These are the best coming-of age movies about lesbians and queer women around!
Pernell Walker and Adepero Oduye as Laura and Alike in 'Pariah,' Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as Molly and Amy in 'Booksmart, Nathash Lyonne and Clea Duvall as Megan and Graham in 'But I'm a Cheerleader'
It’s hard enough being a lesbian or queer woman, but being those things and a teen is a whole other world of difficult. Thankfully, some of the best movies about queer women also happen to be coming-of-age films!
These movies explore what it means to be a girl, a woman, a lesbian, and queer. They explore female friendships, relationships with parents, school issues, and the future. They explore young love. And they do it all excellently.
Unsurprisingly, nearly all these movies are directed by women, and more than half are directed by queer women. Queer women know the type of stories they want to see, and they're the best at telling them.
Next time you want an excellent queer movie about girls and young women growing up, check out these films!
15. 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'
Cameron Post has a similar premise to the classic comedy But I’m a Cheerleader, but with a very different tone and execution. It’s still a lesbian coming-of-age gem. Directed by queer director, Desiree Akhavan, and starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, and Forrest Goodluck, it follows a girl in the '90s who is caught having sex with another girl and sent to conversion therapy camp, where she makes new friends and learns to stand up for herself.
Read our review.
Streaming on Tubi.
14. 'Crush'
Crush is a fairly light movie, but that doesn’t stop it from delivering a powerful message of happiness and growth for teen lesbians. The movie follows high school lesbian Paige Evans (Rowan Blanchard), who joins her school’s track team in order to get closer to her crush. Instead, she starts getting closer to her crush’s bisexual sister (Auli’i Cravalho). It’s a delightfully queer movie that will make you smile, laugh, and sigh.
Check out our interview with the stars.
Read our review.
Streaming on Hulu.
13. 'Mosquita y Mari'
Queer filmmaker Aurora Guerrero tells the story of two young Latinas as they become close friends and fall in love. It’s a rare kind of story that is beautifully told in glances, intimate touches, and shared secrets. Queer Latinas looking for a movie that can speak to them must check out Mosquita y Mari.
Currently unavailable to stream in the U.S.
12. 'The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love'
This 'opposites attract' love story is about 17-year-old tomboy and burnout Randy Dean, who meets a rich girl from her school named Evie Roy. The two start being friends at school, but soon their relationship evolves. While not everyone in their community is accepting, the two girls are able to fight to have a relationship.
Check out our interview with the director.
Streaming on Netflix.
11. 'Princess Cyd'
Jessie Pinnick stars as a headstrong 16-year-old who spends the summer in Chicago with her aunt while exploring her sexuality. Pinnick is terrific in the movie, and it never makes Cyd’s queerness a source of her problems. It simply shows a queer teen having an amazing and life-changing summer.
Check out our interview with the director.
Streaming on Tubi.
10. 'Alice Júnior'
This 2019 Brazilian coming-of-age film flew under the radar but definitely deserves your attention. It stars Anna Celestino Mota as Aice, a 17-year-old trans girl and YouTuber who moves from the city to the countryside. Once there, she has to enroll in a Catholic school and starts being bullied while she makes new friends and seeks out her first kiss. It’s rare for films to explore the lives of trans women who love women, so this film is truly special.
Available to rent on Prime Video.
9. 'Blockers'
One of the funniest comedies in years is also an absolutely terrific lesbian coming-of-age movie! Gideon Adlon plays Sam, one of three teen girls who make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. While the other two girls’ parents want to stop them to “protect” their daughters, Sam’s dad (Ike Barinholtz) is on a mission to stop his daughter because he knows she’s gay and will regret hooking up with a boy. It’s got some serious laughs, as well as some very tender father-daughter moments.
Check out our interview with Adlon.
Available to rent on Prime Video.
8. 'Show Me Love'
Also titled F*cking Åmål, this 90s Swedish classic is about Agnes and Elin, two schoolgirls who, at first, kiss on a dare. Soon, the girls realize they have more in common than they thought, including real feelings for each other. It's a sweet look at young love.
Available to rent on Google Play.
7. 'Booksmart'
Only one of the two lead characters of this movie is gay, but the other is played by queer actor Beanie Feldstein. The queerness of this movie and its overall greatness are enough to put it high on this list. Olivia Wilde’s feature directorial debut is a hilarious joyride in the vein of Superbad, but for queer girls.
Read our review.
Available to rent on Prime Video.
6. 'The Half of It'
Alice Wu is a master of the lesbian movie. With The Half of It, she delivered a stunning and understated triumph with this queer, Asian-American retelling of one of the all-time classic love stories, Cyrano de Bergerac. The film follows teenage Ellie Chu, who writes love letters to the popular girl she has a crush on on behalf of her friend Paul Munsky. All the young actors deliver terrific performances, and the movie will leave you feeling warm inside.
Check out our interview with the director.
Streaming on Netflix.
5. 'Rafiki'
Wanuri Kahiu's 2018 Kenyan drama follows two young women, Kena and Ziki, growing up in Nairobi. The two girls are the daughters of local political rivals, but still, a relationship blooms between them. Because homosexuality is illegal in their country, they have to keep their love a secret. While homophobia can be a tired trope in films like this, Rafiki addresses it in a way rarely seen, taking on the issue of criminalized homosexuality that still exists today.
Read our review.
Streaming on Tubi.
4. 'Bottoms'
Lesbian coming-of-age movies don't get more raunchy, sleezy, or funny than Bottoms. Starring Rachel Sennott as PJ and Ayo Edebiri as Josie, Bottoms is a teen comedy about a pair of loser lesbians who start a self-defence club at their high school in order to attract girls. It's 92 minutes of pure lesbian chaos and fun, complete with steamy makeouts and over-the-top violence.
Read our review.
Check out our interview with the director.
Available to rent on Prime Video.
3. 'I Saw the TV Glow'
Viewers might not think of Jane Schoenbrun's 2024 instant horror classic when they hear 'lesbian coming-of-age movie.' However, what else would you call a film about two teen girls who may be in love and are trapped in a hellish alternate reality where they are forced to come of age as awkward teens who feel like they don't belong in their own bodies or lives? How about genius? Jack Haven and Justice Smith deliver compelling performances as teens and young adults (and in Smith's case, an older adult) in this movie that examines the horrors of growing up.
Read our review.
Check out our interviews with the filmmaker and cast.
Streaming on Max.
2. 'Pariah'
While the tone of Pariah isn’t as cheerful as some of the comedies on this list, there’s no denying its power and how triumphant it ends up being. Based loosely on director Dee Rees’ teen years, Pariah follows a 17-year-old Black lesbian learning to embrace her identity and love the life she has. Pariah knows that life can be, and often is, hard on a Black teen lesbian, but it never stops showing how beautiful it is to be one.
Available to rent on Prime Video.
1. 'But I'm a Cheerleader'
But I’m a Cheerleader is a brilliant campy comedy from Jamie Babbit about a teen cheerleader (Natasha Lyonne) who is sent to a gay conversion camp by her parents. There she meets a gaggle of gays and ex-gays, including ones played by RuPaul, Melanie Lynskey, and of course, her love interest played by Clea DuVall. It’s a comedy classic and one of the first and best truly happy lesbian films. It still stands up today, nearly 25 years after it was released. If you’re a queer teen who wants to know that happiness and love are possible for you, watch this movie.
Streaming on Tubi.
