Tag Archives: Coming-of-age drama

Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A dark fairy tale amidst gangs and ghosts

Posted on May 4, 2019 by kaist455

Mexican film “Tigers Are Not Afraid” is a dark fairy tale set between two different kinds of horror. While it gives us a chillingly realistic glimpse into a harsh and brutal world riddled with crime and violence everyday, it also … Continue reading →

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The Hate U Give (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): She won’t be quiet at all

Posted on January 19, 2019 by kaist455

“The Hate U Give”, which is based on the novel of the same name by Angie Thomas, handles a timely subject with earnest care and compassion. Through the intimate human story of a young girl who becomes a lot more … Continue reading →

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Mid90s (2018) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Growing up with skateboarding in the mid-1990s

Posted on December 25, 2018 by kaist455

“Mid90s” works best when it gives us a glimpse into its specific subculture in the mid-1990s. Because I am not that familiar with its subject, I observed the film with anthropological curiosity as enjoying its authentic mood and laid-back style … Continue reading →

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Summer 1993 (2017) ☆☆☆(3/4): That summer of Frida

Posted on December 7, 2018 by kaist455

Spanish film “Summer 1993”, which was selected as the Spanish entry for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in last year, tells its story via the limited but unadulterated viewpoint of its little young heroine. As she tries to cope with … Continue reading →

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We the Animals (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As he grows up with his brothers

Posted on December 2, 2018 by kaist455

“We the Animals” is something I cannot forget easily. As a haunting mixture of intimate family drama and sensitive coming-of-age drama, the movie has a number of lyrical and poetic moments to remember, and they are still lingering on my … Continue reading →

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The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): At a conversion center

Posted on November 24, 2018 by kaist455

“The Miseducation of Cameron Post”, which won the Grand Jury Prize for US Drama at the Sundance Film Festival early in this year, is about a young sexually confused girl who happens to be pushed into a bad place cruelly … Continue reading →

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Leave No Trace (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Father and daughter in the wood

Posted on October 8, 2018 by kaist455

Understated but undeniably powerful, “Leave No Trace” drew my attention right from its very first moment and then engaged me more through its intimate depiction of the strong relationship between its two main characters. As closely living with each other … Continue reading →

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Eighth Grade (2018) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Before high school

Posted on October 8, 2018 by kaist455

I like movies making me emphasize with people different from me, and “Eighth Grade” is one of such good films. Although its teenage heroine’s tumultuous emotional journey feels rather alien to me because my adolescent years were less eventful in … Continue reading →

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Love, Simon (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): Conventional but Notable

Posted on September 2, 2018 by kaist455

“Love, Simon” reminds me again of how things have been changed a lot for queer films these days. After the considerable success of “Brokeback Mountain” (2005), LGBTQ characters have become more common in American films during recent years, and now … Continue reading →

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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) ☆☆☆(3/4): The trouble with her letters

Posted on August 19, 2018 by kaist455

Netflix film “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” is a conventional coming-of-age comedy drama, but it distinguishes itself with several good things to notice. First, it is rather refreshing to see a major American teenager film featuring an Asian … Continue reading →

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