The Evolution of Coming-of-Age & Teen Movies
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Savannah Sher
The concept of adolescence has gone through many changes and this is the evolution of coming-of-age movies. For this video, we'll be taking a deep dive into teen representation in film and looking at individual properties that exemplify the changes in the genre.
The concept of adolescence has gone through many changes in cinema over the decades. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be exploring The Evolution of Coming-of-Age Movies.
For this video, we’ll be taking a deep dive into teen representation in film and looking at individual properties that exemplify the changes in the genre.
Before we jump into how adolescence has been portrayed in movies, let’s take a look at the more broad definition of this stage of life. German developmental psychologist Erik Erikson is best known for his “stages of psychosocial development” in which he talks about how adolescence (between approximately the ages of 12 and 18) is often a time when one experiences a period of questioning one’s place in the world.
If you consider the genre of coming-of-age movies, it’s easy to take this broad theme and realize it applies to nearly every example you can think of, whether it was released this year or several decades ago. Typically, our protagonist is a character within the age range above who experiences a conflict that forces them to look inward to try to figure out who they really are and who they want to be. Another common theme that nearly everyone can relate to is the idea of being misunderstood by the people around you, in particular the grown-ups in your life.
With that overview done, let’s look at some of the earliest examples of this genre on film. “Rebel Without a Cause”, released in 1955, is often pointed to as the first major example of teen alienation in the movies, which has become iconic since its release. In fact, some say that the concept of a “teenager” as we know it, was really only introduced between the 1940s and 1950s. Some found the portrayal of American youth in “Rebel Without a Cause” to be disturbing, with the New York Times review at the time calling it an “excessively graphic” depiction of teen heroes and heroines and their "weird ways”''. Another important entry to the genre is the French film “The 400 Blows”, released in 1959, which also looks at teenage rebellion.
In the decades that followed, the 1960s and ‘70s, more and more films opted to focus on the issue of growing up. George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” was released in 1973 but was set a decade earlier, as a nostalgic look to a simpler time in Lucas’ own youth. “The Graduate”, which hit theatres in 1967, looked at a slightly older demographic, focusing on a young man wrapping up his college degree, while still following someone trying to figure out what his life looks like next. It’s a somewhat satirical take on issues facing the youth at the time, but still packed a major punch and quickly became a cinema classic.
When you think of coming-of-age movies however, some of the most prominent examples that come to mind are likely from the ‘80s and probably involved John Hughes. With the creation of films like “Sixteen Candles” “The Breakfast Club”, “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” and “Pretty in Pink”, all released in the mid 1980s, Hughes wrote and/or directed some of cinema’s most beloved films. His most popular works largely look at the issues facing suburban teens and straddle the line between comedy and drama, bringing a levity to the genre that has caused them to become so beloved. Despite the decades between the ‘80s and today, these movies are still largely relatable because of the common threads that tie young people together no matter when they were born. Several of his films have female protagonists, bringing some gender diversity to the genre that for a long time focused on the stories of young men rather than women.
The ‘80s were essentially the heyday of the teen movie, with many other classics also being released during the decade. In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola directed two films focusing on teenage gangs, “The Outsiders” and “Rumble Fish”. But we also can’t forget later ‘80s flicks like “Stand by Me” and “Dirty Dancing,” among so many other stories, which contributed to this being a landmark moment for on-screen depictions of youth.
Since the John Hughes era, the coming-of-age story has become a mainstay in film, and writers and directors have branched out to cover stories that represent a wider demographic of the population. One of the landmark films in the genre is “Boyz N The Hood”, which was written and directed by John Singleton and released in 1991, which looks at issues black youth face that are unique to their circumstances. A more current coming-of-age story focusing on a young Black character is 2016’s “Moonlight”, created by Barry Jenkins, which took home the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film shows us our main character going through three significant periods in his life, finding more of his identity every step of the way.
“Moonlight” also addresses the struggles faced by queer youth, which is another issue that has been addressed in more recent iterations of films from this genre. The following year, we saw the release of “Call Me by Your Name”, which told the story of a young Jewish boy discovering his sexuality while living in Italy in the early ‘80s and developing feelings for an older scholar staying with his family. Though it was a critical hit and made waves during award season, it was a film released in 2018 that became the first movie released by a major Hollywood studio to feature a gay teen love story at its center. “Love, Simon” brought stories of queer adolescents one step further into the mainstream.
As time has gone on, filmmakers have felt more license to diversify the stories told about teenagers, moving away from the textbook suburban dramedy to cover a more broad spectrum of the experiences that adolescents face. For instance, we’ve seen mental illness addressed in movies like “The Edge of Seventeen” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”.
In some recent films, we’ve also seen how technology and social media have affected the ways in which we grow up. Bo Burnham’s film “Eighth Grade”, which follows middle schooler Kayla as she navigates the social landscape, is a great example. As our lives increasingly exist online, we can only imagine that this trend will continue.
Considering how much coming-of-age films have progressed in the last several decades, we can’t wait to see where the genre will go next. We couldn’t possibly cover all the incredible films in this category in one video, so share your favorites in the comments!
For this video, we’ll be taking a deep dive into teen representation in film and looking at individual properties that exemplify the changes in the genre.
Before we jump into how adolescence has been portrayed in movies, let’s take a look at the more broad definition of this stage of life. German developmental psychologist Erik Erikson is best known for his “stages of psychosocial development” in which he talks about how adolescence (between approximately the ages of 12 and 18) is often a time when one experiences a period of questioning one’s place in the world.
If you consider the genre of coming-of-age movies, it’s easy to take this broad theme and realize it applies to nearly every example you can think of, whether it was released this year or several decades ago. Typically, our protagonist is a character within the age range above who experiences a conflict that forces them to look inward to try to figure out who they really are and who they want to be. Another common theme that nearly everyone can relate to is the idea of being misunderstood by the people around you, in particular the grown-ups in your life.
With that overview done, let’s look at some of the earliest examples of this genre on film. “Rebel Without a Cause”, released in 1955, is often pointed to as the first major example of teen alienation in the movies, which has become iconic since its release. In fact, some say that the concept of a “teenager” as we know it, was really only introduced between the 1940s and 1950s. Some found the portrayal of American youth in “Rebel Without a Cause” to be disturbing, with the New York Times review at the time calling it an “excessively graphic” depiction of teen heroes and heroines and their "weird ways”''. Another important entry to the genre is the French film “The 400 Blows”, released in 1959, which also looks at teenage rebellion.
In the decades that followed, the 1960s and ‘70s, more and more films opted to focus on the issue of growing up. George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” was released in 1973 but was set a decade earlier, as a nostalgic look to a simpler time in Lucas’ own youth. “The Graduate”, which hit theatres in 1967, looked at a slightly older demographic, focusing on a young man wrapping up his college degree, while still following someone trying to figure out what his life looks like next. It’s a somewhat satirical take on issues facing the youth at the time, but still packed a major punch and quickly became a cinema classic.
When you think of coming-of-age movies however, some of the most prominent examples that come to mind are likely from the ‘80s and probably involved John Hughes. With the creation of films like “Sixteen Candles” “The Breakfast Club”, “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” and “Pretty in Pink”, all released in the mid 1980s, Hughes wrote and/or directed some of cinema’s most beloved films. His most popular works largely look at the issues facing suburban teens and straddle the line between comedy and drama, bringing a levity to the genre that has caused them to become so beloved. Despite the decades between the ‘80s and today, these movies are still largely relatable because of the common threads that tie young people together no matter when they were born. Several of his films have female protagonists, bringing some gender diversity to the genre that for a long time focused on the stories of young men rather than women.
The ‘80s were essentially the heyday of the teen movie, with many other classics also being released during the decade. In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola directed two films focusing on teenage gangs, “The Outsiders” and “Rumble Fish”. But we also can’t forget later ‘80s flicks like “Stand by Me” and “Dirty Dancing,” among so many other stories, which contributed to this being a landmark moment for on-screen depictions of youth.
Since the John Hughes era, the coming-of-age story has become a mainstay in film, and writers and directors have branched out to cover stories that represent a wider demographic of the population. One of the landmark films in the genre is “Boyz N The Hood”, which was written and directed by John Singleton and released in 1991, which looks at issues black youth face that are unique to their circumstances. A more current coming-of-age story focusing on a young Black character is 2016’s “Moonlight”, created by Barry Jenkins, which took home the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film shows us our main character going through three significant periods in his life, finding more of his identity every step of the way.
“Moonlight” also addresses the struggles faced by queer youth, which is another issue that has been addressed in more recent iterations of films from this genre. The following year, we saw the release of “Call Me by Your Name”, which told the story of a young Jewish boy discovering his sexuality while living in Italy in the early ‘80s and developing feelings for an older scholar staying with his family. Though it was a critical hit and made waves during award season, it was a film released in 2018 that became the first movie released by a major Hollywood studio to feature a gay teen love story at its center. “Love, Simon” brought stories of queer adolescents one step further into the mainstream.
As time has gone on, filmmakers have felt more license to diversify the stories told about teenagers, moving away from the textbook suburban dramedy to cover a more broad spectrum of the experiences that adolescents face. For instance, we’ve seen mental illness addressed in movies like “The Edge of Seventeen” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”.
In some recent films, we’ve also seen how technology and social media have affected the ways in which we grow up. Bo Burnham’s film “Eighth Grade”, which follows middle schooler Kayla as she navigates the social landscape, is a great example. As our lives increasingly exist online, we can only imagine that this trend will continue.
Considering how much coming-of-age films have progressed in the last several decades, we can’t wait to see where the genre will go next. We couldn’t possibly cover all the incredible films in this category in one video, so share your favorites in the comments!
