Genre Theory

Genre Analysis: Coming-of-Age

Coming of age films are movies about self discovery, friendship, and love during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. With my eighteenth birthday coming up and high school coming to a close with senior year, I decided to write about the genre that explores one of the biggest turning points in our lives as we grow older.

Content

As coming-of-age films focus on change and growth, most films center around teenagers or young adults as protagonists. The characters face personal and social challenges that contribute to their growth and maturity as the film progresses and they learn to become the people they will be in adulthood. Because the genre is tied to a young protagonist learning how to navigate life, the main characters are very limited in age range and so the focus is placed on their interpersonal relationships. 

Still from Juno (2007)

Characters often face challenges within their own identity as well as their friendships and even romantic partners. The genre focuses heavily on how our connections with the people around us fluctuate as we grow older and we form new bonds or grow out of old ones. Another big element in coming-of-age films is the setting. These kinds of movies are often set in high schools or small home towns where the characters have been raised in. The use of a simple home town provides the character with a stagnant setting they have known all their lives as they navigate the early stages of young adulthood. Oftentimes, this is used to provide a contrast when the character matures and eventually grows out of everything they have ever known, their hometown included. The use of the everyday environment also highlights the sense of nostalgia and familiarity that comes from a character having lived there their entire lives. 

Still from Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Another setting that can be commonly used is an unfamiliar location. Sometimes, leaving their hometown and going someplace unfamiliar is what triggers the character's growth and sets the start of their journey. A summer camp or a family trip where the protagonist is forced to face many challenges at once, leading to their development, is another commonly used setting in coming-of-age films. Films within the coming-of-age genre can vary from lighthearted to serious, often blending humor with dramatic moments to capture life's ups and downs. Part of growing up is handling change and learning to live with and overcome all of the challenges that come with life. In almost all coming-of-age films, the protagonists deal with changes and hardships that help them grow stronger as individuals

Still from My Girl (1991)

as they mature throughout the film. Oftentimes the characters will face problems with lifelong friends, be forced to make tough decisions, struggle with self identity, and sometimes even face death or another huge life altering moment which forces them to change their perspective and outlook on life.

Production Techniques 

The lighting in the coming-of-age genre is naturalistic as it is intended to create a grounded and realistic look. Warm and soft lighting is often used in order to evoke nostalgia and the passage of time. During pivotal moments in the protagonist's journey, the lighting is often dramatic, showcasing an important turning point in their story. The colors in these films are also on the warmer side, creating a sense of intimacy and passion as the viewer follows the main characters journey and growth. 

Still from ladybird (2017)

During more serious scenes where characters face upsetting realizations or set-backs in their story, the colors become dull or desaturated. The use of both extremes in color palettes helps emphasize the difference in lighthearted and serious moments as the protagonists in this genre of film feel everything so deeply. Because the characters are starting to navigate through life, the importance of their feelings is highlighted through the use of juxtaposed color palettes which portrays their extreme and often contradicting feelings throughout the film. Camera work is also used to emphasize those feelings, with close-up shots being used to capture emotional expression and intimacy and wide shots being used for key moments to show growth or change. The coming-of-age genre also often uses visual motifs to reflect growth. Seasonal changes 

Still from perks of being a wallflower (2012)

as the film progresses is used to show change and growth as the character progresses through the narrative. Personal belongings and locations such as bedrooms and neighborhoods are used to show a sense of nostalgia and familiarity to reflect on the character and their personal changes throughout the film.

Marketing

 Coming-of-age films primarily target teenagers and young adults. The films under this genre are made to be relatable to their target demographic, emphasizing their current point in their journey and making them "feel seen" as their hardships are portrayed on screen in a way that relates to them. These films also can also appeal to adult audiences who may connect with the nostalgic elements or universal themes of growth and change.

Still from 13 Going On 30 (2004)

The coming-of-age genre is often marketed through relatable or iconic characters, personal and emotional trailers, and through social media in order to reach younger audiences, their target demographic. Films of this genre are often promoted as heartfelt, thought-provoking, or life affirming and may seem to "guide" their target audience through their transition from adolescence to early adulthood.

Samples

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) follows Charlie, an introvert who struggles with past trauma and social isolation, as he navigates his first year of high school. Charlie begins the school year completely alone before befriending Sam and Patrick, two seniors who introduce him to their friend group and accept him as a "wallflower".  As Sam and Patrick navigate their final year of high school Charlie learns about love and acceptance, living through their journey with them until they eventually leave for college and leave Charlie to explore the rest of his high school growth on his own. The film embodies the coming-of-age genre by exploring Charlie's self-discovery journey and how he overcomes emotional obstacles. The Perks of Being a Wallflower explores themes of friendship, mental health, love, acceptance, and personal growth, ultimately highlighting the importance of human connection and self acceptance. The film deals with the protagonist's growth and utilizes conventions such as the hometown setting and emphasis on interpersonal relationships.

Lady Bird (2017) follows Christine "Lady Bird", a high school senior in Sacramento, California, who dreams for independence and wishes to escape her hometown to attend college on the East Coast. The story dives into her strained relationship with her mother as well as her experiences with her friends, first love, and self discovery. Throughout the film "Lady Bird" experiences many hardships as she finishes up her last year of high school before she is able to move away to the East Coast. The film Lady Bird captures the bittersweet and awkward moments in Christine's life as she learns to navigate her relationship with her mother and grow into her own person. This film also embodies the coming-of-age genre as it explores themes of personal identity, first love, and personal relationships as the protagonist, Lady Bird, navigates the early stages of adulthood and matures into her own person.

Other Coming-of-Age Films

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Call me by your name (2017)

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Juno (2007)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Representation

    My representation blog post discusses the film, 500 days of summer. The film centers around Tom and Summer's relationship and how it ultimately ends because they both had differing expectations. The story is told in Tom's perspective, creating a sort of bias and leading the audience to empathize and side with him after the end of their relationship. Throughout the film, Tom idealizes Summer which leads to an internal crisis as he becomes disillusioned by her rejection when she is not the person he projects her as. Because the film is in his perspective, Summer is constructed as elusive and distant through his eyes which causes the audience to relate to him and take his side.

    Through Tom's character the film constructs the narrative around the "hopeless romantic" stereotype, portraying him as someone who believes in soulmates and idealizes love. Tom projects his fantasies onto Summer the moment he finds out they have common interests and becomes obsessed with the idea of her. He focuses on the aspects of her personality that fit his dream girl archetype while ignoring the others that contradict it, often to a fault.

    Summer, on the other hand, is shown as a character who resists the traditional romantic female lead role. Her character is shown through Tom's lens as an independent free-spirited woman who states that she is not interested in a serious romantic relationship. Her role however leans into the element of the "manic pixie dream girl" trope, with her independence being exoticized as her refusal to conform is seen as intriguing and mysterious in a way that makes her desirable to Tom. The film both deconstructs and reinforces certain stereotypes in the romance and drama genre by making her elusiveness and unobtainability a central part of her character, othering her from Tom because her ideals don't line up with his projection of her.

Ultimately, the film plays with the usual tropes in romance by subverting expectations by having the two main leads not end up together. 500 Days of Summer critiques the stereotypes of romantic stories and the "hopeless romantic" trope by revealing how Tom's selective and idealized view of Summer prevents him from seeing her as a fully realized person, leading to the end of their relationship. The films de-centered portrayal, however, leaves room for critique in the aspect of representation. The story being told entirely from his perspective limits Summer's character development to what is relevant to Tom's character and his arc, making her more of a narrative device than a fully realized protagonist of her own.

Sound

Prior to the project assignation, we discussed the different kinds of sounds used to produce films such as diegetic and non-diegetic sound, sound motifs, and scores. The additional assigned videos demonstrated the use of the Foley technique to create sounds using objects that simulate the audio of the object in the film.

For this project we had to make a soundscape and create a scene using only audio. The goal was to create a cohesive scene without the use of video by layering and editing sounds to make the soundscape. In addition, we needed to create at least four Foley sounds using objects we had laying around at home. For this project we were assigned our partners, mine being Zach London. We approached the project by first creating an outline with specific scenes and multiple sounds listed underneath each scene to help create the auditory picture. We also decided to split the work, with each person doing a portion of the scene and then editing the two bits together.

During our brainstorming we first wanted to do a restaurant scene before ultimately deciding to do a carnival fair. We listed the sounds you'd typically hear such as roller coasters, chatter, people cheering, and games ringing as people played. The outline helped me figure out all the sounds I would have to gather to edit together and also have an idea of where they should go timeline-wise. To edit we used Adobe Audiation, a program I had not used before and sort of learned how to use throughout the process. I found it difficult to adjust to the program, especially because my partner already knew how to work it, but eventually I was able to use it to create my portion of the project.

Overall I feel like I did a good job, especially given my lack of experience, and felt like I was able to create the atmosphere and make my part of the scene sound cohesive. I would, however, have added more layered sounds and played around with the speed and volume of the sound clips as well as effects to help bring my part from basic to a more well developed soundscape.

Link to project:AcostaLondon_soundscape_per8.mp3