Coming-of-age appeal

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Two films in the running for awards this season are Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ (2017) and Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Call Me by Your Name’ (2017). Both films successfully capture the uncertain emotions of youth transitioning into adulthood, but in entirely different ways (reviews of both films to follow).

Lady Bird (2017)

Many of my favourite films are from this genre - Stand by Me (1986), Heathers (1988), Lawn Dogs (1997), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Stoker (2013) to name a few - so what is the enduring appeal of this genre and how does it continue to draw audiences in over and over again?

Firstly, we have all been there. Quite simply, we’ve all gone through the trials and tribulations that we see these characters going through, we can identify and relate to them as we all have to grow up and we can vividly remember the awkwardness of figuring things out for the first time, feeling alone, feeling obsessed, feeling angry. It’s a strange yet transient time and perhaps this is where the fascination lies. Often films will portray this time as a mere summer, such as My Summer of Love (2004), as does Call Me by Your Name - six weeks in which everything changes for our main protagonist. The weather is good, people go on holiday - the perfect excuse to meet an intriguing stranger that will change everything.

Lawn Dogs (1997)

The genre also needs to be character driven. It relies on us empathising with the protagonist and therefore we go on an emotional journey with them. We see things from their perspective, everything is closely observed and with the right director this can be an extremely powerful experience for the viewer, Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) being a fairly recent example of this. Sometimes, the sheer mysteriousness of this phase in life is used for effect, with few answers even given, such as Sofia Coppola’s beautifully ethereal mystery The Virgin Suicides (1999).

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

So, why do we as adults want to go back to such a confusing time in life? Perhaps it makes us feel better about ourselves, that we have a much more stable existence, or maybe we are yearning for better days when life had less responsibilities and we could just focus upon ourselves?

Narratively speaking, a good story always has the main protagonist go on a journey and therefore the rites of passage that these characters embark on act as both an emotional and physical journey that the audience can clearly see. Unlike many cultures, the rites of passage in Western society are not as clearly defined so there is plenty of scope for writers to develop an individual story that hasn’t been told before.

Or, perhaps it is more a reflection on society today. With the term man-child embedded within our culture and often used for comedic effect, are we more confused than ever on how to grow up and be an adult in this world?

Whatever the reason may be, the genre is certainly as strong as it has ever been.