Coming of Age Films: Reviewed
Words by Daisy Vahey (she/her)
Content warning: brief mention of paedophilia
Bend it Like Beckham dir. Gurinder Chadha (2002)
"Lesbian? Her birthdays in March. I thought she was a Pisces.” How can you skip a film with that sort of dialogue?
Bend it Like Beckham is a coming-of-age comedy focusing on football fanatic Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra as she befriends local girl Jules and later joins her team. What follows is a narrative of love: for family, friends, and the game itself.
The characters are the true strength of the film. Jess’s flawed and funny decisions make her one of the most watchable coming-of-age protagonists. Her family are the perfect example of relatives who don’t understand you one bit, yet love you regardless. And Kiera Knightly changed the world when she donned that sports bra.
It isn’t all girls and their goals however. This film touches on racism in Britain frankly and openly, not shying away from painful moments as other rom-coms might. Audiences must understand not only the offside rule, but the struggles the Bhamra’s face daily.
Jess and her coach’s romance is as predictable as rent increases, so I would suggest supplementing your watching with YouTube channel cherry bepsi’s video, “bend it like beckham if it was a lesbian coming of age movie.”
Call Me By Your Name (CMBYN) dir. Luca Guadagnino (2017)
Based on a novel by a man who has admitted to finding a twelve-year-old girl attractive, and starring everyone's favourite Timothee Chalamet alongside alleged cannibalistic predator Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name took the world by storm!
Following a queer relationship in the countryside of 80’s Italy, CMBYN has stunning cinematography and a soundtrack featuring Sufjan Stevens, elements that sound like they’d make a stunning coming-of-age film. Too bad the relationship is between a teenage boy and one of his father’s research assistants, who is in his twenties.
Regardless of how you might feel about the chemistry or plot, the casting of Timothee, who resembles a young teenager, with Armie, who was 30+ when filming (and looks it), ruins any chance you might have at pretending their relationship is anything other than creepy.
The insidious nature of the infamous peach scene has been overshadowed by the meme-fication of Timothee fucking some fruit. People watch it and marvel at that, rather than the gross abuse of power Armie’s character showcases.
I understand queer films are still far less common than they should be, but come on. People deserve better than this.
Lady Bird dir. Greta Gerwig (2017)
Lady Bird sounds like a success story: with peak young Hollywood casting, the A24 logo in the credits, and Oscar nominations to boot, people seemed to like it. But did they love it? For a while it was all anyone would talk about. But in 2022, how does it stand the test of time?
It doesn’t. It’s a straight out-of-the-box coming-of-age story. Teen girl rebels against her family, wants to escape her small town, falls in love with a bad boy who breaks her heart, dragging her more interesting yet ignored friends along for the ride.
She’s also a bad friend with hypocritical, shaky morals, and is inexplicably cruel to her adopted brother and his homeless girlfriend.
Does her relatability as an angsty teen girl balance out her unlikable traits? It depends who you are. Some might see themselves in her dyed hair and revolutionary aspirations. Others will wonder what this white suburban girl is fighting against.
The complicated mother-daughter dynamic is the most compelling element, but you can find that everywhere nowadays. And honestly, Mamma Mia is just more fun.
Lady Bird isn’t a bad film, it’s a stale one. Good for Gingernuts, not movies.
Perks of Being a Wallflower dir. Stephen Chbosky (2012)
In just 1 hour and 45 minutes, Stephen Chbosky altered mentally unstable teenagers' lives forever.
Our hero Charlie navigates high school’s trials with a soundtrack that every coming-of-age film has been trying to match since. There’s no scene my friends and I wanted to recreate more than when Charlie, Sam, and Patrick dance to “Come on Eileen” at their prom. On the other hand, I have never met a person able to get through the infamous “truth or dare” scene without wanting to melt into their sofa.
Using increasingly unreliable narration, Charlie is revealed to be more than an oddball, his quirky behaviour hiding far darker struggles beneath. Logan Lerman nails his portrayal of someone dealing with mental illness, and Ezra Miller’s Patrick gives much needed humour with every quip.
Perks deals with many sensitive topics in very real ways. Don’t watch this film if you are feeling sensitive or vulnerable. It’s a goodie, but your health is more important than watching the tunnel scene. Just chuck on “Heroes” by Bowie and go up to the botans in the cable car, enjoying your own coming-of-age moment as the rainbow lights illuminate the dark.
