Best Coming Of Age Movies

2002 • Rating 8.4 • drama, crime

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

Genre: Drama, Crime

Style: Gritty, Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Teens

Plot: Street Gang, Photographer, Gangster, Rio De Janeiro, Gang War, Ghetto, Based On True Story, Coming Of Age, Introspective, Conceited

Time: Year 2002, 2000S, 2002-08-30

Place: Brazil, France, Germany, Portuguese

Cast: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele

1988 • Rating 8.4 • drama, romance

A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Teens

Plot: Parent Child Relationship, Sicily, Italy, Movie Business, Kiss, Coming Of Age, Flashback, Magic Realism, Haunted By The Past, Censorship, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

Time: Year 1988, 1980S, Past, 1988-11-17

Place: Italy, France, Italian

Cast: Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Marco Leonardi, Salvatore Cascio, Agnese Nano, Antonella Attili

2016 • Rating 8.4 • animation, drama, romance

Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. When they leave elementary school, Shouko and Shouya do not speak to each other again... until an older, wiser Shouya, tormented by his past behaviour, decides he must see Shouko once more. He wants to atone for his sins, but is it already too late...?

Genre: Animation, Drama, Romance

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: High School, Friendship, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Deaf, Bullying, Coming Of Age, School, Based On Manga, Adult Animation

Time: Year 2016, 2010S, 2016-09-17

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yuuki, Kensho Ono, Yuki Kaneko, Yui Ishikawa

2026 • Rating 7.9 • animation, comedy, family

A small goat with big dreams gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball, a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Underdog, Friendship, Sports, Allies, Ambition, Bullying, Challenge, Basketball, Rivalry, Coming Of Age

Time: Year 2026, 2020S, 2026-02-11

Place: United States Of America, English

Cast: Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Stephen Curry, Aaron Pierre, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour

1989 • Rating 7.8 • animation, family, fantasy

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy

Style:

Audience: Family, Teens

Plot: Witch, Clock Tower, Bicycle Accident, Female Friendship, Bakery, Coming Of Age, Based On Children'S Book, Cartoon Cat, Cartoon Dog, Baking

Time: Year 1989, 1980S, 1989-07-29

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keiko Toda, Mieko Nobusawa, Koichi Miura

2025 • Rating 6.4 • horror, drama, science fiction

Alpha, a troubled 13-year-old lives with her single mom. Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.

Genre: Horror, Drama, Science Fiction

Style: Cerebral, Futuristic

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Teens

Plot: Coming Of Age, Disease, Pandemic, Mother Daughter Relationship, Body Horror, Depressing, Alpha, A Troubled, Year-Old Lives With Her Single Mom, Their World Collapses The Day She Returns From School With A Tattoo On Her Arm

Time: Year 2025, 2020S, 2025-08-20

Place: France, Belgium, English, French, Persian

Cast: Mélissa Boros, Tahar Rahim, Golshifteh Farahani, Emma Mackey, Finnegan Oldfield, Louai El Amrousy