Coming-of-Age Drama movies

Vibe

Realistic Tense Intimate Atmospheric Restrained

Overview

A shy teenager living on the Isle of Wight dreams of pop stardom. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a singing competition that will test her integrity, talent, and ambition.

Themes

Ambition vs integrity, Class aspiration and gatekeeping, Exploitative mentorship, Deception and age misrepresentation, Family debt and pressure, Industry pressure and contracts

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Vibe

Realistic Atmospheric Bleak Deliberate Clinical

Overview

Stella lives to follow every rule that might keep her alive. Will lives to break the rules that cage him. When falling in love means staying six feet apart—or risking everything to take one step closer—they have to choose which life is worth saving.

Themes

Hospital boundaries, Cystic fibrosis stakes, Forbidden love under illness, Terminal illness constraints, Star crossed lovers motif, First date tension, Resilience through isolation

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Raw Claustrophobic Brutal

Overview

A gang of teenage boys stalk the streets of Naples armed with hand guns and AK-47s to do their mob bosses' bidding – until they decide to be the bosses themselves.

Themes

Juvenile crime networks, Pursuit of power and money, Moral ambiguity in youth, Street violence and intimidation, Peer influence and rebellion, Loyalty versus impulse

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Vibe

Playful Realistic Steady Witty Sun-drenched

Overview

In rural 1977 Georgia, a misfit girl dreams of life in outer space. When a national competition offers her a chance at her dream, to be recorded on NASA’s Golden Record, she recruits a makeshift troupe of Birdie Scouts, forging friendships that last a lifetime and beyond.

Themes

Belonging under pressure, Collective resilience through play, Ambition and belonging, Leadership without formal power, Creative collaboration and risk, Finding voice through community

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Intimate Brutal Bleak

Overview

Two popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.

Themes

Coming of age tensions, Homophobia stigma, Sexuality pressure, Bullying exclusion, Best friend conflict, Divorced parents tensions

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Vibe

Playful Realistic Intimate Fast-paced Buoyant

Overview

To prove a point about measuring up and fitting in, Texas teen Willowdean “Dumplin’” Dickson enters a local pageant run by her ex-beauty queen mom.

Themes

Parent-child tension, Body image pressure, Friendship resilience, Small-town norms, Protest through performance, Fat acceptance movement

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Vibe

Realistic Intimate Claustrophobic Bleak Dry

Overview

An American hypochondriac who is working as a baggage handler is forced to confront his fears when a British teenager with a terminal illness enlists him to help her carry out her eccentric bucket list.

Themes

Caregiving under pressure, Coming of age, Grief and resilience, Fear of mortality, Deception for connection, Bonding under hardship

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Intimate Claustrophobic Bleak

Overview

When Jonas was 14 he met the charismatic but mysterious Nathan. In addition to guiding him in grappling with his sexuality, Jonas soon confronts something dark and even dangerous about his new friend. Now an attractive, sexually assured adult, memories from this time still haunt Jonas.

Themes

Homophobia stigma, Gay youth experience, Sexual identity pressure, Gameboy memory bond, Coming of age secrecy, Memory haunting loss

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Claustrophobic Dry Relentless

Overview

Wael, a former street child, makes a living from small scams with his adoptive mother and partner-in-crime Monique. When this unconventional duo swindles the wrong guy, Victor, an old acquaintance of Monique now in charge of a support organization for troubled teens, they have no choice but to become his interim secretary and educator in order to redeem themselves.

Themes

Moral ambiguity, Trauma and coping, Family power dynamics, Childhood manipulation, Deception and harm, Desire for validation

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Raw Bleak Restrained

Overview

Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.

Themes

Police accountability, Racial injustice, Urban school divide, Youth protest and activism, Community response to violence, Family threat and resilience

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