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Coming-of-age narratives have long been a staple of cinema. The triumphs and turbulences young people go through on their way from adolescence to adulthood often make for uniquely relatable and interesting watches. The adolescent years are often times of great change and confusion, and films that portray that well can be incredibly cathartic to watch. Coming-of-age films centering on girls often deal with, besides the usual topics of growth, change, ambition, relationships, etc, confrontations with gendered expectations and societal standards. Of course, these experiences vary a lot based on culture, socio-economic status, and circumstance, and so I’ve included a wide range of picks across different languages for this list. Most of these movies that explore girlhood are also directed by women, which brings in a sense of authenticity in depiction.

1. Girls Will Be Girls (2024)

“Girls Will be Girls” is Shuchi Talat’s feature directorial debut, which premiered at Sundance...

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Quick Links Anila Sajja Lateasha Lunceford Quad Webb Dr. Jackie Walters Dr. Contessa Metcalfe Dr. Simone Whitmore Mariah Huq Toya Bush-Harris Dr. Heavenly Kimes Phaedra Parks Kari Wells Lisa Nicole Cloud

Updated January 2025: Since the article was initially published, Phaedra Parks and Lateasha Lunceford...

Director Shuchi Talati’s directorial debut Girls Will Be Girls ,now streaming on Prime Video, is a bit of an event. Just when we thought women were done saying whatever they had to, here comes a yummy year-ender.

Tender, thoughtful, forthright—sometimes embarrassingly so—and forever moving at its own volition, Girls Will Be Girls is a rarity: a film about women that doesn’t waste time pointing fingers at men for the flaws in gender dynamics.

Straightaway, lets give the devis their due in this slender and sensitive mother-daughter fable. Though Kani Kusruti and newcomer Preeti Panigrahi don’t look like mother and daughter—they don’t have to, I concede that—their creative commonality creeps out of every frame. These two playing mom Anila and daughter Mira, know one another in and out. The dramatic tension that flows symbiotically is just an organic offshoot of a relationship that...

Actress of the year, the incredible Kani Kusruti, who can play anything, discusses the impact Of All That We Imagine As Light and more in this special interview with Subhash K Jha.

Only a myopic kalaa-blind art-myopic industry would cast the powerhouse performer Kani Kusruti as an assistant to Huma Qureshi in Maharani. Indeed, the sinfully accomplished Kani has proved herself the real Maharani of movie acting with All We Imagine As Light. Kani is now being feted across the world. But she is not getting carried away. The Malayali powerhouse started with a bit part in 2003 as a bus passenger speaks of her incredible journey so far.

In 2024 Kani had to as many as three releases. She says it was a mere co-incidence. “I actually did Girls Will Be Girls first, in 2022. October, November is when we shot for it. And All We Imagine Has Light happened in 2023. But,...

After years of Indian cinema not finding a solution for the absence of local films in the major international festival circuit, 2024 signaled a significant change, through the ‘regular” path of the co-production, with “All We Imagine as Light” finding its place in Cannes and “Girls Will be Girls” in Sundance, while both films currently enjoying a rather extensive festival run. Written and directed by Shuchi Talati in her feature debut, the film was made by an almost exclusively female crew, while, just like Payal Kapadia’s film, features Kani Kusruti in one of the protagonist roles.

Girls Will Be Girls is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival

The story is set in a boarding school in the Himalayan foothills, and revolves around Mira, a girl who is the embodiment of all things the school expects its students to achieve. She is the top of her class, the first female...

In All We Imagine as Light, a nurse in a Mumbai hospital is confronted by the emptiness in her life when she helps a friend move to a seaside village. Set near an upscale Himalayan prep school, Girls Will Be Girls focuses on a mother who toys with her teenage daughter’s boyfriend.

These strikingly dissimilar roles are both played by Kani Kusruti, an award-winning stage and screen performer who’s been appearing onscreen for 20 years. Her work has unusual depth, a core integrity that makes her convincing no matter what class or type she plays.

Internationally, this has been a breakthrough year for Kusruti: Shuchi Talati’s feature-directing debut Girls Will Be Girls won Sundance’s Audience Award and was released this past September in U.S. theaters, while Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light screened at Cannes, where it earned the Grand Prix, and arrives next week in U.

“Girls Will Be Girls” (2024) marks an illustrious debut feature by Shuchi Talati— a homage to the yearning and gravity of girlhood against the backdrop of a meticulously structured Himachali co-educational institution. Talati artfully navigates the labyrinthine landscape of academic rivalries, illicit romantic encounters, drab uniforms, and the ever-present specter of disciplinary retribution. Employing the intimate confines of the 4:3 aspect ratio, Talati engages in the somber and often heartbreaking realities confronting women whose sexualities have been generationally stifled. With a deft hand, “Girls Will Be Girls” offers a dignity often denied to women protagonists treading sexual transgressions.

The film eschews simplistic moral judgments, neither vindicating nor demonizing their choices. Instead, it astutely posits that shame itself is the primary antagonist that stifles sexual expression and authenticity. Produced by Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha, this debut feature pulses unmistakably with female gaze. The influence of its predominantly female crew is keenly felt,...

On Day 3, spectacular films and hidden gems from World Cinema, Restored Classics, South Asia Competition, Gala Premieres, and other sections were screened. The highlights of the day were:

There was a special screening of Mahesh Bhatt’s directorial Arth at Mami, honoring Shabana Azmi for her 50 glorious years in cinema. During the opening ceremony, she received the Excellence in Cinema Award.

Inder Malhotra (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a fashionable filmmaker, is married to Pooja (Shabana Azmi) when he starts an affair with film star Kavita (Smita Patil). Pooja leaves him and experiences the social insecurities of a single working woman. Her dilemmas are highlighted by the parallel story of her cleaning lady (Hattangadi), Arth is the story of this woman’s search for her identity.

The Fable, directed by Raam Reddy and starring Manoj Bajpayee, premiered at the Mami Mumbai Film Festival. Manoj Bajpayee, Priyanka Bose, Deepak Dobriyal, and Raam Reddy attended the screening.

Here are the highlights from Day 2 of Mami Mumbai Film Festival 2024:

Masterclass With Shabana Azmi

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, recently honored with the ‘Excellence in Cinema Award’ by Mami, participated in a masterclass moderated by the versatile Vidya Balan. It was an enriching experience to hear Shabana discuss her remarkable 50-year journey in cinema. Reflecting on the challenges of performing in theater, she recalled a particularly memorable instance where she had to translate an English play into Hindi at the last moment, due to a language barrier for the audience. She also revealed how she enjoyed working with Mahesh Bhatt on Arth which was made without a proper script in place.

Girls Will Be Girls

Richa Chaddha makes her debut as a producer with Shuchi Talati’s directorial venture Girls Will Be Girls, which was screened on the inaugural day of Mami’s South Asia Competition, attended by Richa and her husband,...

Preeti Panagrahi as Mira. Shuchi Talati: 'With every character I really tried to be there in the complexity and the kinds of multiple motivations that drive a person' A coming-of-age tale that also offers a deft consideration of mother and daughter relationships, Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls unfolds against the backdrop of an Indian boarding school in the Himalayas. It’s there where Mira (Preeti Panigrahi) has just been made head prefect. A rule-follower by nature and a straight-a student, she finds herself drawn to Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), a new kid in class whose charms work not only on her but her mother Anila (Kani Kusruti). Anila is, in many ways, a modern mum, encouraging Mira to meet up with Sri, but the triangle of emotions that ensues causes tension between them. Talati’s debut was a hit with the crowds at Sundance, where it won...

Married to Medicine fans are questioning Phaedra Parks’ value and what she brings to the Bravo series. The lawyer and mortician seemed like an interesting choice for the show. Now, viewers are wondering why she was even chosen for it. Read on for more details.

Married To Medicine Fans Question Phaedra’s Value

Phaedra Parks is best known for her time on Rhoa. She then appeared on the second season of Rhugt which took place in the Berkshires. Viewers who had not seen her in some time really took to the mother of two. More than that, they had a new appreciation for her as she seemed to have softened some. Plus, her personality was fun and sparkly. This caused her to join Season 4 of Rhugt, taking place in Morocco. Unfortunately, due to the drama between Caroline Manzo and Brandi Glanville, it may never air. Then, she was cast for...

The world premiere for Shuchi Talati's debut feature, “Girls will be Girls” was a blast at Sundance. Over the course of two hours, the audience booed and laughed, sniffled and sighed, as Talati's coming-of-age tale took its viewers on an emotional rollercoaster. The audience enjoyment translated to the awards, too: “Girls will be Girls” took home the Audience Award for World Cinema Dramatic Competition this year.

The popular appeal of Talati's movie is palpable. “Girls will be Girls” explores the adolescence of Mira – played by Preeti Panigrahi, whose performance was recognized at the festival with a Special Jury Award – against the backdrop of the Himalayas in the 1990s. Here, goody-two-shoes Mira is the head prefect of her school. Her situation becomes sticky, however, when she falls for the new boy, Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron). Like the good student she is, she throws herself into a rigorous self-study of romance.

In a voicemail to a crush two years her senior, Mira (Preeti Panigrahi) wonders if her feelings are “puppy love [or] maybe it’s big dog love.” Directed by Shuchi Talati, Girls Will Be Girls has an unfortunate title that makes it sound like a sugary teen comedy. It’s a far more nuanced, interesting portrait of a 16-year-old girl coming to terms with a sexual awakening and her young mother, who never quite had the chance to experience one either.

Mira is “head prefect” of her rural boarding school in the Himalayas. She is essentially a class president expected to model and enforce exemplary behavior, warning fellow classmates about their duty to live up to the expectations of the conservative institution. In an early interaction with her mother Anila (Kani Kusruti), she chides her for being on campus, only to be reminded that alumni are permitted. Anila is far from a strict mother,...

In the tempest of puberty, the adolescent soul undergoes a metamorphosis akin to a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. As this hormonal symphony plays out, the parental figure, once an unwavering beacon of guidance, may suddenly seem like an outdated lighthouse in the stormy sea of adolescence. The generational gap, instead of being a mere product of age, becomes a temporal paradox—a collision of parallel timelines where elders yearn to reclaim lost opportunities, and youth strive to forge their destinies. Shuchi Talati‘s debut feature, Girls Will Be Girls is an impressive and tender coming-of-age drama, skillfully handled with a sure touch. As the writer and director, she exhibits a keen understanding of the maelstrom of emotions that surge when we undergo the blossoming of youthfulness in our first romantic relationship. The film takes us on a delicate journey of self-discovery for a teenage girl as she aligns herself with the symphony of growth,...

Before Mira (Preeti Panigrahi), a headstrong and academically gifted 16-year-old, met Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), she didn’t think about love. She focused on her classwork and dreamed of perfect scores. Their courtship, a series of endearing encounters that start with a night of stargazing, changes her priorities. Now, Mira studies Sri’s body, fantasizes about their kisses and competes for his attention.

The drama of Shuchi Talati’s debut feature Girls Will Be Girls unfurls at the speed of a realization. It is a slow and deliberate narrative, with a pace that reflects the emotional currents of Mira’s life. Acclimating to its lingering rhythm, its loitering sensibility, takes time. Premiering in the World Dramatic Competition at Sundance, Talati’s film offers a sensitive and distinctive take on the fraught dynamics between mothers and daughters.

The film opens with a celebration. Mira is announced as Head Prefect, a role...

“And the air was full of Thoughts and Things to Say. But at times like these, only the Small Things are ever said. Big Things lurk unsaid inside.” Those words, from Arundhati Roy’s 1997 novel The God of Small Things, come to mind while watching Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls, a coming-of-age tale about a teenage girl who’s trying to navigate her newfound romantic feelings, burgeoning sexual desires, and longstanding familial tensions in a society where none of these things can be spoken about openly. Through its tender storytelling, complex characters, and intimate, tactile camerawork, Talati’s impressive debut feature manages to make all of these unspoken elements ring out loud and clear.

Sixteen-year-old Mira (Preeti Panigrahi) is the star student at a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayan foothills. She’s the first female Head Prefect in the school’s history, thanks to both her...

For better or worse, there’s a tradition of precocious teens on film.

From “Heathers” to “Mean Girls” to “Euphoria” to “Mean Girls” again, teenagers — especially American ones — are perceptive, manipulative, sexualized, and adventurous… eminently watchable even when they’re not relatable.

But elsewhere in the world of filmmaking and adolescence, there are so many other ways to grow up. There are teenagers who still feel like children, others who can’t act on their changing minds and bodies, others still who don’t share their peers’ new interests and feel alienated as a result. Shuchi Talati’s striking Sundance debut “Girls Will Be Girls” is about one such teenager, the quiet, obedient, and book-smart Mira (Preeti Panigrahi).

Mira is the first female head prefect to be appointed at her boarding school in North India, a responsibility she does not take lightly as she is tasked with keeping classmates and friends in check.

“Are you still scared of your mom?” asks Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), our protagonist Mira’s (Preeti Panigrahi) first love, as they recount stories from their childhood. “No,” she answers. “Now I just can’t stand her.” This exchange provides a solid snapshot summary of Girls Will Be Girls from first-time filmmaker Shuchi Talati. The premise is simple and not altogether new: high achiever Mira discovers a whole new world when she falls for Sri, a fellow student at her strict boarding school. However, both the school staff and Mira’s warm yet watchful mother, Anila (Kani Kusruti), threaten to keep them apart romantically. Throughout its nearly two-hour runtime, Talati explores timeless themes of how familial and societal expectations affect teenage relationships — particularly mother-daughter dynamics in Indian culture.

A mother and daughter both come of age in “Girls Will Be Girls,” Shuchi Talati’s gentle English-Hindi high school drama set in the Himalayan foothills. In this engrossing feature debut about angst and desire, the draconian Indian boarding school setting robs its teen protagonist of the language to express (or fully understand) her burgeoning sexuality. Talati, however, fills in those wordless blanks with images both graceful and precise, yielding breathtaking tension when the boundaries between her mother and her boyfriend begin to blur.

At the start of 12th grade, 16-year-old Mira (Preeti Panigrahi) is the first girl at her institution ever named Head Prefect, a title earned for her impeccable academic record. The prestigious appointment comes with duties that involve reprimanding her friends and peers, either because their uniforms aren’t up to code, or because the girls have been spending too much time hanging around the boys (who...