Coming-of-Age films have a heavy and undeniable cultural impact that can be seen throughout history. For example, James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause started a new fashion trend, wearing tee shirts as staple items instead of just as undershirts. Slang words and phrases, such as "On Wednesday, we wear pink" from Mean Girls have lasted throughout culture. Many want their friend group to be like the Brat Pack from The Breakfast Club. With that, I wonder, "does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?" I wonder how and why Coming-of-Age films resonate with their audiences more than any other genre. There are definitely some common conventions in Coming-of-Age films, and I would like to talk about those here.
Most films in this genre center around 1-3 sixteen-to-eighteen year old characters that share the same conflict. They spend the majority of the film trying to solve the conflict together. Usually, it's some thing that requires the character(s), to mature in some way, hence the name "Coming-of-Age." Their age will often determine the conflict that they face... Some common conflicts include virginity, pregnancy, friendships, romantic relationships, family issues, identity issues, death, and illness. The films are all about encouragement and learning about oneself, and that's what the audiences take from them... Maybe that's how life imitates art: Most people that watch Coming-of-Age films are around the same age as the characters on screen, and at that age, we're experimenting with different styles to help us learn more about our identity. Maybe the characters in Coming-of-Age films give their audiences more content to experiment with in their own lives.