In the Coming-of-Age genre, there are a lot of movies that have been made. Not all of them make a great Christmas movie. Some people might say that a Christmas holiday is the best time to watch a family comedy or an old classic.

Christmas movies are always a good distraction from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite Coming-of-Age Christmas movies, so grab some hot cocoa, and let’s get started!

1. A Christmas Story (1983)

While primarily an American Christmas movie, A Christmas Story also has the reflections of an older Ralphie Parker on how his perspective has changed since a very important Christmas when he was 9 years old. 

 Available at Amazon Video     

2. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (1997)

A humane, heart-warming Christmas movie – without a trace of commercialism. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey will appeal primarily to adult audiences, even though it’s based on a children’s book. Yet, the story is family-friendly. So, potentially, the whole family may enjoy it.

3. Christmas Story (2007)

Chrismas Story is an engaging heart-warming family film perfect for your holiday viewing. I also believe the film will be highly beneficial to parents whose kids are curious about Santa. Instead of showing them some sugar-coated film filled with stereotypes, show them Christmas Story.

watch it for free on amazon

4. Wishin’ and Hopin’ (2014)

Based on a best-selling novel by Wally Lamb, Wishin’ and Hopin’ is a delightful comedy flick with a cast led by its adorable young protagonist: 10-year-old Felix Funicello. It is advertised as a Christmas film, but it can be enjoyed at any time of the year. Such uplifting stories are always welcome to brighten up our everyday lives.

Available at Amazon Prime Video

5. A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

Based on Matt Haig’s best-selling novel, this tells the story of a boy who loves toys, befriends a reindeer, and assists some elves. “A Boy Called Christmas” is a regal origin story for Santa Claus, complete with a star-studded cast, sumptuous visuals, and some somber details to keep it from being too sugary.

Available at Netflix

6.The Christmas Project (2016)

This film chronicles the Buckley family, which consists of four brothers. Every year they have a practice of covertly giving gifts to a different family, and 11-year-old Matthew is disappointed to learn that his mother chose the family of the worst bullies. While you can probably guess what happens next, it’s a lovely reminder that during this time of year, everyone deserves a little empathy.

Available at Amazon Video

7.A Christmas Story 2 (2012)

With a teenager in the lead role, the Coming-of-Age tribulations are inevitable. Falling in love for the first time, first work experience, and growing up to understand that sometimes giving can be more rewarding than receiving – all of those are part of Christmas Story 2.

Available at Prime Video

8. A Christmas Carol (1938)

In one haunted evening, embittered old miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who has soured on the world and his fellow man, learns the true spirit of Christmas from three ghostly visitors. After moving visions of long-dead happiness, of past and present remorse and a fearful glimpse into the future, Scrooge receives the chance to change his life for the better on Christmas morning.

9. The Boy who saves Christmas (1998)

We all need to believe in miracles, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Jeremiah did so by sending a letter to Santa with a very unusual request. But Santa Claus himself has to help. Because suddenly Atnas, his brother, appears. He wants to disrupt the holiday with his malware. The only one who can help kind Santa is Jeremy …

10. Lost Christmas (2011)

A screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by David Logan. The Christmas TV movie tells the story of Anthony, a mysterious stranger who suddenly wakes up in the middle of the street and does not know who he is, where he is, or what to do now. But, he has one extraordinary ability – to find the lost.

In Samuel Theis‘s 2021 film Softie (Original Title: Petite nature), ten-year-old Johnny (Aliocha Reinert) lives in the German border town of Forbach with his mother, distant elder brother, and young sister. His quiet appearance and natural timidity conceal the fact that he is a crucial cog in the family’s wheel. Since his mother has an alcohol problem and spends much of her time socializing with men, Johnny is the one who is responsible for taking care of his younger sister.

When a new teacher arrives at Johnny’s school, there are some changes, but they aren’t always improvements. The teacher takes Johnny under his wing after witnessing the fallout from Johnny’s mother’s rage and realizing the young child is both intelligent and sensitive. As Johnny continues to explore the uncharted waters of sexual awakening, he will inevitably make incorrect assumptions in pursuing the affection he so desperately needs.

Softie Trailer

While the story is undoubtedly a Coming-of-Age one, given its focus on the loss of innocence and the age of the main protagonist, the relatively weak character development does little to engage or intrigue. That’s unfortunate, as Aliocha Reinert delivered a natural performance while his looks in front of the camera revealed insights about his character’s personality. 

Characterization through appearance is the director’s chosen approach, which mostly works. When it doesn’t, one has the continuity of time to blame. The best scene in the film featuring Reinert is at the film’s finale and by then viewers would have already picked up most of the hints.

Softie reminds me of Philippe Claudel’s A Childhood, due to its portrayal of a marginalized family and growing up prematurely. As in most similarly themed Coming-of-Age films, the father figure is absent or his role is filled with temporary replacements. Despite those similarities, the story does not feature many cliches, and the small amount of controversy makes the story it tells stand out.

Softie (2021)

In short

The story does not feature many cliches, and the small amount of controversy makes the story it tells stand out

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Reader Rating5 Votes

3.2

Our rating

imdb

Hunt (original title: Jakt),  by Gjertrud Bergaust, is a daring short film with a compelling and controversial narrative and is a perfect example of a heartbreaking Coming-of-Age drama.

Asgaut (Havid Kringstad Hagen), the film’s protagonist, is a 14-year-old kid whose idyllic day of dyeing his hair and strolling around the Norwegian countryside is abruptly interrupted by a group of older lads. I was expecting again another film about bullying, but the plot turned out to be far more complex than I had anticipated.

Asgaut gets some much-needed assistance from a nearby farmer named Kjell (played by Cato Skimten Storengen), and the two end up being good friends. The teenage boy takes pleasure in lending a hand to his newfound friend on the farm. Kjell becomes a role model and a father figure to the young boy, who thrives as a result of the friendship and mentoring.

You might think you know where this narrative is going, but you’ll be taken aback by some truly terrible turns of events. The film’s devastating climax provides a moral dilemma that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

Even though prejudice and injustice are the primary concerns explored in the film, there is a strong emphasis placed on the characters. Everything seems genuine, and a large part of the credit for that goes to Havid Kringstad Hagen’s convincing performance as Asgaut. His character is stigmatized and has difficulty finding his place in the world, which contributes significantly to his acute sense of vulnerability.

The most impressive aspect of Hunt is undoubtedly its gripping story. When the story finished, it was difficult for me to refrain from passing judgment since I disagreed with the resolution of the ethical dilemma that a particular character had to face.

The film is available for free in Norwegian and on Amazon Prime Video (with English subtitles).

Hunt (2018)

In short

Hunt (original title: Jakt), by Gjertrud Bergaust, is a daring short film with a compelling and controversial narrative and is a perfect example of a heartbreaking Coming-of-Age drama.

4.8

Our rating

More about the film

IMDB

Lately, a lot of quality Coming-of-Age indie cinema is being produced in Belgium. The latest of these is a film I came upon recently. What I had read about it, the poster artwork and opening sequences of Lukas Dhont‘s 2002 drama Close did little to prepare me for the profound emotional experience that was to follow.

The first third of the movie follows the friendship between Leo (Eden Dambrine) and Remi (Gustav De Waele), both 13 years old. We are treated to a wonderful depiction of their friendship as they go on bike rides, engage in a wrestling match, and talk about their hopes and goals for the future. Each one has created his own perfect world and they can fully understand the other’s subtleties. The Belgian director’s camerawork captures every nuance of the characters’ interactions, from fleeting glances to full-body movements.

As they begin the new school year together, their classmates have begun to notice how close they are to one another and have begun to speculate about their relationship. Léo begins to distance himself from Rémi, who is clueless to the reason. As a result, a conflict arises as Rémi is heartbroken when Léo grows distant since he doesn’t know why they’ve grown apart.

The movie then takes a dramatic turn that is shocking not only for the characters but for the audience as well.

Some of the story’s most prominent themes include friendship, peer pressure, societal conformity, as well as betrayal and grief. Its universal elements make it easy to relate to the protagonists. Who doesn’t remember their childhood best friend?

Mine would always include me in the starting lineup for soccer games, despite my less-than-stellar skills behind the ball, and vice versa. By the time summer was through, I’d be laying in bed, yearning for the days we’d spent together. A friendship is a type of love, or vice versa, although intimacy need not always be accompanied by romantic feelings.

The entire cast offers fantastic performances, yet it is Eden Dambrine  — whose role evolves from being dreamy, to disconnected, to vulnerable — who is worth a special mention.

Both young performers are newcomers to the cinema and once again they provide a performance that outshines many of their seasoned colleagues.

Visually, the film succeeds thanks to its use of contrasting bright colors to depict gentle and emotional scenes bursting with emotional sentiment, a shaky camera to emphasize distress, and emotional close-up shots on the eyes of the protagonist, all of which convey a great deal of intimacy without the need for dialogue or additional explanation.

The sound design is also exceptionally well crafted, and while the score does not draw attention to itself, the amplified and muffled noises heighten the emotional state of the young protagonists in the film, which in turn greatly enhances the effect that the scenes have on the audience.

For all its emotional intensity, Close moves at a glacial pace, reminiscent of a low-budget independent film. It might be predictable at times, but it still provides a great, if somewhat downbeat, viewing experience.

Close ( 2022) Trailer 

Close ( 2022)

In short

It might be predictable at times, but it still provides a great, if somewhat downbeat, viewing experience.

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Reader Rating5 Votes

4.7

Our rating

More about the film

IMDB

Featuring a narrative infused with summer nostalgia and rites of passage, Steven Wouterlood`s My Extraordinary Summer with Tess is a perfect flick for a hot lazy summer afternoon.  

The lead protagonists of the movie are a little boy named Sam, played by Sonny Coops Van Uteren, and a tomboyish girl named Tess  (Josephine Arendsen). Sam is spending his summer break with his family on a beautiful island in the Netherlands. 

In order to get acclimated to living by himself, he makes the decision to shut himself away for a few hours every day. However, when he finally does meet the fearless Tess, his plan is derailed.  This summer will mark a turning point in both of their lives.  

The film is based on the book of the same name by Anna Woltz and the story is told in the first person. In the film, it is narrated in the first person by the young male protagonist. But it’s his encounters with the tomboyish and daring Tess that help him learn about life far more than he has from literature up to that moment.  

The two teenage actors manage to give a believable performance in their respective roles.  While both actors are very new to the film scene, it is an accomplished director who ensures that the film’s Coming-of-Age and first-love themes are well-represented. While the first-person narration helps a lot, it can be difficult to convey the characters’ inner worlds when adapting a novel to the screen.  

It is difficult not to compare the two main characters in My Extraordinary Summer with Tess and the entire style to those from Moonrise Kingdom; yet, the American Coming-of-Age comedy-drama from 2012 comes off as being far more interesting and inventive. 

The majority of the events take place outside, and the film is imbued with a genuine sense of summer thanks to the gorgeously composed views of expansive sandy beaches, clear blue skies, and clear blue water. When it comes to the cinematography of this movie, the camera seems to concentrate its attention primarily on the boy, shooting many close-ups of his body and eyes. This choice makes sense given that the narrative is delivered mostly via his point of view. However, the contrast between his character and his newly discovered friend Tess is what makes for a charming picture of first love experiences that are intertwined with some serious issues such as mortality, friendships, and loneliness. 

My Extraordinary Summer with Tess focuses mostly on the Coming-of-Age experiences of children, while the adult characters mainly play supporting or background roles. In spite of the lack of dramatic advances, the film’s overall dynamic seems to be rather natural for a picture that correctly depicts age-related experiences throughout a single summer week. So, in a way, everything is how it should be. 

Trailer 

My Extraordinary Summer with Tess (2019)

In short

Featuring a narrative infused with summer nostalgia and rites of passage, Steven Wouterlood`s My Extraordinary Summer with Tess is a perfect flick for a hot lazy summer afternoon.

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Reader Rating0 Votes

3.2

Our rating

Available at :

Amazon Video

Edge of Winter is a captivating and intense Coming-of-Age drama from Canada (it’s a co-production of the USA and Canada, yet it is overall stylistic is characteristic of Canadian Indie cinema).

Elliot Baker (Joel Kinnaman) is a middle-aged, broken-down father who gets a chance to spend time with his two sons, who otherwise live with their mother and her new partner. With little with which to amaze the boys at his run-down apartment, Elliot takes his sons on a trip to a remote forest (in what appears to be a national park) to teach them how to shoot a gun and generally “man-them up”.

Elliot loves his sons and wants to ensure they are having a good time with him. It is not until younger son Caleb’s admission that their mother’s new husband plans to move the family to London (halfway across the world in Elliot’s own words) that things start to unravel. A nervous breakdown is followed by a car accident leaving the party of three stranded in the snowy wilderness.

The actors cast in the lead roles of Bradley and Caleb Baker are outstanding, namely Tom Holland (known for his role as Billy Elliot in Billy Elliot The Musical, and movies such as The Impossible, In the Heart of the Sea and Captain America: Civil War) and Percy Hynes White (whose performance in the 2014 Canadian indie flick Cast No Shadow made a positive long-lasting impression on me).

The two young actors work well together and, to pull off credible performances, managed to bring together the elements of fragility, naivety, confusion, and strength into their adolescent characters. This, in turn, leads the viewer to empathize with their characters and the situation in which they find themselves.

As one observes the boys’ reactions to the outward challenges to their beliefs and attitudes, the dynamic nature of their characters comes across strongly. With their lives endangered, in their initial innocence, they realize that they need to alter their behavior in order to survive. That’s when the Coming-of-Age motifs of the narrative are best emphasized.

Official Trailer

Intense and suspenseful scenes are present and, while the story does not exactly shine with originality (one may recall the two brothers and their father in the wilderness motif from Andrey Zvyagintsev‘s 2003 psychological drama The Return), the tension builds nicely and one never feels bored or annoyed watching the film.

The story in Edge of Winter is simple enough to follow, yet with a degree of complexity introduced by the alteration of the character’s personalities. The dramatic structure of the film (as drama is indeed present) follows a linear approach with all of its elements – exposition, complication and a climax – well developed.

Thanks to the immaculate camera work and visual design (especially when it comes to the story setting – selected as if to play reflect on the character of Elliot Baker), Edge of Winter has an atmospheric, ominous feel to it that further enhances one’s cinematic experience.  All in all, Edge of Winter is an excellent film with a well-told story and strong acting performances. I don’t hesitate to recommend it to any fan of the Coming-of-Age genre.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4526546/combined

Edge of Winter (2016)

In short

An excellent film with a well-told story and strong acting performances. Highly recommended to any fan of the Coming-of-Age genre.

3.9

OUR SCORE

Watch on Demand

Amazon

It is not a secret that I am a big fan of first-person narration in Coming-of-Age films. It bridges the gap between literature and movies, enabling the audience to obtain a crucial glimpse into the young protagonist’s inner world. (Also observed in my review of Hugh Hudson’s 2010 film My Life So Far.) This is especially true if the narrator is age and tone appropriate, which is the case in the modest Coming-of-Age comedy Just Looking.  

The primary character is thirteen-year-old Lenny Levine, who, like most teenage boys, is infatuated with sex. But because he is too naïve, confused, and inexperienced, he concentrates all of his energy and will on a single objective: to witness two people “do it” during his summer vacation. 

Every sentence of the film’s dialogue is loaded with a youthful spontaneity, warm humor, and light sarcasm, all of which are highly successful because of Ryan Merriman’s superb acting, who manages to pull off realistic performances both on-screen and as a voice-over narrator. 

Just Looking ( 1999) – Trailer 

The action takes place in the mid-fifties in New York, and the bittersweet color palette and production design, which includes several iconic automobiles and other items from the era, give the picture a genuine feeling of timelessness. All of this is supported by a decent score featuring jazz band music, which greatly improves the scenes on screen by providing a true feeling of time and place. This may appeal to older audiences (for nostalgic reasons), but younger people may find the film dated because everything is so easily accessible nowadays, only one click away.   

As a whole, the narrative of Just Looking is not overly original, but the stereotypical happenings and characters somehow positively benefit the film’s overall impact. The exploration of adolescent sexuality and confusion has long been a topic in Coming-of-Age films. Just Looking delivers an approachable discourse on the birds and the bees without being judgmental or moralizing. 

Just Looking (1999)

In short

Just Looking delivers an approachable discourse on the birds and the bees aided by the superb performance of its main protagonist played by Ryan Merriman.

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Reader Rating1 Vote

4

Our rating

Available at :

Amazon Video

Told from the perspective of the character Jack (Ivo Pietzcker), a ten-year-old boy with responsibilities greater than any kid his age should have to undertake, Edward Berger’s 2014 German drama Jack offers a grim yet moving portrayal of a childhood lived in unfortunate circumstances.

The manner in which the film is shot reminds one of the Dardenne Brothers’ 2011 movie The Kid with a Bike, the films of Ursula Meier (Sister, Home), as well as the 2004 Japanese film Nobody Knows — with respect to the central topic being a portrayal of the struggle of marginalized children.

While the action is set in Berlin, the film’s story is universal. It could happen anywhere in the world, which increases a viewer’s association with the characters – often an essential requirement for a viewing experience that will not fail to satisfy the intellect and the soul.

Ivo Pietzcker’s performance as Jack impresses with its sincerity as he can fully embody his character and emotions while projecting the confusion, frustration, and need for love and care children feel. It doesn’t surprise that the film has the title of Ivo Pietzvker’s character – especially considering that he is present in just about every scene of the movie.

Whereas the storytelling is limited to what is happening on the screen, omitting background details of the prior lives of the characters as much as possible, the story still feels complete thanks to one’s ability to empathize with the characters – clear evidence of the combination of both capable acting and directing.

Jack – Official Trailer

Jack was not filmed to be a big blockbuster but in the manner of a small, independent movie made for TV. That is not surprising considering that its director has an extensive background in television productions. There is a sense of urgency from the opening scenes that results in substantial dramatic tension tightly associated with Jack’s tenseness and confusion.

On a personal note, having known not just one, but two young boys of a similar age and a similar life story to the young protagonist made the drama of the film even more poignant for me as I kept envisioning them in Jack — knowing that their reactions of the sudden change of circumstances would not have been much different from that of Ivo Pietzcker’s character. Usually, it’s a positive influence that helps such children. Still, I am thankful that the filmmakers did not go to an easier clichéd solution to the film’s hero’s dilemma.

As with most realistic films, Jack was shot on location (the streets of Berlin) and lacks a prominent musical score or special audio and visual effects. (When music is present, it’s always a part of the activity on-screen). Yet the film’s photography and set design [especially the colorful set and clothes (mainly t-shirts) Jack wears] aids the character development in a subtle manner.

Jack’s story is essentially Coming-of-Age, especially concerning the final scenes when we observe how the young protagonist is forced to make one final decision about his future and that of his family. Though the day-to-day life heavily influences Jack’s existence lived with a younger brother and a loving and caring but irresponsible mother (who hasn’t completed the Coming-of-Age process herself), he projects a maturity beyond his age as his childhood innocence is stripped from him, layer by layer, as the story develops.

I could not notice any significant flaws in the film and greatly appreciated the perspective and how the story is told. If seeking a poignant Coming-of-Age narrative, Jack will meet anyone’s expectations.

The film is suitable for audiences of all ages, despite one scene featuring nudity in a non-exploitative manner, not unlike many other European and, in particular, German productions.

Jack (2014)

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Reader Rating5 Votes

5

Our rating