Coming of Age Films

The Idea

    While thinking about the most viable options for me and the production of my film opening, I think I could best represent a coming-of-age movie, since I am, after all, a teenager. The definition of a coming-of-age film is a film that "depicts one or more young protagonists facing a key moment of personal growth from childhood to adulthood." With this in mind, if I choose this approach for my film opening, I have to have a film opening that presents a character that can have development towards the end.

Characteristics of Coming-of-Age Films

    An article (cited at the bottom of this post) states that a coming-of-age pieces should have three main factors: character growth, dialogue, and social commentary. For my film opening, I think that social commentary would be most prevalent in what I produce. I'm gonna have to brainstorm some teenagers, like me, face. If I can figure this out, then the rest will come to me. I'll let you know what I can come up with.

Classic Coming-of-Age Film: Clueless (1995)

    Clueless is an iconic film that never gets old. Releasing in 1995, this film continues to be one that is timeless and appreciated by all generations. 

    I find that the film opening for Clueless does a good job of establishing the main character, Cher. Check out the video below to see the first ten minutes of the movie!

    Based on the clip, you can tell that Cher is a spoiled rich girl, who seems to have a disregard for those around her. She seems to always get her way, and you can see by the way she boasts about her teachers changing her grades every semester. Her personality and way of living are set within these nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds, which can also be seen through the voiceover narration the film uses.

    Although I don't have access to a Jeep Wrangler like Cher does, she and I do have a couple things in common. We are both high schoolers trying to be successful and find our place in the world. I can use this to my advantage as I stick to what I know.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

    Directed by John Hughes, Ferris Bueller's Day Off follows a high school boy on his journey of skipping a day of school by faking an illness. The film opening perfectly sets the scene for this plot.

    The film starts by establishing the setting, Ferris Bueller's house, then we are introduced to his whole family. We know that Ferris is the protagonist as he directly addresses the camera and narrates for himself. This is a different execution of what Clueless does, because, although they both use narration,  Ferris Bueller's Day Off uses the direct address rather than a normal voiceover that Clueless uses.

What's the Point?

    Keeping in mind that these films usually end with character development, this leads me to believe that my film opening should establish a character that has some sort of ignorance or issue that will later be solved, but this doesn't have to be the case, as proven the Ferris Bueller's film opening. This is a very interesting type of film that I will keep as an option when deciding my film's idea.

Citations

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) [opening scene]. (2018, September 14). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAUvxPeTHEE

Clueless: Watch the First 9 Minutes and 59 Seconds | Netflix. (2020, June 1). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sq0g7rkXZw

What Is a Coming-of-Age Movie? Definition and Top Films. (2019, September 27). LiveAbout. https://www.liveabout.com/coming-of-age-movies-4690625

M. (2021, September 24). Coming-of-Age Movies: What Is the Coming-of-Age Genre? MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/coming-of-age-movies#10-notable-comingofage-movies