The coming-of-age genre has been a steady genre of films since its early inception, and is now known by many film enthusiasts as a feel-good and reminiscing glimpse of puberty and adolescence. Over the years, many of the genre’s more financially profitable and widely-known films featured non-Black characters. However, there have been a plethora of films within the widely diverse genre to feature characters that relate to the Black experience.
Ranging from old cult classics to recently overlooked films, here are 10 underrated coming-of-age films that center on the Black experience.
Dope (2015)
In 2015, American director Rick Famuyima released a coming-of-age drama film that was executive produced by Pharrell Williams, Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi. The film, titled Dope, was made on a $7 million budget and starred iconic names like Shameik Moore, Kiersey Clemons, Zoë Kravitz, and ASAP Rocky. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and starred Moore as Malcolm, a high schooler turned drug dealer who is also struggling with college admissions.
After the film’s premiere, it went on to earn over $18 million at the box office and became a commercial success. The film was adored by fans for its comedic nature and became one of the sleeper hits of the year. Critically, Dope was another success and even scored an 89% at Rotten Tomatoes and an A- on CinemaScore. The film was loved for its comedic charm, entertaining and captiving atmosphere and overall performances by the cast.
Crooklyn (1994)
Crooklyn is often named one of Spike Lee’s best films. And after viewing the semi-autobiographical film directed by Lee and written along with his sister and brother, it is hard to argue against it.
Crooklyn follows the coming-of-age story of Troy Carmichael (Zelda Harris), a nine-year-old learning major life lessons from her family in the 1970s. The semi-real approach to childhood shines in Lee’s directing, and the film portrays the complexities of Black identity, girlhood and a moving family portrait in film.
Miss Juneteenth (2020)
American filmmaker Channing Godfrey Peoples rose to prominence in 2020 after the release of her directorial and screenwriting feature debut film, Miss Juneteenth. Released on digital platforms on the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, the film follows former teenage beauty queen Turquoise Jones (Nicole Beharie) who enrolls her daughter in one of these pageants.
The film, which had its script in development since Peoples began working on it in 2013, launched Peoples’ career. The film was lauded by critics, scoring a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 73 on Metacritic, and was well-received for its directing and plot. Miss Juneteenth was also nominated for and won many accolades, including one win for Peoples at the BlackStar Film Festival and South by Southwest. The film was also named one of the best 21st-century Black films.
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992)
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. is an often overlooked and underrated piece of Black cinema that is directed, co-produced and written by Leslie Harris. The 1992 American drama film follows Chanel (Ariyan A. Johnson), a young 17-year-old African American girl living in Brooklyn, New York. Throughout the film, Chanel discovers the path to establishing a name for herself outside the confides that have been placed on her as “another teenage Black girl on the subway.”
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1992 before it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1993. There, it won the Special Jury Prize for Outstanding First Feature and secured distribution rights from Miramax. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film has gone on to become an influential film in Back cinema — not only due to its inclusion of themes such as HIV/AIDS and abortion, but also for pioneering the continuation of Black female-led coming-of-age films today.
Selah and the Spades (2019)
Amazon Studios’
Selah and the Spades
in 2019. The film, which won the award for Best Narrative Feature Award at the year’s BlackStar Film Festival, stars Lovie Simone as Selah Summers, a faction-leading cheerleader who helps her fellow faction members sell drugs. After the new student, Paloma (Celeste O’Connor), comes into the picture armed with a camera, Selah begins to utilize her new friend’s eye to help take down the opposing faction leader, Maxxie (Jharrel Jerome).
Selah and the Spades
is a massively underrated yet unique coming-of-age story that became lost during the continued boom of the streaming services. The film dives headfirst into its messy and backstabbing characters, enticing many fans of iconic young adult dramas such as
Mean Girls
,
Heathers
and the more recent
Do Revenge
.
On the Come Up (2022)
Often times, in the coming-of-age genre of films, films are adapted from literature in order to be brought to life on the big screen. In 2022, this phenomenon continued with the release of Sanaa Lathan’s feature debut film, On the Come Up, which was adapted by Lathan from Angie Thomas’ 2019 novel of the same name.
On the Come Up follows up-and-coming rapper Bri Jackson (Jamila C. Gray) as she strives to make it big in the rap world as a prolific artist. As she journeys throughout her rap career, Bri is constantly forced to overcome the pressures hanging over her shoulder from her deceased father, who was a prolific face in the rap scene.
Jamila C. Gray’s captivating performance, which she stated drew from personal experiences, was praised by critics. Along with the love for Gray, the film is a moving portrayal of a young artist’s passion for success that is interspersed with relatable storylines dealing with humanity.
Cooley High (1975)
To many unfamiliar with the realms of Black cinema, Michael Schultz directed Cooley High (1975) may seem like yet another coming-of-age comedy drama film. The film’s simple premise does follow the lives of two high-school seniors and best friends Cochise (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) and Preach (Glynn Turman) after all. However, the $13 million grossing film has had a massive impact on Black filmmaking and creators since its release.
With its central protagonists being inner-city Black young adults, the film’s initial release led Black cinema to reflect its changing of the landscape. The connection between the two high-school friends was also met with fervent adoration, and showcased new nuances to Black cinema than it did before.
Cooley High is one of the many “older” movies that still holds up today, and it is for great reason. The film has inspired numerous filmmakers including Spike Lee and John Singleton, whose admiration for the film led to Cooley High influencing many elements of Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood (1991).
The Inkwell (1994)
Not all coming-of-age stories have a heavy emphasis on comedy or drama, and Matty Rich’s 1994 coming-of-age film The Inkwell is a perfect example of it.
The Inkwell is a romantic coming-of-age film, and resolves around Drew (Larenz Tate), a 16-year-old New Yorker who visits his relatives at Martha’s Vineyard. Drew, who has an imaginary friend, was sent to the vineyard after he became scarred from an arson accident. While at the vineyard, Drew attends frequent parties where he becomes involved with and must decide between two women: Heather (Adrienne-Joi Johnson) and Lauren (Jada Pinkett).
The Inkwell has not fared well critically, earning a low 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film has since become a cult classic that has earned a spot with some of the highly-respected feel-good movies in Black cinema.
The Wood (1999)
Before Rick Famuyiwa became involved with The Mandalorian and was once attached to direct The Flash in 2016, he first rose to prominence with his directorial debut film, The Wood in 1999. The comedy drama film follows Mike Taver (Omar Epps/Sean Nelson) as he narrates his life growing up in Inglewood, California. Along with his friends Slim (Richard T. Jones/Duane Finley) and Roland (Taye Diggs/Trent Cameron), Mike navigates the rough transition into adulthood in the 1980s.
The Wood is a coming-of-age film that is full of believable characters and a captivating atmosphere that captures audiences into the lives of its central trio. The film is also known for its emphasis on the lives of middle-class African-Americans, which many critics applauded the film for covering. Along with critical love, the film has won numerous accolades — including four nominations at the Black Reel Awards in 2000 and an Outstanding Motion Picture nomination at the NAACP Image Awards in 2000.
The Wood was slated to have a television adaptation of the film, with its pilot directed by Famuyima, but the project was ultimately canceled in 2023.
Dear White People (2014)
Roadside Attractions
Whenever people first think of Dear White People, their minds might primarily think of the Netflix satirical drama series Dear White People, which released in 2017. However, the hit television series is actually the continuation of the 2014 film of the same name. Starring big stars such as Tyler James Williams, Teyonah Parris, Kyle Gallner and Tessa Thompson, Dear White People (2014) follows the racial tensions that arise between Black and white students at Winchester University, a predominantly white and prestigious Ivy League school.
Dear White People premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, and it instantly became a hit success. For his writing and directing work on the film, Justin Simien was awarded the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at the Sundance Festival, as well as Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. The film, which was praised for its satirical nature of race relations and topics by critics, was also a commercial success. At the end of its limited theatrical run, Dear White People grossed $5.4 million on a $1.3 million budget. The film was the third-most successful film to come out of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
