Coming-of-age films are a type of film that is aimed at teenagers and young adults. A coming-of-age film depicts a character's passage from childhood to adulthood. This storytelling genre is prevalent in Hollywood literature and films, and it frequently involves stories about pivotal moments between childhood and adulthood, such as first romantic relationships, graduation from middle school or high school, and moving away from home.
Coming-of-Age Films: A Brief History
The coming-of-age film belongs to the teen film genre, which follows the lives and exploits of young adults, particularly middle and high school students.
Early coming-of-age films were mainly adaptations of well-known books, such as Little Women (1933) and The Wizard of Oz (1939). (1939). Rebel Without a Cause (1955), starring James Dean and Natalie Wood, is an early example of a coming-of-age picture about young people who feel cut off from society.
Teen dramas became popular in the 1980s, thanks in part to director/writer John Hughes' series of coming-of-age films, including Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), and Pretty in Pink (1988). (1986). Critically and commercially, these films were huge successes.
Narratives with a wide range of topics: Boyz n the Hood (1991), Moonlight (2016), Eighth Grade (2018), and Love, Simon (2018) are recent coming-of-age films that follow the development of a varied cast of people from various backgrounds (2018).
Coming-of-Age Films Have 3 Characteristics
These standard storytelling devices are common in coming-of-age films:
1. Character development:
These films usually follow a character as they come to terms with their future, propelling them from a youngster to a wise young adult. The films are concerned with the mental, emotional, and personal development of the characters.
2. Dialogue:
Coming-of-age films are more concerned with the character's inner lives and feelings than with the story's external action or adventure. Rather than dramatic action or happenings, these films offer more talk and quiet.
3. Social Commentary:
Coming-of-age films tackle contemporary teen concerns such as coming out in Moonlight (2016), teen pregnancy in Juno (2007), and race and violence in Boyz n the Hood (1991).
10 Films About Coming-of-Age
The genre of coming-of-age movies is vast. The following are a few of the best coming-of-age films:
1. The Breakfast Club (1985): Arguably one of the most well-known teen films and coming-of-age pictures, John Hughes' film is set over the course of a weekend in which a group of teenagers from various backgrounds are incarcerated together.
2. Boyz n the Hood (1991) was John Singleton's directorial debut, and it followed a group of young Black guys in Los Angeles.
3. Almost Famous (2000) is a film about a young woman who dreams of becoming famous Cameron Crowe directed this film, which follows a fifteen-year-old boy on a Rolling Stone magazine tour with a rock band.
4. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005): Based on the novel of the same name, this charming film follows four young women as they navigate family discord, first loves, grief, and grudges.
5. Superbad (2007) is a comedy film about two nerdy teenagers who want to party and lose their virginity before they graduate from high school.
6 Boyhood (2014) is a twelve-year-long coming-of-age film directed by Richard Linklater. From the age of six to eighteen, it follows a young boy.
7. Moonlight (2016) follows a man as he gradually comes to terms with his sexuality through three stages of his life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
8. Call Me By Your Name (2017) is a love story set in Italy that follows a young man's, first love.
9. Greta Gerwig's directorial debut, Lady Bird, was released in 2017. It follows a teen girl applying to college in New York far from home while negotiating a tense relationship with her demanding mother.
10. Olivia Wilde's directorial debut, Booksmart (2019), follows two best friends in their senior year. The primary characters are young women who are determined to party and break the rules before graduation, giving a feminist spin to a male-dominated adolescent movie stereotype.
We hope these articles are proving helpful to you. Then, to stay up-to-date on intriguing stuff like this, follow Filmdistrict Dubai, a leading Production House in Dubai that specializes in Film Equipment Rental Dubai, Audio Visual Rental Dubai, Photo Booth Dubai, and Camera Rental Dubai.