance I needed at the moment. In the last few years, coming-of-age movies have had the most impact on my life because they are the most useful and relevant to me.
