The process of saying goodbye to high school and becoming an adult can be intimidating. After all, it is transitioning from your childhood to adulthood. Part of being a teen involves figuring out who you are and enjoying your youth before becoming adults and making life-changing decisions.

Coming of age movies can actually be a guide to help you into adulthood. They can teach you something about yourself that you didn’t know about. Growing up is more than just going to college and having to do “adult things”. It involves figuring out the type of person you want to be, finding the right group of people to surround yourself with, and discovering what you want to accomplish in life. Here is a list of some of the best coming of age movies.

1) Moonlight (2016)
Rated: R

This movie centers around a boy named Chiron, depicting his life through childhood, his mid-teens, and adulthood. Throughout his life, Chiron experiences hardships, grapples with his sexuality in his teens, and begin to grow in his adulthood. All with the help of people who care about him and want the best for him.

2) Lady Bird (2017)
Rated: R

Christine, also known as “Lady Bird” is a senior who lives in Sacramento and attends a Catholic Church School. She wants to go to a college in “a city with culture”, while her mother suggests she goes to a school in-state due to financial struggles. Throughout her senior year, Lady Bird experiences the good and bad of relationships and friendships.

3) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Rated: PG-13

Charlie is a shy teen who usually keeps to himself, but all that changes once he meets two very spunky and outgoing teens, Sam and Patrick. They help Charlie break out of his shell and experience new things. Everything seems perfect until it hits Charlie that his new friends are going away to college and he somehow needs to learn how to cope with the situation.

4) The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Rated: R

Nadine and Krista have been friends since childhood until Nadine’s popular brother, Darian, starts dating Krista. Nadine feels alone and thinks no one understands her. During this time, she unexpectedly makes a new friend and finds herself confiding in her history teacher about her struggles.

5)The Breakfast Club (1985)
Rated: R

Five teenagers get detention together on a Saturday and are being supervised by their principal. These include the rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian, and Andrew the jock. During the duration of their time in detention they share their stories and make unlikely friends out of one another.

6) Eighth Grade (2018)
Rated: R

It is Kayla’s last week of middle school. Kayla goes through teen experiences and struggles to be more open due to her social anxiety. This is a time when she is figuring out how she is going to navigate her way through high school while making life advice videos.

7) Booksmart (2019)
Rated: R

Best friends Molly and Amy are both high-achieving academic students but have recently noticed that they have missed out on the high school experience. On the night before they graduate, they decide to make up for all the four years they missed out on by fitting a bunch of fun and crazy things into a single night.

8) Boyhood (2014)
Rated: R

The film was made over a 12-year process of watching Mason grow up from the age of six to eighteen. We watch him experience all the pitfalls and triumphs of growing up.