6 Coming-Of-Age Black Girl Films to Binge

Written By: Girl Tyler

Being a Black girl is fun and exhilarating. We’re created in a variety of shapes, sizes, and hues. The world can’t help but admire the versatility of our beauty. It’s not easy though, navigating the uncertainties of race, dealing with the complexities of family, and the joys of experiencing a first love. And at times, it feels like you’re dealing with it all on your own. Guess what? You’re never alone. The older you get, you’ll grow to realize that we’re all uniquely different yet our experiences as Black girls will always overlap.Don’t believe me? Dive into these fascinating films about Black girlhood from the past and present. You’ll see a piece of you, your friends, and the women around you. These critically acclaimed films prove that coming-of-age Black girl stories do matter.

Our Song (2000)

“The story follows Lanisha, Maria, and Joycelyn, best friends and members of their school’s marching band, through the hot streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. During the closing weeks of summer, the small moments and dramas that mean nothing and everything to a young girl navigating her way into adulthood, start to accumulate. And the girls and their friendships change forever.” -Rotten Tomatoes

Miss Juneteenth (2020)

“A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the ‘Miss Juneteenth’ pageant.” -IMDB

Fast Color (2018)

“After years in hiding, a woman is forced to go on the run when her superhuman abilities are discovered. Years after having abandoned her family, the only place she has left to hide is home.” -IMDB

Jinn (2018)

“Summer is a 17-year old carefree black girl, whose world is turned upside down when her mother, a popular meteorologist named Jade Jennings, abruptly converts to Islam and becomes a different person, prompting Summer to reevaluate her identity.”-IMDB

Crooklyn (1994)

“As her teacher mother, Carolyn, and her jazz musician father, Woody, worry over monthly bills, grade-schooler student Troy Carmichael banters and bonds with her four brothers. Against her will, Troy is sent to her aunt’s southern home for a summer visit, but when she returns to her bustling Brooklyn neighborhood, she learns that a family member is gravely ill. Already mature, Troy is forced to face some very grown-up facts about life and loss.” -IMDB

A Love Song for Latasha (2019)

“The injustice surrounding the shooting death of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at a South Central Los Angeles store became a flashpoint for the city’s 1992 civil uprising.” -IMDB