Teen Films to Watch If Your Teenage Years Suck(ed)

Everyone knows that teen movies do not accurately portray adolescence in the slightest. They can show the messy and ever-changing emotions behind each teen, the impulsiveness in their actions, the pressures of academics, and the insecurities of not knowing who they are, but teens in movies and shows always seem to have more drama and excitement in their lives compared to the average teen. High schoolers in the media are paired with perfect wardrobes and makeup, are constantly surrounded by a large group of close friends, and spend their nights at outrageous parties. Most teens experience the aforementioned shitty parts of being an adolescent without all the glamour and fun that movies like to include. 

This dissonance caused me to develop a strange perspective towards teen media. They can offer escapism from ordinary life, especially when seeing the outlandish situations teenage characters can get themselves into, but it was hard not to feel like my life was inferior because it lacked the spontaneity and fun often shown on screen. Even serious troubles like mental illness are portrayed as desirable, making teen girls seem mysterious and cool, despite being so detrimental and difficult in actuality (I’m looking at you, Effy and Cassie from Skins).

While I can still enjoy a lot of popular teen movies and shows, even with their flawed portrayals of teenage life, I’ve also grown to look for and appreciate media that involves teenagers but goes against the typical tropes present in most teen media. They could seem more distressing and include aspects of life that are absolutely frightening, but at least they do not show adolescence through rose-colored lenses, which offers a breath of air from the usual portrayals. Here are a few movies that show how lost and bleak the teenage years can actually be for most people, without glamourization. 

Welcome to the Dollhouse

This 1995 indie movie follows Dawn Wiener, a woefully awkward preteen with a dysfunctional and neglectful home life, going through relentless bullying at school. She also develops a crush on a high schooler in her older brother’s band and a confusing relationship with class troublemaker Brandon. I know I may be cheating with this one since it actually takes place in middle school, but the film does not waste its time trying to glamourize Dawn’s life and the transition into her teen years in the midst of her toxic environment. It’s refreshing to see the plentiful cringeworthy moments that happen in the film, giving the audience a chance to experience the actual horrors of adolescence through Dawn. 

Ghost World

Two cynical outcasts, Enid and Rebecca, graduate high school and start to embark on their new, ‘adult’ lives in separate ways. Rebecca adapts to adulthood quite easily, getting a job at a coffee shop, making friends there, and moving out of her parents’ house. By contrast, Enid struggles with the reality of growing up while becoming close friends with an older outcast, Seymour. With their deadpan and mean-spirited dialogue, Enid and Rebecca are some of the most relatable teens I’ve ever seen on-screen. Rebecca’s drive to move on from her teenage years is something I’ve felt strongly since I started college. Enid’s inability to find her own identity and create a future in a world that seems so saturated with corporate franchises and conformity is a profoundly sad tale that’s all too true. The movie perfectly reflects how growing up means changing your identity and worldview, and how those two things may even hold you back from being happy. 

Les Quatre Cent Coups (The 400 Blows)

This iconic 1959 film from the French New Wave gave us the character of Antoine Doinel, a young and troubled teen. His dissatisfaction with school leads to him continuously misbehaving and frequently facing the anger of school authority figures, worsening his hatred for it. His home life is also dysfunctional; his father is seemingly nice but Antoine’s mother is cold towards him for no reason. Both parents fail to understand his behavior and are fed up with it. His strained relationship with his family hit a nerve for me. Seeing his refusal to communicate with his parents and how it wouldn’t be beneficial even if he did is definitely a familiar story for teens everywhere. It should be obvious that dealing with teens in an exasperated and impatient manner won’t solve any of their behavior, yet authority figures and parents alike disregard that in Antoine’s world. The strife between the adults and Antoine is raw and realistic, and I find it comforting that this tension isn’t really resolved, saving us from the happy ending most films give parents and teens. 

Sweet Sixteen

Don’t be fooled by this innocent-seeming title—this movie is nothing like the sweet sixteen parties of MTV. Sweet Sixteen follows Liam, an aimless, troubled teen in Scotland. He descends into a life of crime, eventually joining a local gang, out of his desire to provide his mother with a better life once she’s released from jail. The premise of a teen embarking on this unstable and criminal life can easily be presented with all style and no substance, but Loach’s signature social realism approach to movies makes this story so raw and heartbreaking. Liam is an incredibly empathetic character and the motivations for his actions is one many teens have, especially working-class teens. Seeing him trying to take on all these adult responsibilities is a common reality for many and is something most teen movies tend to shy away from. Is it fair that he has to turn to crime to try to make a good living? No, but we understand that Liam doesn’t have a choice. He can’t make it in the real world because of his socioeconomic status and his family already has a criminal background. In the end, it’s an emotional watch to see adulthood and all its consequences catch up to him.

Fat Girl 

Sexuality is obviously a big part of growing up and often more confusing to figure out than not. Fat Girl, a 2001 French film, focuses more on the complex relationship between female sexuality, patriarchy, and the male gaze. Anaïs and Elena are two sisters with different experiences with sex: Elena is conventionally attractive and is sexually active, whereas Anaïs is sexually inexperienced and considers herself ‘ugly’ due to being overweight. This movie is brutal and highly disturbing, but sadly, realistic. These girls look at themselves and each other through society’s standards of beauty, which aim to please men rather than empower women. Their definitions of love and sex are dominated by a patriarchical point of view, and their sexual awakenings, despite being vastly different, are both violent and occurred for male gratification. Even if their sexual experiences didn’t happen like Anaïs and Elena’s, most teen girls share their viewpoints and also look at themselves through the male gaze as they start their sexual development. Watch at your own risk, though.