The film’s theme - that life is about growth and new inventions - influences every character’s decision-making in this thought-provoking examination of what it means to embrace new beginnings and evolve with new teachings while also staying true to one’s individuality and personal inclinations. Her budding relationship with Tahir also challenges them both as they try to grapple with balancing their physical desires for each other while staying true to the core principles taught to them by their parents.Īfter a revealing picture of Summer goes viral, and she is publicly shamed by those meant to nurture and protect her, Summer spirals into a cloud of self-doubt as she questions her purpose and dueling identities. But even as Summer develops a deeper understanding, she struggles to align her choices of self-expression as a dancer and woman embracing her sexuality with her new identity as a woman of the Muslim faith. As Summer learns more about the religion, she begins to embrace her new identity as a Muslim and falls in love with a fellow classmate Tahir (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) who further introduces her to the lessons and principles of Islam. But her life is upended when her mother Jade (Simone Missick) converts to Islam and impels Summer to do the same. And like any other senior, she is busy waiting to hear about her acceptance into college, hanging out with friends, eating pizza, and choreographing a dance for the end-of-year talent show. Summer (Zoe Renee) is the average girl next door in her final year of high school. In an effort to quell Laura’s influence she forces Alike to befriend a young girl from church named Bina (Aasha Davis). Alike’s mother Audrey (Kim Wayans) is suspicious of her daughter’s only friendship with high school drop-out Laura (Pernell Walker). It follows Alike (Adepero Oduye) a high-school senior learning to nurture her identity as a lesbian while keeping her true self a secret from her family. From religion and sexuality to grief and regret, these films expose the emotional range of women filmmakers and the Black women they choose to tell stories about.ĭee Rees’ Pariah is the feature expansion of her short film of the same name. Having Black women at the center of such stories adds layers of perspectives in multiple ways. The coming of age story is one rich with nostalgia and longing for simpler times. What’s exciting about this list of films is that there is such a range of voices, subject matter, and character journeys that there’s a little bit of something for everyone. To help, we have rounded up a list of 11 coming of age films centered around Black girls that can be streamed online today. The movie is now currently engulfed in a right-wing led campaign because of its sexualized portrayal of the young girls.) (The rare exception to all of this is the French movie Cuties, the feature-length debut from Maïmouna Doucouré which has gotten a lot of attention about the way Netflix marketed it. If there isn’t a wide or limited theatrical release - and studios and production companies don’t provide adequate marketing budgets - it’s hard for audiences to know a film is even coming out let alone where they can view it. That doesn’t mean these stories don’t exist, it’s simply a matter of lack of access and exposure. Hollywood seems to have little to no interest in funding the production for movies about Black women’s transitional period into adulthood. Every time a splashy, heavily marketed coming of age story like Booksmart or Lady Bird comes on the scene, the chatter about the lack of similar stories about Black girls amplifies. Like most other areas of the film and television industry, the coming of age genre lacks the variety and range of diverse voices that reflect the realities of the world.
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