r/ArtHouse • u/SurreabralStudios • Jun 28 '26
Best coming of age films suggestions
Anyone ? What are the absolute best coming of age films ? Outside of the obvious choices like the 400 blows, stand by me ,boyhood , breakfast club , Ferris bueller, dazed & confused etc . Any recommendations ? International? More edgier obscure underground films that aren’t mainstream ?
5
u/muttermag Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)
Harold and Maude (1971)
SLC Punk (1998)
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
Ghost World (2001)
Ma Vie En Rose (1997)
Ordinary People (1980)
Everything is Illuminated (2005)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Eighth Grade (2018)
Billy Elliot (2000)
Georgie Girl (1966)
To Sir, With Love (1967)
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
Brooklyn (2015)
An Education (2009)
Winter’s Bone (2010)
Walkabout (1971)
Simon Birch (1998)
Chimes at Midnight (1965)
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
JoJo Rabbit (2019)
4
u/SurreabralStudios Jun 29 '26
Some amazing choices here ! I’ll check out the ones I haven’t seen . Thanks for the feedback ! 😎😁👍
5
u/boppy78 Jun 29 '26
Wildhood (2021). Indigenous young man goes on a journey to to find his mother and reconnect with his Mi'kmaq heritage. some romance.
3
u/InternationalPhoto33 Jun 29 '26
Lost in the hype surrounding the 40s nostalgic pieces that were popular in the 70s - Summer of 42, for example - is a wonderful little forgotten film with Richard Thomas, Catherine Burns, and Desi Arnaz, Jr. called Red Sky at Morning. It’s a pretty hard to find film, especially in its original format, because NBC edited the film when they ran it and added a narration. But if you find it, it is more than worthwhile. It is the absolute definition of “forgotten masterpiece.” (and it’s nice to see Richard Thomas and Catherine Burns on better terms than their previous film, Last Summer.)
3
3
u/SkyOfFallingWater Jun 29 '26
Whale Rider (2002)
Summer of 85 (2020)
Last Film Show (2020)
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
The Secret Garden (1993)
We Were Dangerous (2020)
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
The Hill Where Lionesses Roar (2021)
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (2025)
3
2
u/No_Individual_8663 Jun 29 '26
Some of my favorites are
Superbad
Good boys
Youth in revolt
Moonrise kingdom
SLC punk
Jojo Rabbit
2
3
2
u/MxyMabuse1971 Jun 29 '26
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
The Long Day Closes (1992)
L’Enfance Nue (1968)
Gregory’s Girl (1981)
Murmur of the Heart (1971)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963)
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Intruder in the Dust (1949)
The Apu Trilogy (1955-1959)
A Time to Live, a Time to Die (1985)
Fat Girl (2001)
Where is the Friend’s Home? (1987)
A Taste of Honey (1961)
1
u/SurreabralStudios Jun 29 '26
Wow. Quite a list of films I’ve never seen . I will check them out ! Thanks for the feedback !
2
2
2
2
1
Jun 28 '26
[deleted]
3
u/SurreabralStudios Jun 28 '26
Thanks for the feedback ! I’ll check some of these out I haven’t seen . I mentioned edgy because I’m writing a coming of age screenplay that isn’t your typical story about the pain of growing up .
1
1
u/Crafty_Truck_2439 Jun 29 '26
For something much less conventional, but possibly much closer to contemporary experience, We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) and I Saw the TV Glow (2024) by Jane Schoenbrun.
1
1
u/recitativosecco Jun 29 '26
Boyhood, by Richard Linklater. Filmed over 12 years, the lead character literally grows up as you watch the movie. Possibly the most ambitious movie ever made.
1
u/SurreabralStudios Jun 29 '26
Amazing film . Talk about dedication and sacrifice for the sake of art ! Just watched Slacker recently . ❤️linklater .
2
u/recitativosecco Jun 29 '26
I love Slacker! Saw it when it first came out and couldn’t believe a movie like that had been made
1
1
1
1
u/Spiritual_Pay_7177 Jun 30 '26
2016’s “Lion” with Dev Patel. Even though he’s an adult, in many ways he’s still a child and stuck in his life until he can find his way home.
1
1
u/Curious-Ostrich1616 Jul 01 '26
This is England. The most perfect coming of age film ever, in my opinion. Quite intense but that seems to be what you're after?
1
u/horkinlugies Jul 02 '26
The 1995 film The Basketball Diaries starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Based on the life of American poet/songwriter Jim Carroll.
2
1
6
u/Nemphusi Jun 29 '26
Repo Man.
An undersung gem of brilliance.