Obsession with Coming of Age Moments
Our generation is obsessed with coming of age movies. From the Perks of Being a Wallflower to Ladybird these stories have captured us and through their unique lens have ravaged our hearts. But sometimes movies will reach farther than just a commodity of entertainment.
I regretfully have said in the recent past “This will be my coming of age summer.” “We’re going to have so many coming of age moments this summer.” “I want my coming of age movie moments.” To which most of my friends have agreed. I have been yearning for summer 2021 in the hopes that I could make some lasting memories, but not just memories, coming of age memories.
After I thought about this a little bit more, what struck me was how hollow I was making the whole thing. The plot of a coming of age movie revolves around a person starting out somewhere, oftentimes feeling lost, and then by the end of it they have grown and are in a completely different place. Without even realizing it I was planning out when I would “grow up.” This was the summer I decided I was going to grow. But that’s not how growth works, you can’t plan it. Even the more “organic” parts of a coming of age movie, sitting on a rooftop, driving down the coast late at night, screaming at the top of your lungs at a concert. Planning that out ahead of time takes so much of the joy of spontaneity away.
You cannot control memory making, and when you do, it feels like the memory has been tainted by an ominous force.
Instead of trying to plan out coming of age moments, plan times to hang out with your friends. But don’t plan what you’re going to do, wait until you get together and then figure it out. I find that’s when I have the most fun. Or plan to go to one place, like a record store, and then wander around afterwards, see what else you find, maybe a bookstore, an empty haunted parking lot, or a gorgeous view. Also, make playlists, make a million playlists.
Playing off of the coming of age summer idea I was once so enraptured by, I decided to film a lot of my summer on an old camera. The photos I’ve contributed are some of my favorite stills from the various videos I took. Is this a romanticized version of what I actually did? Yes. Did I spend most of summer in my room stressing about college, studying for the SAT, and watching Bo Burham’s inside? Also yes. Regardless, I have these moments to look back on my entire life, to remember what life was like when I was 16.
