Coming-of-age films to make you feel seen

When growing up throughout teenage years, it’s easy to feel alone and not seen or understood properly. It seems impossible to find something or someone to relate to, that being said, here is a list of films to find comfort in during the tricky coming-of-age era.

Ladybird (Directed by Greta Gerwig)

The film follows Christine McPherson, a senior in high school in Sacramento, California. Despite her family’s money struggles, Christine, who goes by ‘Ladybird’, dreams of going to college on the East Coast where she believes culture is. Her mother, Marion, who she has a turbulent relationship with, is sceptical that her daughter could get into a prestigious college. While Ladybird does have a couple of brief relationships with boys in the film, the central love story is between mother and daughter, which is a different take from the usual coming-of-age films. It is such a realistic portrayal of how mother and daughter relationships are, arguing one minute and then discussing clothes the next. Both mirrors of 'I am what you could’ve been' and 'you’re who I could become'. However, by the end, Ladybird becomes rather fond of Sacramento and despite her earlier resentment towards her hometown, she has nostalgia for it now that she has left.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Directed by Stephen Chbosky)

Charlie, a 15-year-old boy, begins writing letters to an unknown recipient, they are addressed, “Dear Friend.” He discusses his freshman year in these letters, as well as the suicide of his best friend and the death of his favourite aunt, Helen. Charlie has a passion for reading and writing and this doesn’t go unnoticed by his favourite teacher, Mr Anderson, who insists Charlie calls him Bill. Charlie is befriended by Sam and Patrick, two seniors, who appreciate him for being a wallflower. As the year draws to a close, he is anxious about losing his only friends, and due to the stress of this, traumatic memories he has repressed over the years begin to creep up. Charlie is admitted to a mental hospital as his traumatic memories cause him to go into a catatonic state. He finally talks about the trauma he went through and is finally understood by his parents and peers.

The Breakfast Club (Directed by John Hughes)

Five students from Shermer High School all attend Saturday detention at 7 am that will last the entire day. The students are all drastically different from one another: Allison Reynolds, who is a loner, a rebellious boy called John Bender, a popular girl called Claire Standish, Brian Johnson, who is an awkward nerd, and Andrew Clark, an athlete. They have strict instructions to not move or talk until 4 pm and are given an essay to write in which they must describe who they think they are. Despite the rules, the five of them pass by the time by talking and arguing with each other. Brian is the one who writes the essay, given he is the brains of the group. During the detention, they all get to know one another and find a middle ground despite their differences.

Superbad (Directed by Greg Mottola)

Childhood best friends Seth and Evan are in their senior year of high school. They are going to different colleges but are determined to attend a high school party to end their high school experience with a bang. Seth’s crush, Jules, invites him and his friends to her party, with the promise he’ll get alcohol for her party. Seth and Evan give their friend Fogell the task of getting a fake ID for them to get the alcohol for the party. However, the night ultimately does not go to plan, as Fogell ends up on a ride-along to the party with two unprofessional police officers, and Seth and Evan end up at a stranger's party. The film is a great laugh, but is also quite sincere in the way it portrays Seth’s worry about his childhood best friend leaving him behind to go to college, which is a very relatable thing many people have to go through.