One could argue that most stories told are "Coming-of-Age" stories. We're all coming of age by the minute whether we like it or not. These films below, however, shine a spotlight on that particularly tricky development period between youth and adulthood.
2019 | Austria
17-year-old Jakob wants nothing more than to feel alive. Uncontrollable anxiety attacks prevent him from doing so and force him to escape into virtual worlds. One night, he meets 26-year-old Kristjan in a cam chat. Their encounter marks the beginning of a transpersonal journey to t...
2013 | US
Two high school sweethearts, Luke and Jonah, spend their final months together over the course of a long, quiet summer in the rural South--a world of baseball, bicycles, church and green bean casserole--contemplating their uncertain future and the uncertain future of America.
Director ...
2016 | Argentina
Two teenage boys living in Argentina find their longtime friendship turning into a tentative romance, but their familiesare upset by this possibility and decide to tear them apart. Reunited a decade later, they must face their feeling for each other. (subtitled)
Director - Papu ...
2014 | Germany
Two friends embark on a summer road trip through Germany. When they pick up an ingratiating hitchhiker along the way, his presence begins to drive a wedge between the two buddies, revealing certain secrets long kept hidden. (subtitled)
Director - Nils Bökamp
Starring - George Tay...
2020 | Germany
Second-generation Irani-German Parvis works at a refugee shelter where he meets brother and sister Irani refugees and develops a tenuous romance with Amon as his friends attempt refugee status. (subtitled)
Director - Faraz Shariat
Starring - Benny Radjaipour, Banafshe Hourmazdi, ...
2020 | France
In 1981, love was forbidden. In 1999, starting a family seemed impossible. By 2013, everything had changed. From Philippe Faucon, the award-winning director of Fatima, this amazing new three-part cinematic event takes us through each of these years. 'Proud' tells the stories of Char...
2018 | Italy
When former childhood friends Antonio and Agostino reunite in their thirties, they find that their lives have taken them down completely different paths. As the two embark on a road trip together through Europe to settle some unfinished business, old conflicts and new revelations are...
2019 | Iran
Mani a 12-year-old boy is coming to terms with his burgeoning puberty and sexuality while navigating a series of male-dominated environments in contemporary Tehran. (subtitled)
Director - Ashkan Mehri
Starring - Taha Seyf, Milad Moayeri, Vesal Roozkhash
2015 | US
A Californian teenager's plan to come out at his Nebraskan family reunion gets derailed when a bloodstain on his young cousin's dress makes him the unwitting suspect of abuse.
Director - Matt Sobel
Starring - Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff
2017 | US
Fourteen-year-old J goes by the pronoun 'They' and is exploring their gender identity while taking hormone blockers to postpone puberty. After two years of medication and therapy, J has to make a decision about whether or not to transition.
Director - Anahita Ghazvinizadeh
Starring - ...
2012 | US
'Twilight' star Booboo Stewart stars as a Chinese-American teen with Asperger's syndrome who begins investigating the secret life of his late older brother. Joan Chen, BD Wong and "Glee" star Harry Shum Jr. co-star in this moving family drama from writer-director Quentin Lee.
Director ...
2015 | Canada
While Montreal is in the throes of a string of kidnappings targeting young boys, ten-year-old Felix is finishing his school year in the seemingly quiet suburb where he lives. A sensitive boy with a vivid imagination, Felix is afraid of everything. Little by little, his imaginary dem...
2017 | South Africa
Xolani, a lonely factory worker, travels to the rural mountains with the men of his community to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. When a defiant initiate from the city discovers his best-kept secret, Xolani's entire existence begins to unravel. (subtitled)
Direc...
2019 | US
This dark comedy from writer-director-star Mark Blane concerns a self-involved gay man who becomes a nanny for a well-to-do couple...a job for which he's completely unqualified. As he begins to bond with his precocious new charge, he also starts having delusions involving a BDSM superhe...
2018 | France
When Martin arrives in Paris to reconnect with his first love Lea, he is forced to accept that their relationship is over. But when Martin sets out to rebuild his life with dreams of being a film director he suddenly falls in love with another man. ‘Love Blooms’ is a poignant, sens...
2018 | Brazil
After his mother's sudden death, Socrates, a 15-year-old living on the margins of Sao Paulo's coast, must survive on his own. As he faces isolation because of his sexuality, his search for a decent worthy life reaches a breaking point. (subtitled)
Director - Alexandre Moratto
...
2019 | Brazil
When Lucas and Mario, two young cousins who are only meeting for the first time, are forced to share a room in the home of their deeply religious aunt, they find their personalities clashing… until an unexpected attraction starts to bond them. (subtitled)
Director - Mauro Carval...
2019 | Mexico
When eight friends travel to a remote cabin to celebrate graduation the lines between their sexuality begin to blur. 'These Peculiar Days' is an unabashedly erotic look at modern sexual fluidity between young adults.
Director - Chucho E. Quintero
Starring - Gerardo Del Razo, ...
2018 | Brazil
After a violent incident involving their abusive, homophobic father, teen siblings Robson and Marcelo are sent away to live with their elderly grandmother on the outskirts of the city. This colorful new coming-of-age series captures the lives and loves of today’s teens in Brazil. (...
2016 | Portugal
At the beach with his mother, young Pedro stumbles upon a hidden sexual playground. (subtitled)
Director - Marco Leão, André Santos
Starring - Filipe Abreu, Rita Durão, Marcello Urgeghe, João Villas-Boas
1998 | Australia
This edgy drama follows 19-year-old Ari, a gay Greek-Australian whose roiling ethnic- and sexual-identity struggles lead to a wild, 24-hour odyssey.
Director - Ana Kokkinos
Starring - Alex Dimitriades, Elena Mandalis, Damien Fotiou, Alex Papps
2017 | Mexico
In the wake of a family tragedy, Andy, an introverted student who seems different from the other boys, is forced to move in with his strict, no-nonsense grandmother. When he meets and develops a relationship with her sexy young gardener, he is opened up to a world of new possibilit...
2017 | Brazil
Diego is leaving his hometown and must leave behind everything he has ever loved including Matheus, a handsome young man. Ten years later, back in Brazil, Diego decides to write a novel about their relationship using his camera instead of his pen. This heartfelt biopic shows how pa...
2017 | France
Get seduced by the best short films from France in this exquisite new collection. Featuring six different short films, French Kisses is packed to the brim with sexy young actors in romantic stories that are bound to make you swoon. (subtitled)
Director - Francisco Bianchi, Remi ...
