What do you mean by coming of age?

This genre seen in films consists of content that captures the teenager experience. For many teens, it has become a comforting style of film. Directors such as John Hughes, Greta Gerwig, and Damian Chazelle are well known for their relatable coming of age films.

In more detail, coming of age film stem from moral and psychological growth. The protagonist is seen progressing developmentally from childhood to adulthood. In most cases its just a teenager as the lead, while we follow them through whatever journey they're about to face. 

For this genre of film, there are techniques that are used to illustrate their idea in an impactful way. Examples such as social commentary and relatable themes are used to connect with the audience. As well as stylistic choices in dialogue, music, and visuals all attract their target consumers. They market these projects predominantly on relatable experiences. 

An example of this could be the 2017 film Ladybird directed by Greta Gerwig where a highschool senior navigates her relationship with her mother and the transition into adulthood. She attends a catholic high school and despite their unfortunate financial situation, she dreams of attending a prestigious college. Her mother believes its an unrealistic expectation which slowly tears their relationship apart. This is a scenario that is not unique to her. Anyone else watching can directly associate with her story. The filmmakers made no mistake with her character design. The bright colors in her hair and her alternative outfits speaks to the ongoing generation of misfit teeangers. Also, throughout the movie there were song choices that would be considered "emo". This style of music is common with individuals in this age group. This movie is a prime example of what coming of age really is,

Another popular movie is the 1986 film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Directed by johnes hughes, this film is about an attempt to stay home from school. In the film, Ferris fakes an illness so that his parents would let him stay home. This phenomenon is no original experience, almost every teenger or child has lied about feeling under the weather in order to avoid going to school. He was successful and took his dads car so he can continue being bad throughout the day. In this case the character did not learn a lesson, he actually got away with all the trouble he got away with it. It appeals to the mischievous variant of teenagers which makes this an exaple of a coming of age film.

Other films in this genre that you may recognize are: