24 must-see LGBTQ+ coming-of-age films

24 LGBTQ+ coming-of-age films

Oh, to be young again. We've all been through those awkward years of growing up, and it can be especially difficult for those of us growing up queer. And though they used to be few, LGBTQ+ coming-of-age films have been there to help us remember that we're all a bit strange when coming into our own. From classics like But I'm a Cheerleader to Moonlight and Love Simon, the films provide crucial identification and visibility for queer folks.

Here are 24 LGBTQ+ coming-of-age films to enjoy, reminisce about, and share.

(Images courtesy of their respective studios)

Love, Simon (2018)

This 2018 romantic comedy-drama from Greg Berlanti follows Simon (Nick Robinson), a 17-year-old who is closeted to family and friends but cautiously exploring his sexual identity online by chatting with an anonymous gay student who goes by the name Blue.

After a revealing message falls into the wrong hands, he is inevitably outed to his school. But Simon makes the most of the situation with the support of his true friends and learns that Blue has been his biggest supporter all along. Out actors Keiynan Lonsdale and Alexandra Shipp costar along with Jennifer Garner, Katherine Langford, and Josh Duhamel.

Booksmart (2019)

Olivia Wilde’s 2019 feature directorial debut, Booksmart, follows best friends Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) as they uncharacteristically seek to break the rules and cram four years of fun into one wild, revelatory, and emotional night of partying following their graduation from high school. Molly Gordon, Mason Gooding, and Diana Silvers costar.

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino directs this adaptation of Andre Aciman’s novel of passionate love between a brilliant music student and an older doctoral student hired as his father’s research assistant. The film captures the steamy heat of the Italian countryside and the intense emotions shared by Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer). Call Me By Your Name also famously debuts the juiciest peach in cinema history.

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Loosely based on William Shakespeare's historical plays Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2, and Henry V, My Own Private Idaho tracks the journey of gay hustlers Mikey (River Phoenix) and Scott (Keanu Reeves) as they search for Mikey's mother. The pair bond and eventually fall in love. Gay director Gus Van Sant (To Die For, Milk) helmed the 1991 cult classic is widely regarded as a queer landmark in late-20th-century cinema for its honest storytelling and themes of love and grief.

Pariah (2011)

From out Mudbound and Bessie director Dee Rees, Pariah tells the story of teenage Alike (Adepero Oduye), who struggles with coming out to her family and feeling like a pariah or outcast. As Alike navigates her love life, her mother introduces her to Bina (South of Nowhere's Aasha Davis), the daughter of a church friend. Alike soon finds she and Bina growing far closer and more intimate than her mother intended.

Three Months (2022)

Three Months is a coming-of-age comedy-drama that stars pop artist Troye Sivan as Caleb, "a South Florida student who loves his camera, his weed, and his grandmother.”

Just ahead of his graduation, Caleb learns he’s been exposed to HIV. The film follows Caleb in the three months he waits for the results of his HIV test. Along the way, he finds love “in the most unlikely places.”

Judy Greer, Ellen Burstyn, Amy Landecker, and Louis Gossett Jr. appear in the film from writer/director Jared Frieder.

Mysterious Skin (2004)

New Queer Cinema wunderkind Gregg Araki's film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Neil) and The Brutalist writer-director Brady Corbet (Brian) as young men navigating past sexual abuse. UFO enthusiast Brian represses the memory and convinces himself he was a victim of an alien abduction. Neil moves through his trauma working as a sex worker in New York City. The acclaimed film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and a GLAAD Award.

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

Blue is the Warmest Color shares the story of Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), whose life changes when she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux), an older art student. Renowned for its acrobatic sex scenes, the film earned its stars the honor of becoming the first women to win the Palme d'Or along with director Abedllatif Kechiche. Exarchopoulos went on to win the César, France's equivalent of the Oscar, for Best Female Newcomer.

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

This satirical comedy follows cheerleader Megan (Natasha Lyonne) as she is sent to a conversion therapy camp. Once there, however, she meets fellow campmate Graham (Clea DuVall). Before long, they fall in love despite the best efforts of the camp’s staff. Hilarious, satirical, and campy in more ways than one, But I’m a Cheerleader is a modern queer classic for all the right reasons.

Moonlight (2016)

The first LGBTQ+ film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Barry Jenkins's film based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's semi-autobiographical play, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, Moonlight details the coming of age of Chiron, a queer Black man. Told in phases of Chiron's life, the award-winning film highlights love over trauma. Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, and Janelle Monáe.

Get Real (1998)

A queer cult classic, the film from director Simon Shore and writer Patrick Wilde centers on Steven (Ben Silverstone) and John (Brad Gorton), 1990s-era British schoolboys who fall in love. Though the ending isn't as happy as those of others on this list, Get Real is a heartwarming story of a queer youth accepting himself while seeking out the life he desires.

I Killed My Mother (2009)

Filmmaker and actor Xavier Dolan wrote, produced, directed, and stars in the Canadian film I Killed My Mother (J'ai tue ma mere). Loosely based on Dolan's life, the film follows the complicated, sometimes tense relationship between a young gay man and his mother. François Arnaud costars.

G.B.F. (2013)

A comedy poking fun at the "gay best friend" stereotype, the film explores coming out in high school and navigating friendships and school when that happens. Faking It's Michael J. Willett stars as everyone's gay best friend Tanner, while Pretty Little Liars star Sasha Pieterse plays the school's "it" girl, Fawcett. Will & Grace star Megan Mullally, Natasha Lyonne, and Awkward's Molly Tarlov costar.

The Way He Looks (2014)

Based on the 2010 short film Don't Want to Go Back Alone, the Brazilian drama The Way He Looks tells the story of Leonardo (Ghilherme Lobo), a blind teenager seeking independence. When new student Gabriel (Fabio Audi) comes to town, they begin a relationship that leads to romance.

Being 17 (2016)

Out French auteur André Techiné features the romantic relationship that blossoms between 17-year-old outcast Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein) and Thomas (Corentin Fila), who initially bullies him. Though their relationship begins contentiously, the young men eventually give over to their feelings for one another. Techiné collaborated with Water Lillies and Portrait of a Lady on Fire director, Celine Sciamma on the script.

Alex Strangelove (2018)

A 2018 romantic comedy, Alex Strangelove examines the evolution of relationships in high school along with evolving sexuality at that time. The film from writer/director Craig Johnson turns the old high school movie trope of losing one's virginity on its head when Alex's plan to lose it with his friend-turned-girlfriend Claire (Madeline Weinstein) and his plan interrupted when he meets proud gay teen Elliot (Antonio Marziale). Nik Dodani and Jesse James Keitel also appear in the film.

Boy Erased (2018)

Based on Garrard Conley's 2016 memoir of the same name, Boy Erased follows Jared (Lucas Hedges), the gay son of religious parents played by Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, who send him to conversion therapy. There he's terrorized by a twisted pastor played by Joel Edgerton in the film he wrote and directed. Queer actors Cherry Jones, Xavier Dolan, and Troye Sivan also appear.

C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

This coming-out story unfolds in a Canadian Catholic family in the 1960s. Teen Zachary Beaulieu (Marc-André Grondin) attempts to repress his sexuality to appease his traditional family. His life takes an unexpected turn that helps him come into his queer identity. Overall, the film is a heartwarming tale of familial bonds and acceptance. Big Little Lies creator Jean-Marc Valleé directed and cowrote the film.

The Half of It (2020)

Written and directed by queer filmmaker Alice Wu (Saving Face), The Half of It is a modern, queer Cyrano de Bergerac in which Ellie (Leah Lewis) ghostwrites letters for her neighbor Paul (Daniel Diemer) to Aster (Alexxis Lemire). Matters are complicated when Ellie realizes she's also got a crush on Aster. This sweet, thoughtful film touches on parental relationships, friendship, and first love.

Geography Club (2013)

Based on the 2003 novel by Brent Hartinger, the film follows high-schooler Russell (Cameron Deane Stewart) as he navigates falling for the school's quarterback Kevin (Justin Deeley). He finds community at the school's LGBTQ+ support group, the Geography Club. The members learn to embrace their truths and eventually become a gay-straight alliance. Gary Entin directs the film that costars queer Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky.

Show Me Love (1998)

A sweet, early queer coming-of-age story on film from acclaimed Swedish director Lukas Moodysson (Together, We Are the Best) teenagers from varied backgrounds, Elin (Alexandra Dahlström) and Agnes (Rebecka Liljeberg), fall for one another. While the two initially struggle with their attraction, they realize they are meant to be. The film offered a rare happy ending for a 1990s-era gay love story.

The Prom (2020)

A musical comedy with an A-list ensemble cast set in Indiana, The Prom centers on a school's decision to cancel prom because teen Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman) plans to attend with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Oscar winner Ariana DeBose). The young women face an upward battle with Alyssa's mother Mrs. Greene (Kerry Washington) leading the PTA and the charge against queer couples at prom. Fledgling theater stars played by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, and James Corden get wind of the cancellation and decide to rehab their careers by taking up Emma's cause.

Do Revenge (2022)

Heathers meets Strangers on a Train in Netflix's new teen flick Do Revenge. As evidenced by the film's first trailer, Stranger Things star Maya Hawke and Riverdale's Camila Mendes star in the movie that invokes Alfred Hitchcock's great murder swap movie. The film also nods to classic teen girl films like Heathers (they play croquet in this movie!), Jawbreaker, Mean Girls, and Clueless with its Emma-esque makeover.

Edge of Seventeen (1998)

A true queer classic. Directed by David Moreton, the film movie is loosely based on screenwriter Todd Stephens's coming out. Seventeen-year-old, Eric (Chris Stafford), is coming of age in Ohio in the 1980s, a time when queerness is stigmatized. The film takes viewers through his sexual awakening and how he learns to embrace himself throughout the film. Lesbian legend Lea DeLaria costars.