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With its dour and authentic feel , Thirteenforever soften the mold for total - of - age dramas when it was released in 2003 . A big reason for this is thatThirteenis partially based on screenwriter and actress Nikki Reed ’s life from when she was a young teen . The report follows Tracy ( Evan Rachel Wood ) , a 7th grader in Los Angeles , as she spring a friendly relationship with a troubled classmate . Along the means , Tracy dabbles in drug use , sex , and self - hurt , making her story an undeniably dramatic one that arguably crafted the pattern for every saturnine coming - of - age moving-picture show that come after it .
raise up and reckon out who you are is a difficult task at any historic period . Some movies likeThirteenaccurately portray the trials of growing into a dissimilar , more mature person . The transition from childhood to adulthood is rarely an easy one . Still , hopefully viewers can see themselves in the characters and stories that populate the often intense film musical style of coming - of - age dramas .
8Stand By Me (1986)
Directed By Rob Reiner
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Stand by Memight seem like a cliché selection for one of the best dark-skinned come - of - age pic because it ’s often visit as a quintessential pillar of the genre . yet , the cinema explore the red ink of artlessness through a haunting , emotionally consign journey . Set in the summertime of 1959 , the story follow four boys — Gordie , Chris , Teddy , and Vern — who set out to find the body of a absent boy .
While their quest may seem adventurous on the control surface , it quickly becomesa deep geographic expedition of trauma , fear , and the harsh reality of life , as each boy carries excited scars before embarking on their journey . Stand By Meis cemented by an excellent plaster cast , including a nuanced recital from Richard Dreyfuss and heedful performances from the child actors , particularly the recent River Phoenix .
The boys are force to confront death rate and the world ’s cruelty , experience that maturate them far beyond their age .
The film does n’t shy aside from tough topics like last , abuse , heartbreak , and the loss of puerility security . The boys are forced to present deathrate and the human race ’s ruthlessness , experiences that mature them far beyond their year . Their journey is less about finding a consistence and more about what they observe about themselves and each other . Unlike typical coming - of - years stories that focus on romance or schooling milestones , likeThirteen , Stand By Meleans into the darkness of develop up , making it a poignant and unsettling reflection on the end of innocence .
7The Florida Project (2017)
Directed By Sean Baker
While the champion ofThe Florida Projectmight be a child , she certainly comes of age by the end of the film . The Florida Project , direct byOscar - winningAnorafilmmaker Sean Baker , follows six - year - erstwhile Moonee , who lives longsighted - term in a motel near Disney World just outside Orlando . She is search after by her struggle young mother , Halley , and motel manager Bobby , played masterfully by the incomparable Willem Dafoe .
In the film , Moonee is determined to have the summertime of a lifetime . Still , she does not understand the heroic situation she and her female parent are in , living from week to hebdomad in a decrepit motel , know as the Magic Castle Inn and Suite . The only person who seems to take pity on them is Bobby . He tries to make the motel as secure as potential for Moonee and all the other kids living in the vestige of the happiest place on ground .
Meanwhile , Halley is tasked with offer for her child by going into sexuality work . Bythe terminal ofThe Florida Project , Moonee is force to grow up and , in a sense , come to terms with what the rest of her life will look like . The picture propose a refreshingly honest look at growing up , specially in an relentless environment , and Florida is as much a theatrical role as Los Angeles is inThirteen . The Florida Projectis colorful in its motion-picture photography and type , but the sombre tale is indisputable to quell with viewers long after the credit drift .
6To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
Directed By Robert Mulligan
Much likeThirteen , To Kill a Mockingbirdconcernsa young champion who is forced to grow up and become desensitized to the awful world around her . Based on Harper Lee ’s Greco-Roman novel of the same name , thisTo Kill a Mockingbirdadaptation espouse the record book closely . In 1930s Alabama , Scout ’s dad , Atticus Finch , is a lawyer task with defending an innocent Black man , Tom Robinson , who is charge of sexually assaulting a white woman . All the evidence indicate to Robinson ’s innocence , but people still menace Atticus Finch and even Kid , including Scout .
Since she ’s catch in the crossfire of a racist clock time and place , Scout is forced to realize the harsh realities of racial discrimination despite being a clean tyke . Make no mistake , by the end , Scout understands that while there are great people like her father in the domain , there are masses , like Bob Ewell , who would just as well kill a tiddler in the name of racism . Her realisation and emergence as a character are beautiful and vex simultaneously , makingTo Kill A Mockingbirda devastating look at puerility , race , and sustain to turn up prematurely .
5Eighth Grade (2018)
Directed By Bo Burnham
Eighth Gradecaptures the stark naked , often atrocious reality of adolescence in the age of social medium . Written and direct bycomedian Bo Burnham , the film take after Kayla Day , a shy and uneasy 13 - year - old navigating her last hebdomad of middle school . Unlike more idealized depiction of teenage life , Eighth Gradedives deep into the insecurity , desolation , and quiet desperation that often define this growing stage .
Kayla tries to present a sure-footed edition of herself online through YouTube videos , while in literal life , she fight to connect with peer and incur her voice . The gulf between her inner world and the image she prove to figure highlights the pressures of performative ego - Charles Frederick Worth in the digital era . It ’s captivating how the film relies upon the close relationship between teenager and societal medium , force the consultation to look at the often painful time when impressionable minds are beginning to lionise the falsehood of societal media .
Eighth Gradealso explores themes of isolation , social anxiety , and the desperate desire for acceptance . scene require sexual pressing and awkward attempts at fitting in are limn with unsettling honesty , making viewers face up the darker , uncomfortable truth of adolescence .
4Mid90s
Directed By Jonah Hill
Mid90s , written and organize byactor Jonah Hill , explores the gritty and painful appendage of adolescence through the lens of a riotous 13 - year - old son named Stevie . go down in Los Angeles during the nineties , as the title would suggest , the moving picture follows Stevie as he escapes a tense home lifespan that involve an scurrilous old comrade and a remote female parent . As a result , Stevie falls in with a grouping of previous skateboarder . What begins as a search for belonging quickly exposes Stevie to a earth of drug , foolhardy behavior , peer pressure , and emotional convulsion .
Unlike nostalgic or romanticize portrayals of youth , Mid90sdoesn’t shy away from show the harsh realities of trying to develop up too tight . Stevie feel moments of joy and connecter , but they ’re often eclipse by ego - destructive behavior and the aroused scrape he ’s hear to cover up . His desire to be accepted lead him into dangerous situations far beyond his adulthood level , making his journey both heartbreaking and unsettling .
Mid90sis dreary because it fascinate how easily kids can lose themselves in the wrong crowd while render to feel seen , discover , and valued .
The film ’s raw style , realistic talks , and unfiltered look at toxic maleness and youthful rashness strip away any glamour . LikeThirteen , Mid90sis dark because it captures how easily kids can lose themselves in the wrong crowd while attempt to feel seen , heard , and measure .
3Boyhood (2014)
Directed By Richard Linklater
Boyhoodis belike better think back as a cinematic experimentation than a come - of - historic period classic , but it ’s a classic nonetheless . Notably , theater director Richard Linklatershot the movie over the course of 12 years so that viewers could watch the untried protagonist , Mason , develop up . The movie offers a straightforward , albeit dramatic , look at Mason ’s life . Mason , along with his baby , deals with the side effect of their parent ’ break family relationship and quest to make a new house moral force . Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette , who won the Oscar for Best support Actress , deliver outstanding performances as the parents .
From Da’Vine Joy Randolph to Zoe Saldaña , some really great actors have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress throughout the 2020s .
The tale of Mason transform from a boy into a young adult male is full of move authenticity , and its experimental coming to storytelling is surely worth a watch .
2Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023)
Directed By Kelly Fremon Craig
Are You There God ? It ’s Me , Margaret.may seem light-headed - hearted on the Earth’s surface , butit carry a quiet swarthiness that makes it a deeply resonant total - of - age film . A almost - perfect adaptation of Judy Blume ’s classic novel , the story keep an eye on 11 - year - erstwhile Margaret as she navigates puberty , identity element , and spiritualism — all while feeling caught between childhood and adulthood . What makes the film dark is not overt trauma or violence but the emotional complexness of growing up and the subtle press that shape a untested missy ’s sense of ego .
Judy Blume ’s “ Are You There God ? It ’s Me Margaret ” has been adapted into a film and of the many changes made , these are the most substantial .
Margaret ’s battle with religion — torn between her Christian mother and Judaic father — adds a layer of experiential disarray . Her whispered prayers to a seemingly absent God ponder an inner lonesomeness and a desperate demand for counseling . As she faces the onset of pubescence , body image anxiety , and the pain of societal exclusion , the movie highlight how set apart and overwhelming adolescence can be .
There ’s also a subdued sadness in how the adults around Margaret — particularly her female parent and grandmother — project their insecurity and desires onto her , forcing her to voyage emotional obligation far beyond her age . The film ’s darkness lies in its money plant : it does n’t shield Margaret from the confusing , often painful parts of grow up . rather , it cover them , making her fib feel deeply real and universally poignant .
1Moonlight (2016)
Directed By Barry Jenkins
Best Picture - winningMoonlightexamines the product of identity , trauma , and maleness through the life of Chiron , a young opprobrious boy acquire up in a raspy Miami region . Told in three chapters — childhood , adolescence , and adulthood — the picture show traces Chiron ’s journeying as he cope with poverty , intimidation , a drug - addicted mother , and his own oppress sexuality . The shadow ofMoonlightcomes from both international hardships and the inscrutable worked up lesion Chiron endures in quiet .
As a child , Chiron is painfully timid , already aware of how different he is from other boys . He ’s nicknamed “ Little ” and becomes a target for bullying . In adolescence , he faces increasing violence and isolation as he commence to understand his intimate personal identity in an environment that punish vulnerability . The world around him put up few good distance — his home is unstable , shoal is dangerous , and even second of tenderness come with veneration .
Moonlight ’s third human activity reveals the long - live on impact of trauma . Chiron , now an grownup , has construct excited armor around himself , take on a hardened persona to survive . LikeThirteen , he darkness inMoonlightis not just in its subject matter , but in its ambience — quiet , inner , and heavy with unspoken pain . It ’s about the price of hiding one ’s true self and the emotional toll of a world that denies softness to Black boys . Despite its beauty and present moment of grace , Moonlightdoesn’t shy away from the loneliness and fright of growing up different . It ’s a haunting , emotionally raw portrait of coming of age under rough fortune .
