When I pitched my column “‘Good’ Girlhood,” Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” (2023) was the number one film at the box office. I wanted to capitalize on the appetite for coming-of-age films about women and spotlight movies that I think Daily readers would be interested in watching. About three weeks into its theatrical run, “Barbie” had grossed a billion dollars, making Gerwig the only woman with a solo directing credit to achieve this milestone.
Despite the film’s positive reception and financial success, a 2024 report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative indicates that last year, only 30 of the top 100 highest grossing films featured a female-identified actor as a lead or co-lead.
The news that women in the film industry have lost representation gains came as no surprise to me. In addition to watching a lot of movies, I consume a lot of content about films. For example, in celebrities’ Letterboxd Top 4 picks to critics’ year-end lists, it is not uncommon for movies directed by women to be absent. As such, audiences may overlook stories about girls, women and gender minorities — subjects that female directors are more likely to feature. I have tried to review excellent films that depict the lives of girls and young women as a modest correction to this oversight. For my last installment of “‘Good’ Girlhood,” I’m offering a list of seven additional films.
Written and directed by Maria Maggenti
I adore love stories that happen when the watchful eyes of the universe blink and two people who otherwise wouldn’t cross paths become enthralled with each other. “The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love” is the perfect illustration of this narrative.
Randy Dean (Laurel Holloman) and Evie Roy (Nicole Ari Parker) are two seniors in high school from different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. Randy is a laid-back and out lesbian who lives with her aunt and her aunt’s partner, works as a mechanic and is in danger of failing out of school because of academic challenges and chronic tardiness. In contrast, Evie is a popular, Type A, straight A-student and choir girl who drives a Range Rover and lives with her successful and high-strung mother. After Randy helps Evie with car trouble, their first substantive conversation takes place in the girls’ bathroom where Evie reveals she is having boy problems. They quickly become friends before falling for one another and go through all the typical struggles of young love, except with the added pressure of wondering how open they can be about their romance.
Although an interracial, same-sex romance set in the 1990s suggests the subject matter could turn heavy, the comedic elements ramp up as the world discovers the girls’ relationship. An added delight is that Laurel Holloman, who plays Randy Dean, went on to portray Tina Kennard on “The L-Word” (2004-2009), the groundbreaking series that focuses on the lives of lesbian women in Los Angeles. No matter how the film ends, the viewer can rest assured that Randy goes on to live a sexy and scandalous life.
Written and directed by Célina Sciamma
“Petite Maman” (“Little Mother”) tells the story of Nelly (Joséphone Sanz) accompanying her mother to clear out her mom’s childhood home after Nelly’s grandmother dies. As her mother sorts through the various possessions and tries to manage her grief, Nelly traverses the same pathways in the woods that her mother used to roam. There, she meets Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), a girl who is about her age, and they construct a treehouse similar to the one her mother built as a child.
As Nelly and Marion grow closer, the girls realize that learning about the past and future requires facing what’s right in front of you in the present. Once the ending is revealed, important details present at the beginning of the story come into sharp focus. All in all, “Petite Maman” is a brilliant meditation on loss, and a film that lends itself to repeat viewings.
Written and directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour
“Wadjda” has the distinction of being Saudi Arabia’s first feature film shot inside the country. While it sheds light on some of the repressive elements of society, it also illuminates the small acts of resistance.
The movie chronicles Wadjda’s (Waad Mohammed) quest to save enough money to buy a brand new green bicycle. Girls are not allowed to ride bikes, but she is undeterred.
Wadjda’s rebellious spirit is on full display from the establishing shot of the film. While the other pupils wear plain black flats, she dons purple laces in her black Converse sneakers. In a society where girls are taught to be devout so they can go on to become wives and mothers, Wadjda is a secret third thing: an entrepreneur. She sells contraband bracelets, charges fees for her courier services and bribes the shopkeeper into reserving the bike for her. She gets her chance to earn enough money for the bike when her school holds a Quran reading competition. As Wadjda channels her scheming energy into winning the prize money, she learns that navigating gendered injustice is an exercise in learning the rules to make it easier to bend them to your favor.
Written by Crystal Moselle, Jen Silverman and Aslihan Unaldia and directed by Crystal Moselle
After Camille (Rachelle Vinberg) gets into a skateboarding accident, her mom Renata (Elizabeth Rodriguez) forbids her from skateboarding. Despite Camille’s promise, she joins an impromptu all-girls skate session and becomes friends with a group of young women, Janay (Dede Lovelace), Kurt (Nina Moran), Ruby (Kabrina Adams) and Ajani Russell (Indigo), who share her passion for shredding. As Camille is drawn further into the world of her new friends, she begins the painful but necessary process of growing up and away from her mother’s influence.
As the film progresses, the viewer obtains insight into the source of Camille’s unease in the world. She lived under her dad’s care until puberty, and she has not adjusted to her mom’s attempts to convert her into a more feminine style of dress. During one scene, she tells Janay that male skaters can perform death-defying tricks with ease because good skaters don’t overthink things, and being a girl means thinking too much. There is a compromise between overthinking and taking risks beyond parental restrictions, and the girls find it by learning to stay in steady motion.
Written and directed by So Yong Kim
Set in Seoul, South Korea, “Treeless Mountain” follows two sisters, Jin (Hee-yeon Kim) and Bin (Song-hee Kim), and their struggle to adjust to living with their aunt after their mother sets out to find her estranged husband. As the girls wait for their mom to return, they develop a plan to make the time go by faster; and their world transforms as the girls suffer the pain of growing up without a mother. “Treeless Mountain” is a poignant study on how girls are forced to grow up too fast. The movie is primarily filmed in close-up shots, which creates a stark picture of how big the world is compared to the smallness of youth. (Spoiler: An event in the third act changes the sisters’ circumstances, and while it is not an entirely happy resolution, it is an alternative vision of family life that is characterized by mutual care.)
Written and directed by Leslie Harris
The Black New Wave is a label used to describe films released in the 1980s and 1990s by directors who created movies that depict the intricacy of the lives of Black people beyond stereotypical portrayals and free from moralizing messages. Although the Black New Wave birthed bonafide stars (such as Spike Lee and John Singleton), Black female filmmakers like Leslie Harris who came up during this time struggled to find financing for subsequent projects and almost had their work lost to time.
“Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.” is a Black New Wave gem that chronicles the life of Chantal (Ariyan A. Johnson), a 17-year-old Black girl growing up in a housing project in Brooklyn. Chantal explains that she doesn’t care that strangers see her and her friends as “street girls with no future” because she has a master plan — graduate high school early, go to college and become a doctor so she never has to work for anyone but herself. As the narrative unfolds, the audience understands the numerous barriers to climbing up the mobility ladder and the importance of brash confidence. From standing up to her patronizing teachers to setting boundaries with catcallers and suitors, surviving in her world takes attitude.
Directed by D. Smith
As I developed a list of films that capture girlhood, my editors thankfully let me define this term expansively. Beyond the development stage, girlhood also refers to the state where women learn to nurture their inner child. D. Smith’s documentary “Kokomo City” is an unfiltered and powerful exploration of the lives of four Black trans women — Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell and Dominique Silver. In their respective interviews, the women share how they became working girls and turned to survival sex work after experiences with financial insecurity and rejection from family members during adolescence.
Although sex work has been an avenue to financial stability, it is risky work. The women describe their hurt from being privately desired, yet harmed and publicly denigrated. Despite these challenges, they are charismatic storytellers who use humor and charisma to share their wisdom. “Kokomo City” leaves the viewer with much to think about with respect to sex, gender, love and desire. Ultimately, the women’s stories suggest that in a world that seeks to police everyone’s gender, good girlhood is about learning to embrace yourself fully instead of relying on external validation.
I have loved reviewing coming-of-age stories — it’s one of my favorite genres, and a theme that many female filmmakers embrace. My next column, “Her POV,” will explore classic and contemporary female-directed movies, with a focus on how these filmmakers explore common social issues. Representation gains in the industry may be fragile, but there is much to look forward to in terms of good storytelling that reflects and broadens our understanding of the world and ourselves.
Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.
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