Five Movies You Should Watch If You Love Coming-of-Age Films

Coming-of-age films are perennially in vogue.

The coming-of-age films are typically deeply evocative, well-tested, and familiar movies that transcend age, historical period, genre, and more — to deliver a feeling of universal experience to the audience that goes beyond their childhood. There are numerous such cinematic marvels, but we have created a list, in case you want to know about the best coming-of-age films.

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Not many movies have succeeded at expressing the transformative ability of cinema the way Cinema Paradiso has. The film is about an affluent filmmaker who recalls his childhood memories as a fond worshiper of the local projectionist. Cinema Paradiso is about the charm of childhood and also filmmaking. The movie skillfully merges the two concepts in the end.

Boyhood (2014)

Boyhood is best known for its employment of inventive filming techniques. It tells the story of Mason, a six-year-old who transforms into a thoughtful grown-up man from being a playful kid, with twelve years of his life unraveling onscreen. This experimental cinematic approach enables viewers to witness how Mason gains maturity before our eyes. Boyhood exudes a brilliant naturalness that seems unscripted.

Carrie Pilby (2016)

The protagonist, Carrie Pilby, is a genius child, and is brighter than most people. After graduating Harvard at age 19, she spends most of her time secluded in her apartment in Manhattan, where Carrie devours seventeen books every week and typically avoids social interaction. Her therapist attempts to release Carrie from the shell, and provides her with a list of activities that she must accomplish, and it eventually puts her social, romantic, and professional capabilities to the test.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Hunt for the Wilderpeople by Taika Waititi is an ode to those children who struggle to fit in. This film focuses on the unique relationship and bond shared between a mismatched foster kid (Ricky Baker) and her unenthusiastic foster father (Hector Faulkner), who decide to explore the wilderness together. Along their journey, they learn a series of important life lessons and they are dexterously viewed through Waititi’s strange lens, generating images of a mystical landscape adjoining the harsh realities of change, loss, and redemption.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

This Edgar Wright film is a cult favorite among comic-loving geeks, an underrepresented group in cinema. Scott is a 23-year-old guy who is not cool. Apart from being the bass guitarist in his rock band, he only hangs out at gaming arcades and record stores. One day he runs into Ramona, an unattainable and cool roller-skating girl, and decides to woo her, but Scott must confront all her evil exes to secure his place as a competent suitor.

If you haven’t watched them all, you should consider adding these films to your watchlist right now!