girlblog! Recommends: Gritty Girlhood Coming-of-Age Films
This article contains discussion of sexual violence.
Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch in Ghost World (2001)
Fish Tank (2009)
*****
Director: Andrea Arnold
Writer: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Katie Jarvis as Mia; Michael Fassbender as Connor; Kierston Wareing as Joanne
Mia (Katie Jarvis), a teenage girl expelled from school and living on a council estate with her mum (Kierston Wareing) and younger sister (Sarah Bayes), develops a strange dynamic with her mum's new boyfriend, Connor (Michael Fassbender). As Connor encourages Mia to pursue her interest in dance, Mia begins to realise that their relationship isn't as safe as she was led to believe.
Katie Jarvis as Mia and Michael Fassbender as Connor in Fish Tank (2009)
Fish Tank stays on your mind for a week after watching. Its lingering snapshot into council estate lifestyle challenges perception of the slur 'chav,' often thrown around like eggs at a front door in British culture, and asks its viewer: why do you think Mia is like this? We're not meant to pity her, though. She is as bad as people say she is. But we're asked to understand how this could've been prevented, and whose responsibility it was to prevent it.
Ghost World (2001)
****1/2
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Writers: Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff
Based on: Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
Starring: Thora Birch as Enid; Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca; Steve Buscemi as Seymour
Two alternative teenagers, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), graduate high school with no direction for their future. Chronically bored and unimpressed, the two cynics devise a plan to entertain themselves in their newfound limbo: to prank the local loser, Seymour (Steve Buscemi), with a fake romantic interest.
Thora Birch as Enid and Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca in Ghost World (2001)
As a viewer, you're immediately intrigued by Enid and Rebecca, two pessimistic outcasts that would normally be framed as lovable underdogs in a less interesting coming-of-age film. But the girls are snobbish as much as they are likeable, rolling their eyes at the normalcy of their peers in a way that's both relatable and irritating. As Enid continues a friendship with Seymour and Rebecca conforms to a more consistent way of life, we witness how post-graduation isolation develops into depression.
Yes, God, Yes (2019)
*****
Director: Karen Maine
Writer: Karen Maine
Starring: Natalie Dyer as Alice; Timothy Simmons as Father Murphy; Wolfgang Novogratz as Chris
Set in the year 2000, Mid-western Catholic high school student Alice (Natalie Dyer) is immediately fascinated by sex the moment she's told that sexual pleasure is a sin. As she battles her urges with the shame she's taught to associate with them, she finds out about the contradictions and hypocrisies often practiced by those who preach chastity.
Wolfgang Novagratz as Chris and Natalie Dyer as Alice in Yes, God, Yes (2019)
Yes, God, Yes is a hidden gem. A fleeting feature at less than an hour and a half long, it wastes no time in establishing its key thesis: it's OK to feel horny, and it's OK to act on that. Anyone who's grown up in a religious environment is more than privy to the sanctimonious teachings that Christians hardly ever abide by themselves, and those that do live in a deep state of repression. It's a concise and genuinely funny film that deconstructs sexual morality in a light-hearted and meaningful way.
Thirteen (2003)
*****
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Writers: Catherine Hardwicke & Nikki Reed
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood as Tracy; Nikki Reed as Evie; Holly Hunter as Mel
Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood), an intelligent thirteen-year-old often left with a high level of responsibility at home as her mother, Mel (Holly Hunter), focuses on rekindling her relationship with her ex-addict boyfriend. She begins eighth grade with one goal: befriending the rebellious Evie (Nikki Reed). When the two quickly develop a dangerous affinity for petty crime, Mel finds herself at her wit's end trying to curtail her daughter's mendacious behaviour.
Evan Rachel Wood as Tracy and Nikki Reed as Evie in Thirteen (2003)
Written and directed by Catherine Hardwicke (director of Twilight) and her former stepdaughter Nikki Reed (Rosalie in The Twilight Saga), the story is based around Reed's own life and experience of joining the 'fast crowd' in her early teens. Hardwicke encouraged Reed to process her emotions through the production of Thirteen, which is partly why it feels so firmly grounded in the bleak reality of the female coming-of-age.
Cuties (2020)
***1/2
Director: Maïmouna Doucouré
Writer: Maïmouna Doucouré
Starring: Fathia Youssouf as Amy; Médina El Aidi-Azouni as Angelica; Esther Gohourou as Coumba; Ilanah Cami-Goursolas as Jess; Myriam Hamma as Yasmine
An eleven-year-old Senegalese girl, Amy (Fathia Youssouf), lives in Paris with her mother (Maïmouna Gueye) and two younger brothers, waiting for their father to return with his second wife. She becomes fascinated by her fiery neighbour Angelica (Médina El Aidi-Azouni) and her group of friends who dance together, mimicking the sexualised routines they see on social media. Her desperation to be accepted by the girls leads to an explosive conflict with her religious family.
Fathia Youssouf as Amy in Cuties (2020)
Cuties was met with a wave of controversy when it released on Netflix, with the campaign #CancelNetflix coming from across the political spectrum. Many critics deterred people from watching the film, claiming it to endorse paedophilia rather than acting as a criticism of the sexualisation of young girls, and particularly the adultification of young Black girls. Ultimately, Doucouré provides a discomforting insight into the realities of online culture and how encouraging naïveté can drive them towards harmful behaviours.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
*****
Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Writer: Kelly Fremon Craig
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine; Woody Harrelson as Max; Haley Lu Richardson as Krista; Blake Jenner as Darian; Hayden Szeto as Erwin; Kyra Sedgwick as Mona
Outcast teen Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) leans heavily on her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) as the sole member of her support network. When Krista begins dating Nadine's popular older brother Darian (Blake Jenner), Nadine feels betrayed, and cuts Krista off. Nadine spirals into a flurry of self-destruction but finds solace in her classmate Erwin (Hayden Szeto) and teacher Max (Woody Harrelson).
Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine and Woody Harrelson as Max in The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
What The Edge of Seventeen captures is the bridge between being a teenager and becoming an adult -- which is, yes, the whole point of the coming-of-age genre, but it tells Nadine's story of being an adolescent that struggles with the trauma of losing a parent. It comes to show how Nadine's isolation comes from a fear of this moment repeating itself, and to cope, she distances herself from those she feels have betrayed her trust. It depicts this sense of inadequacy and avoidant-fearful attachment in a way that very few films have been able to.
Pretty Persuasion (2005)
***
Director: Marcos Siega
Writer: Skander Halim
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood as Kimberly; Elizabeth Harnois as Brittany; Adi Schnall as Randa; Ron Livingston as Mr. Anderson
Calculated teenager Kimberly (Evan Rachel Wood) attends an upper-class preparatory school in Beverly Hills with her friend Brittany (Elizabeth Harnois), who Kimberly often belittles. They invite a new student, Randa (Adi Schnall) into their friend group, and Kimberly uses the two of them in an effort to accuse their drama teacher, Mr. Anderson (Ron Livingston), of sexual assault as an act of revenge.
Evan Rachel Wood as Kimberly in Pretty Persuasion (2005)
The plot of Pretty Persuasion is as convoluted as it sounds. There are some worthwhile themes in the film, most significantly so the nature of Mr. Anderson's treatment of the young girls in his class. Even though the accusation against Mr. Anderson is fabricated, he still does sexually harass them and faces no consequences for this, since Brittany -- who is coerced into a sexualised act -- is too afraid to disclose the incident she experiences. The film isn't necessarily claiming that false accusations of sexual assault are prevalent -- though its clumsy storytelling could be mistaken for that.
The Runaways (2010)
***1/2
Director: Floria Sigismondi
Writer: Floria Sigismondi
Based on: Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway by Cherie Currie
Starring: Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie; Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett; Michael Shannon as Kim Fowley; Stella Maeve as Sandy West; Scout Taylor-Compton as Lita Ford; Riley Keough as Marie Currie
Loosely based on the memoir of Cherie Currie, it follows her at fifteen-years-old as she gets scouted by infamous record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) and Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) to join the all-girl rock band The Runaways. Cherie (Dakota Fannding) and the band are thrust into the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles as they rise to stardom, branded by Fowley as 'jailbait.'
Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie in The Runaways (2010)
There are issues regarding the retelling of The Runaways' story, and it's important to note that the bassist, Jackie Fuchs, didn't want to be included in the film because of Fowley's mistreatment. That being said, it doesn't shy away from how cretinous Fowley was, and the detrimental impact the world of rock and roll has on Currie. The Runaways shows how Fowley maintained control over the girls through his abuse and enabling of their substance addictions.
How to Have Sex (2023)
****1/2
Director: Molly Manning Walker
Writer: Molly Manning Walker
Starring: Mia McKenna-Bruce as Tara; Lara Peake as Skye; Enva Lewis as Em; Samuel Bottomley as Paddy; Shaun Thomas as Badger
After their GCSEs, friends Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake), and Em (Enva Lewis) go on holiday to Ibiza. Excited for a week of sex, sun, and booze, the group bond with their hotel neighbours Badger (Shaun Thomas), Paddy (Samuel Bottomley), and Paige (Laura Ambler). Tara and Skye are drawn towards Badger, but finds Tara pursued and pushed towards Paddy, and struggling to say no.
Enva Lewis as Em, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Tara, and Lara Peake as Skye in How to Have Sex (2023)
How to Have Sex encapsulates the unique debauchery that is British youth culture. Wild nights out in Ibiza are a normalised part of the adolescent experience, considered a marking of your independence before venturing into your final years in sixth form. But with this reckless abandon comes those looking to exploit it, and Manning Walker dissects the overlooked rape culture that often comes with the victim-blaming phrase of 'well, you shouldn't have had so much to drink.'
Havoc (2005)
****
Director: Barbara Kopple
Writers: Stephen Gaghan and Jessica Kaplan
Starring: Anne Hathaway as Allison; Bijou Phillips as Emily; Freddy Rodriguez as Hector; Raymond Cruz as Chino
A group of privileged Los Angeles teenagers spend their time appropriating hip hop culture, led by power couple Allison (Anne Hathaway) and Toby (Mike Vogel). When they have a run-in with a gang of Mexican drug dealers over a marijuana deal, Allison becomes encapsulated by the leader, Hector (Freddy Rodriguez) and invites her sceptical friend Emily (Bijou Phillips) to spend time with his crew. The two girls soon discover that the reality of gang culture is far harsher than the roleplay they tried out.
Anne Hathaway as Allison in Havoc (2005)
Havoc has an low Letterboxd rating (2.4/5), and it's understandable -- none of the characters are likeable. But film offers a heavy critique of cultural appropriation, albeit one that can come across a little shallow at times. Allison andEmily learn from their naïveté in a brutal way. The film deals with sexual assault in a manner that, on a surface level, appears dismissive, but what is more so an ungainly portrayal of survivor self-blame.
