A coming-of-age drama is often focused on the psychological, moral or social growth of a character, as they go from youth to young adulthood. The protagonist of a coming-of-age drama is usually male, and a idea which is used frequently is the idea of him telling the story through the narrative technique of flashbacks.
One of the first films which could be classified as part of the coming of age genre was the 1957 drama movie Johnny Tremain. It is set in the 18th century American revolutions, and was one of the first movies to ever show teenagers having to grow up too quickly and take on adult roles. This is surprising, as the film was made almost 20 years after the outbreak of World War 2, which means that before this time, the media had ignored the plight of teenagers having to take on responsibilities which usually aren't associated with their age. Walt Disney then realised the appeal that a film like this could have on the market, and so in-avertedly invented the genre, which would go on to be used as an element throughout the genres of drama, comedy, and romance.Looking at the poster for this film, it is clear that the soldier has had to join the army prematurely - he looks like he is barely out of his teens, yet has joined the army. This could suggest that he is trying to become an adult before his time - this is a key theme of coming-of-age movies which has been carried through right through to the films which are made in the genre today. The styling of the gun also immediately connotes the time period of the film - it is clear that it is set in the 18th or 19th century, which is unusual for a coming of age film. Most coming of age films are set at the time which the film is made, or sometimes a couple of decades prior to it (Submarine) so it would be very unusual today to have a coming of age film set more than 150 years before the film was made.
After Johnny Tremain, many more films with coming of age films were produced. Fast forward 16 years to 1973, and one of the most genre defining films was released: American Graffiti. It tells the story of the post World War 2 rock n roll culture, which is around the time ideas about what makes a "teenager" were starting to become widespread. It was immensely popular, earning over $200 million at the box office, despite only being made on a budget of $775,000.
It defined the coming of age genre because it showed how teenagers had now become a breakaway society from their parents, rather than living in the shadows of them. It also depicts multiple characters going through a coming of age, such as the decisions to attend college or reside in a small town. This idea of characters who want to break out of their small town lives is usually now the starting point of a coming of age plots - these films are seldom set in big cities where opportunity for youngsters to succeed is rife. This is the biggest influence which American Graffiti had on the genre, as it created the often repeated character type of the teenagers who have to find their own ways to stand out within their small lives.
Mischief (1985) took the coming of age genre to a more romantic level. I would argue that it is this film which inspired almost all of the coming of age films after it to include a romance between the male and female protagonists, as before this, romance had been shown in a much more hedonistic way in this genre of film, as they were often set in the late 1960s, which is a time period which will always be associated with relaxed morals.
The poster for this film immediately shows that it is going to be about romance, although a twisted, teenage idea of romance. It is evident that the two characters are a couple, although both look uncomfortable, suggesting that the film is going to be about the social awkwardness which is often associated with being a teenager. This social awkwardness soon became a theme of coming of age films, as films like The Inbetweeners Movie show relative social outcasts trying to fit in, usually to hilarious results which the majority of the audience can relate too. Because of this, it could be argued that Mischief was one of the first coming of age films to include verisimilitude, as it deliberately attempted to contain themes which the audience could relate too.
The font and the use of the vehicle in the poster immediately connote the time period of the film is going to be in the 1950s/1960s. This is shown because the car has the wooden interior which was popular in these times, and the font is similar to the one of the musical 'Hairspray', which was one of the defining works of art to be set in this time.
The most defining coming of age movie of the 1990s was the 1993 movie Dazed and Confused. This film was one of the first to show teenagers openly taking drugs and drinking alcohol, as the only characters who were seen to be indulging in these practises were the antagonists of a film - the film almost singlehandedly broke this trend.
The film poster immediately shows that the film is going to have subject matter about teenagers taking drugs. The yellow font immediately connotes that the characters seem to be immoral and unfazed about what they are doing. Additionally, the tagline "see it with a bud" is hardly subtle about the drug use in the film. It seems that the idea of teenagers consuming drugs was what the film was primarily marketed on, as it had never really been seen in popular film before. Finally, the title of the film says so much about the coming of age themes. The idea of the characters being "dazed" connotes that they are not only doped out from taking drugs, but are also unsure about what they are doing with their lives, which is another key theme of the coming of age drama movie. Finally, the immediate appearance of the characters doesn't suggest any specific time period - this makes the film more generalised, which means it could be about teenagers from almost any period in time, as they are likely to all go through the same emotions and thoughts at some point.
Finally, the most recent coming of age film which I have studied is 2010's Submarine. This film contains nothing groundbreaking, as it contains key themes from all of the other films which I have written about. However, it is the combination of all the themes, with a protagonist who is even more relatable, which has meant that it is the main inspiration for the coming of age drama which my group and I plan to make. Like Johnny Tremain contains themes of growing up too quickly (the protagonist feels like he is solely responsible to save his parents marriage). It contains a representation of a subculture in the same way American Graffiti did, as it shows the protagonist as a part of the hipster/mod revival culture. It shows a teenage romance like Mischief does, as there appears to be a fractured romance between the male and female protagonists in the film. Finally, it has ideas of trying things for the first time, with cigarettes and alcohol replacing the harder drugs which are used for shock factor in Dazed and Confused.
Because the film takes an aspect from each of the four films which I consider to be cornerstones of the genre, it is the perfect film to base our film opening on. Researching into the history of the genre which we are looking for our film to be a part of has helped show me the key themes and iconography which have been changed and added too over time, but have always stayed more or less the same.
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