Sometimes, you just need a really good cry, and these four coming-of-age movies are guaranteed to help you do just that.
1. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Based on a YA novel of the same name by Jesse Andrews, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl explores themes of growing up, friendship, belonging, and grief by telling the story of self-hating Greg Gaines’ eventful, tragic, and life-changing senior year of high school.
Greg spends most of his time outside of the classroom making parodies of classic movies with his “co-worker” Earl. However, when Greg’s classmate Rachel becomes sick with cancer, Greg’s mom makes it her mission to make sure he befriends her so he can support her through her illness. Poignant, hilarious, and devastating, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is the perfect movie if you’re looking to be completely broken open by the end.
2. Bridge To Terabithia
Oh, LORD. Bridge To Terabithia is so, so brutal. Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) befriends the new kid at school Leslie Burke (Anna-Sophia Robb) and they invent a fantasy world in the woods to escape their painful realities. Naming their imaginary kingdom Terabithia, Leslie and Jess rule the fantastical world as king and queen. Eventually, tragedy strikes and Jess must learn to cope with the real world once more. Celebrating the everlasting bond of true friendship, Bridge To Terabithia is one of the most heartwrenching and beautiful coming-of-age movies ever. Just make sure to have tissues on stand-by.
3. Dead Poets Society
John Keating (Robin Williams) returns to a prestigious all-boys boarding school in New England where he was once a star student to teach English. There, he encourages his students to live their lives according to their own compasses and to reject the status quo. Heartbreaking, vibrant, and poetic, Dead Poets Society is a must-watch film if you love coming-of-age stories (and also if you love weeping).
4. Moonlight
Moonlight is an Oscar-winning film about a young African American man named Chiron as he comes to terms with his sexuality as well as the struggles that come with simply being alive. Shot to depict three different periods of Chiron’s life–young adolescence, mid-teen, and young adult–Moonlight is truly a masterpiece that will bring you to tears.
