Synopsis – Based on writer/director Hayley Kiyoko’s hit single and best-selling novel of the same name and featuring all-new music from Kiyoko, Girls Like Girls is a heartfelt coming-of-age story set over the course of one sun-drenched summer, where new-girl-in-town Coley falls in love for the first time while learning to accept herself along the way.
Hayley Kiyoko’s 2015 hit single led to her co-directing its music video with Austin S. Winchell. Kiyoko expanded the song into a YA novel (2023), which was subsequently adapted into this feature film. I have not read the novel, so I cannot honestly compare it to the film, but fans of the song and the novel will likely be happy with the production. The film adaptation is written by Kiyoko and Stefanie Scott.
Coley (Maya da Costa, Hulu’s “Under the Bridge”) has moved to a small town with her father, Curtis (Zach Braff). To see Coley riding her bike around town alone at all hours is usually a red flag that she has little to no parental or guardian supervision. By the time the audience sees the “father” in this story, it is obvious (to me) there is a huge emotional wedge between them. They hardly talk to each other, and what dialogue there is sounds as if Curtis just met her. I don’t know if this is written intentionally, but I doubted Curtis was Coley’s father. He appears to be a guardian since the mother is not there. Eventually, Curtis notices Coley is out late at night and tries to find out with whom.
The crowd Coley is swept up by begins with a cute “it” girl, Sonya (Myra Molloy), a type of “influencer” the group is used to, one who collects “friends” they consider strangers, loners, or “outsiders.” While Coley appears smitten with Sonya, given the attention she lavishes on her, Trenton (Levon Hawke) – Sonya’s boyfriend – notices the change.
The script is good as it tackles the challenges any new relationship feels it encounters. It doesn’t help that Coley is in a new town, navigating the loneliness of not having her mother and feeling insecure about whether her feelings are genuinely reciprocated. What makes this story stand out is the performance of the two leads. I have not seen Maya da Costa nor Myra Molloy’s acting before, even though Molloy has quite a few credits already, but they authentically portray their character’s range of emotions. The audience will find it engaging and relatable.
The film will be screened at the Frameline Film Festival on June 18, a day before the nationwide release in the United States on June 19, 2026. Austin, TX is offering this film at a few theaters starting on the evening of June 18th. Check your local listings.
The Romance/Drama/LGBTQ+ film is rated R and runs 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Source: Focus Features