With graduation season approaching, the post-collegiate chaos of finding belonging in the world looms near for many students. To combat this feeling, The Daily Texan compiled a list of coming-of-age films, ranging from transitions within adolescence to adulthood. No matter where one’s path takes them, these films will comfort viewers and acknowledge the array of emotions that come with starting a new chapter. 

Moonlight

Content warning: homophobia, hate speech, physical abuse, emotional abuse and drug abuse 

Exploring three complex chapters of the life of Chiron, a young Black man living in a housing project of Miami, Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” raises commentary about topics often not discussed. Equal parts devastating and heartening, the film contemplates masculinity as Chiron explores his sexual orientation and identity. “Moonlight” accomplishes the rare feat in which each performance complements the next to create a masterpiece. At every age, Chiron embodies the fear and self-doubt that riddles the coming-of-age experience while reminding viewers of the beauty behind wearily wading through the tumultuous tides of boyhood into the courageous currents of adulthood. 

Eighth Grade 

Content warning: sexual assault 

In his directorial debut, director Bo Burnham delivers a painfully accurate depiction of a specific coming-of-age experience, one immersed in the age of get ready with me videos and unrestricted access to a sexually explicit internet. “Eighth Grade” reminds its audience of the melodramatic woes of middle school in the digital age. Despite its punchy usage of Vine references and internet culture, viewers of any age will see a buried version of themselves plucked out and plastered on screen through Kayla’s (Elsie Fisher) awkward pacing during phone calls and slippery stumbling through conversations. Fisher’s performance encapsulates an experience transcending all generations: a desire to be accepted and escape loneliness. 

Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse

Serving as a glimmer of hope within the Marvel cinematic universe, “Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse” offers a visually distinctive animated experience that opens one’s eyes to the artistic nature behind comic books. The film combines several animation styles while maintaining the core of the classic Spider-man story: a teen boy, quite literally, stuck in a web of heroism, familial values and challenging adventures. The animated expedition invites its audience to relate to a superhero, a seemingly unrelatable figure, during his navigation through a complex boyhood. Finding himself in a new school facing new and old friends and foes, the protagonist, Miles, speaks to the desire to hold onto familiarity while taking on what it means to be a hero.  

Another Round

Content warning; alcoholism and suicide 

While the coming-of-age experience seems restricted to the transition from adolescence to adulthood, it also consists of finding one’s footing in adulthood. Following characters struggling with alcoholism, Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” exposes the hidden vulnerability of adults and the harmful tendencies they adopt in an attempt to ease into the unknown. Surrounded by realities of lost opportunity and regrettable failures, the film’s schoolteachers fall into cycles of seeking old versions of themselves. “Another Round” calls on its audience to experience adulthood through the lens of acceptance rather than criticism, allowing oneself the time to settle into their true identity, regardless of their placement in life.