These are the best coming-of age movies about lesbians and queer women around!
It’s hard enough being a lesbian or queer woman, but being those things and a teen is a whole other world of difficult. Thankfully, some of the best movies about queer women also happen to be coming-of-age films!
These movies explore what it means to be a girl, a woman, a lesbian, and queer. They explore female friendships, relationships with parents, school issues, and the future. And they do it excellently.
Unsurprisingly, nearly all these movies are directed by women, and six are directed by queer women. We know the type of stories we want to see, and we’re the best at telling them.
Next time you want a wonderful queer coming-of-age movie about girls and women, check out these films!
1. But I'm a Cheerleader
But I’m a Cheerleader is a brilliant campy comedy from Jamie Babbit about a teen cheerleader (Natasha Lyonne) who is sent to a gay conversion camp by her parents. There she meets a gaggle of gays and ex-gays, including ones played by RuPaul, Melanie Lynskey, and of course, her love interest played by Clea DuVall. It’s a comedy classic and one of the first and best truly happy lesbian films. It still stands up today, nearly 25 years after it was released. If you’re a queer teen who wants to know that happiness and love are possible for you, watch this movie.
2. Pariah
While the tone of Pariah isn’t as cheerful as But I’m a Cheerleader, there’s no denying its power and how triumphant it ends up being. Based loosely on director Dee Rees’ teen years, Pariah follows a 17-year-old Black lesbian learning to embrace her identity and love the life she has. Pariah knows that life can be, and often is, hard on a Black teen lesbian, but it never stops showing how beautiful it is to be one.
3. The Half of It
Alice Wu is a master of the lesbian movie, and with The Half of It, she delivered a stunning and understated triumph with this queer, Asian-American retelling of one of the all-time classic love stories, Cyrano de Bergerac. The film follows teenage Ellie Chu who writes love letters to the popular girl she has a crush on on behalf of her friend Paul Munsky. All the young actors deliver terrific performances, and the movie will leave you feeling warm inside.
4. Booksmart
Only one of the two lead characters of this movie is gay, but the other is played by queer actor Beanie Feldstein, and the queerness of this movie and overall greatness are enough to put it high on this list. Olivia Wilde’s feature directorial debut is a hilarious joyride in the vein of Superbad, but for queer girls.
5. The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Cameron Post has a similar premise to But I’m a Cheerleader, but with a very different tone and execution, but it’s still a lesbian coming-of-age gem. Directed by another queer woman director, Desiree Akhavan, and starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, and Forrest Goodluck, it follows a girl in the '90s who is caught having sex with another girl and sent to conversion therapy camp, where she makes new friends and learns to stand up for herself.
6. Alice Júnior
This 2019 Brazilian coming-of-age film flew under the radar but definitely deserves your attention. It stars Anna Celestino Mota as Aice, a 17-year-old trans girl and YouTuber who moves from the city to the countryside. Once there, she has to enroll in a Catholic school and starts being bullied while she makes new friends and seeks out her first kiss. It’s rare for films to explore the lives of trans women who love women, so this film is truly special.
7. Princess Cyd
Jessie Pinnick stars as a headstrong 16-year-old who spends the summer in Chicago with her aunt while exploring her sexuality. Pinnick is terrific in the movie, and it never makes Cyd’s queerness a source of her problems. It simply shows a queer teen having an amazing and life-changing summer.
8. Blockers
One of the funniest comedies in years is also an absolutely terrific lesbian coming-of-age movie! Gideon Adlon plays Sam, one of three teen girls who make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. While the other two girls’ parents want to stop them to “protect” their daughters, Sam’s dad (Ike Barinholtz) is on a mission to stop his daughter because he knows she’s gay and will regret hooking up with a boy. It’s got some serious laughs, as well as some very tender father-daughter moments.
9. Mosquita y Mari
Queer filmmaker Aurora Guerroro tells the story of two young Latinas as they become close friends and fall in love. It’s a rare kind of story that is beautifully told in glances, intimate touches, and shared secrets. Queer Latinas looking for a movie that can speak to them must check out Mosquita y Mari.
10. Crush
Crush is a fairly light movie, but that doesn’t stop it from delivering a powerful message of happiness and growth for teen lesbians. The movie follows high school lesbian Paige Evans (Rowan Blanchard) who joins her school’s track team in order to get closer to her crush, but actually starts getting closer to her crush’s bisexual sister (Auli’i Cravalho). It’s a delightfully queer movie that will make you smile, laugh, and sigh.
