Tonight’s film is the really rather lovely, high watchable and brilliantly acted A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO EVERYTHING. It’s a must see/don’t miss due to all of the above, but also because it’s yet another wonderful example of the coming-of-age film.

It’s the story of super shy, bird-watching enthusiast David (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee of ParaNorman fame), who is struggling to cope with his father’s impending remarriage (to the nurse who tended to David’s dying mother no less) when he stumbles across a duck that had been presumed extinct. Assembling a ragtag gang of mates, he and the group of fellow teens goes off on a quest for proof with the help of a birding expert, played by the legendary Sir Ben Kingsley. It is a beautiful meditation on grief and letting go, and apart from a few classic coming-of-age clichés - that are handled well - it’s a near flawless watch.

Watching it lead me to think about the genre, which has been around for years and although almost done to death really shines when it’s executed well. In no particular order my top five coming-of-age films are…

Tonight’s film is the really rather lovely, high watchable and brilliantly acted A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO EVERYTHING. It’s a must see/don’t miss due to all of the above, but also because it’s yet another wonderful example of the coming-of-age film.

It’s the story of super shy, bird-watching enthusiast David (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee of ParaNorman fame), who is struggling to cope with his father’s impending remarriage (to the nurse who tended to David’s dying mother no less) when he stumbles across a duck that had been presumed extinct. Assembling a ragtag gang of mates, he and the group of fellow teens goes off on a quest for proof with the help of a birding expert, played by the legendary Sir Ben Kingsley. It is a beautiful meditation on grief and letting go, and apart from a few classic coming-of-age clichés - that are handled well - it’s a near flawless watch.

Watching it lead me to think about the genre, which has been around for years and although almost done to death really shines when it’s executed well. In no particular order my top five coming-of-age films are…

Y Tu Mama Tambien
I’ve previously listed director Alfonso Cuarón’s 2001 indie smash hit in my top five sexiest film moments, but it definitely belongs here too. The film finds two hormone-fueled teenage boys (Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna) embarking on an impromptu road trip with a sexy older woman (Maribel Verdú). They do quite a bit of growing up along the way, and their friendship is tested accordingly. Despite having subject matter that could easily veer into mocking territory, Cuarón brilliantly delivers sociopolitical commentary, travelogue, and hormonally-driven teen movie with nary a flaw in sight. 

The Breakfast Club
That unbelievably awkward (well it was for me!) time between adolescence and adulthood was the guiding principle behind much of John Hughes’ work, which for many was a true reflection of a generation. Out of all of his films I think he captures the aforementioned moment in time most memorably and gracefully in this iconic 1985 film, which made stars of its cast and introduced stereotypes everyone could identify with. It sounds like a stock standard writer’s exercise - take five polarizing high school types, lock them in a room, and make them talk to each other – but he made it so much more. 

Stand By Me
Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novella ‘The Body’ takes place during the US’ Labor Day weekend in 1959, and is both about the end of summer and the end of innocence. It’s almost painful to watch at times it is so realistic, and the brilliant performances by its young cast (RIP River Phoenix) are so much more than just the icing on the cake. 

A Bronx Tale
This could have been just another nostalgic tale of a New York childhood, but it’s one that writer/star Chazz Palminteri (adapting his own play) and director/co-star Robert De Niro have executed extremely well. It is a subtly nuanced, beautifully filmed portrait of a young man caught between two complicated father figures. De Niro’s direction is sharp and absolutely spot on, and Palminteri is a joy to watch. Clearly a match made in heaven as well as a great film. 

Boyhood
Most definitely at the more ‘epic’ end of the coming of age film scale, talented director Richard Linklater’s Boyhood has captured the imaginations and hearts of even the most jaded moviegoers since its release. Filmed over an amazing 12 years, it sits easily in the genre but is quite unlike anything else in the history of cinema and has been celebrated for it. I love the fact that the film has been talked about as a quirky side-project, but has been lauded in its completed form as “the achievement of a lifetime”.