Coming-of-age stories always land a notch harder. Whether it’s the excitement of first love, the burn of rejection, or just attempting to figure out who you are, these stories resonate because they speak to something common. Some movies—and their filmmakers—do more than merely share familiar stories, though. They reboot the genre. They challenge the rules, break new ground, and leave us with stories that linger long after the credits roll. Here’s a look at 10 films and filmmakers who’ve reshaped what it means to grow up on screen.
9. The Digital Teenage Experience – “Dìdi” by Sean Wang
Shot in 2008, Dìdi is a poignant, coming-of-age indie that lands you squarely back in the world of AIM, MySpace, and cringe-worthy early adolescence. Director Sean Wang weaves a narrative that is deeply personal—because it is, drawn from his own experiences with his older sister. Loosely drawn from his own adolescence as a Taiwanese American high school student in Fremont, California, Wang holds nothing back on the rough stuff: cultural conflict, racism, and shame that creeps up on you when you don’t belong. But it’s also humorous, sentimental, and full of good heart. What makes Dìdi so compelling is its honesty. Wang herself has said, “It’s not an Asian American story—it’s simply about an Asian American,” and in that subtle difference lies much significance.
8. Breaking the Taboo – Pixar’s “Turning Red”
Pixar was risky with Turning Red—and it was worth it. Rather than skipping over puberty and family drama, it confronts both directly through the lens of 13-year-old Meilin, who turns into a gigantic red panda whenever she feels under pressure. Yes, it’s cute. But it’s also dirty, emotional, and delightfully authentic. From fighting with controlling parents to navigating shifting friendships and phases, this film spoke volumes that so many others wouldn’t. It also highlighted Chinese Canadian identity and intergenerational culture conflicts in a manner that many families recognized themselves in. Turning Red wasn’t only something new for Pixar—it set a new standard for how animation can communicate coming of age in an immigrant family.
7. The Power of Rebellion – Matilda in “Léon: The Professional”
Way before Gen Z was taking back fashion as protest, Matilda was taking it back on Léon: The Professional with a choker and a Bob. Natalie Portman’s character in the film made heads turn—yes, due to her looks, but also due to her audacity. She’s 12 years old, experiencing trauma, and walking through an uncomfortable relationship with an adult contract killer. But through it all, she holds her own. Teens saw themselves in her, especially those who used fashion, makeup, or art to express emotions that didn’t have words. Léon wasn’t a traditional coming-of-age film, but it captured the tension between childhood and forced adulthood in unforgettable ways.
6. Redefining the Female Experience – Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird”
If you’ve ever had a complicated relationship with your mom, felt invisible in your hometown, or just wanted to be someone else for a while, Lady Bird probably struck a chord. Greta Gerwig’s debut behind the camera is intimate, funny, and achingly real. It’s not flashy—but that’s the point. It thrives on quiet, everyday truths. Gerwig took inspiration from her own adolescence in Sacramento to craft something intensely personal, yet universally identifiable. To use the words of film critic Karla Rae Fuller, “Gerwig’s stories prove that female-led narratives have the capacity to be intimate and universal at once.” From Lady Bird to Little Women, she’s teaching us that growing up doesn’t have to be male or campy to be important.
5. Seeing Time Go By – Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”
Picturing shooting a single movie over the course of 12 years. That’s what Richard Linklater did with Boyhood, a movie that doesn’t merely tell us a story—once we see it, it resides within us. We observe actor Ellar Coltrane mature before our eyes, and in watching him do so, we’re reminded anew how subtly and gradually change can occur. Linklater, who also delivered Dazed and Confused and the Before series, has a talent for filming moments others might otherwise gloss over: the silent dinners, the meandering car rides, the uncomfortable pauses. With Boyhood, he does not dramatize adolescence—he allows it to breathe. The outcome is a movie that’s as close to real life as fiction can possibly be.
4. Pop Culture Meets Coming-of-Age – Amy Heckerling’s “Clueless”
Clueless is one of those films that’s so quotable, so chic, and so smart, it nearly blots out just how smart it actually is. Amy Heckerling adapted Jane Austen’s Emma, gave it a 1990s updating, and produced one of the most iconic teen movies of all time. From fashion to jargon, Cher Horowitz became the ultimate teen icon—but Heckerling ensured there was emotion behind the designer labels. Together with Fast Times at Ridgemont High, her work not only defined how teens appeared on screen, but also how teens perceived themselves.
3. Identity and Intersectionality – Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight”
Moonlight is not your average coming-of-age story. It’s a quiet film. It’s poetic. And it’s shatteringly beautiful. Barry Jenkins takes Chiron, a young Black boy in Miami, through three phases of his life. Along the way, Moonlight addresses bullying, poverty, manhood, and queerness with a vulnerability that mainstream films hardly ever mustered. There are no simple resolutions—only raw moments. The structure of the film is reminiscent of Boyhood, but its emphasis on Black and queer identity gives it dimensions that make it an unparalleled success. No wonder it won Best Picture at the Oscars.
2. A Window into Another World – Majid Majidi’s “Children of Heaven”
Based in Tehran, Children of Heaven may not be the kind of coming-of-age film you would think of when you mention it. It should be. A brother and sister’s experience with a shared pair of shoes becomes a powerful sketch of childhood endurance. Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi narrates it with such subtlety that you can’t even remind yourself that it’s fiction. Instead, it seems like you’re glimpsing into someone’s actual life. His films remind us that becoming an adult isn’t defined by age—it’s defined by where you are, what you possess, and what you’re fighting.
1. Breaking Ground Before It Was Cool – Guy-Blaché, Arzner, and Lupino
Way before Gerwig or Jenkins were revolutionizing film, forerunners such as Alice Guy-Blaché, Dorothy Arzner, and Ida Lupino were breaking ground in a man’s world. Guy-Blaché was among the earliest filmmakers in the world, having made hundreds of films. Arzner shattered the glass ceiling of Hollywood, and Lupino addressed taboo topics such as pregnancy and rape with sensibility and finesse.
Their tales have largely been forgotten, but their work opened the doors to generations of filmmakers to follow. As Fuller comments, “Guy-Blaché’s legacy is huge—but history hasn’t been kind in remembering her.” Fortunately, that’s beginning to change.