Growing up is a journey filled with joy, heartbreak, and self-discovery. It’s messy, beautiful, and often bittersweet—something that coming-of-age films capture with remarkable honesty. These movies offer glimpses of adolescent struggles, the thrill of first loves and the pain of losing, so wonderfully. Whether they make us laugh, cry, or reflect, these films perfectly encapsulate the transition from adolescence to adulthood. If you’re looking for movies that bring this experience to life, here are some of my favourite ones!
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, and Paul Rudd, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama directed by Stephen Chbosky. Based on Chbosky’s own novel, the film takes us through the life of Charlie, a quiet and introspective teenager struggling with trauma, loneliness, and first love.
A shy teenager, Charlie was bullied throughout middle school and lost his best friend Michael to suicide the previous summer. He has struggled a lot with his mental health this past year and vows that his freshman year in high school would be different.The only person he befriends on the first day is his English teacher Mr Anderson. Charlie meets two seniors, Patrick and his step-sister Sam. They become friends and Charlie joins their circle of misfits.
Although Charlie’s friends are all very accepting and sweet, he can’t help but still feel a sense of alienation and loneliness. Charlie starts liking Sam who is in a relationship with Craig. The group goes through various trials and tribulations as the freshman year passes by. It is a story about coming to terms with ourselves, addressing and openly talking about our mental health, and being the most unapologetic version of ourselves.
We accept the love we think we deserve
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Lady Bird
Led by Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird is a poignant and deeply personal film directed by Greta Gerwig on her directorial debut. It tells the story of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a rebellious high school senior navigating love, identity, and her complex relationship with her mother while yearning for a life beyond her hometown.
Lady Bird is very ambitious and wants to apply for an East Coast college, something her mother does not approve of. Lady Bird stumbles through her first love, heartbreak, the sting of rejection and financial difficulties. She comes to understand and see the beauty in everything she once so quickly dismissed.
The film closes with a realization from both her mother and Lady Bird. Her mother realises that she was perhaps too harsh with her daughter and regrets not embracing her before she leaves for college while Lady Bird reads the letters her mother wrote her when she reaches New York and understands the love was never absent, it was just unspoken. It was there in the drives through the city, the carefully altered clothes and the quiet acts of care.
Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Little Women
With an all-star cast featuring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, and Timothée Chalamet, Little Women is a modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, brought to life by director Greta Gerwig. Set in 19th-century Massachusetts, the film follows four sisters as they chase dreams, battle societal expectations, and experience love and loss.
Jo dreams of being an accomplished writer and works as a part-time teacher in New York. Meg falls in love and wishes to marry the man of her dreams even if that means that she doesn’t live the most comfortable or luxurious life.Amy wants to be a painter, she goes to Paris to take lessons for the same but she still isn’t happy with her work and cannot measure up to her contemporaries. Beth, the youngest, is the shy and observant one, she plays the piano beautifully but is unfortunately bed-stricken after she contracts scarlet fever.
Through the lives of these four sisters we see the struggle of carving out one’s own path in a world that that often governs who women should be.It is a story that reminds us of the numerous different forms love can present itself in. It celebrates womanhood, ambition, love and loss.
Beautiful Boy
And for my last recommendation, we have Beautiful Boy. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell, this is a raw and heartbreaking drama directed by Felix van Groeningen. Based on the memoirs of David and Nic Sheff, it explores the painful reality of drug addiction and its impact on a father-son relationship, offering an unfiltered look at love, hope, and relapse.
David gets Nic admitted when he finds out that his son is addicted to crystal meth. When Nic gets better and sober again, he is off to college where he excels, joins the theatre group and starts dating a girl called Julia. After dinner with his family on college break, Nic relapses and is then sent to live with his mother Vicki played by Amy Ryan. He recovers and things start looking good but soon after, Nic starts using drugs again and disappears.
David tries to understand his son’s struggle and tries his best to help. Nic tries his hardest to not succumb to his addiction again. Nic feels dejected every time he disappoints his father and finally runs away unable to see his family in such pain. David on the other hand realises that there is no point in trying to chase him, that he can’t save his son this way. This film is an honest, vulnerable and striking portrayal of the consequences of substance abuse and how hard it is to break out of the vicious cycle.
He will sometimes send you funny emails. He prefers spaghetti over penne. Have you seen my son? Have you seen my beautiful boy? Tell him I miss him
Beautiful Boy (2018)
Growing up happens in the blink of an eye. We barely notice the moment we step from adolescence into adulthood. These films capture that fleeting yet profound transition, reminding us of the joys, heartbreaks, and discoveries that shape us along the way. Whether they offer comfort, nostalgia, or a new perspective, each of these stories holds a mirror to our own journeys. So, if you’re looking for films that resonate deeply with the experience of growing up, these are definitely worth a watch.
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