There comes a time when teens are told they must grow up. They are thrust into a world that is intent on making them shed their youth. A teen can get so lost in the struggle to reach adulthood they forget that life is about discovering what living means to them. Mihika Yamijala and Vasavi Allu have come to understand what it means to take life by the reins by watching coming-of-age movies such as “Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “Three Idiots.” 

     Yamijala acknowledges how “Perks of Being a Wallflower” helped her to recognize that teen struggle is a part of maturing. “That movie made me realize like there is room for pain and nuance in teen stories and there’s not always gonna be the perfect teenager and there isn’t always gonna be the perfect way to grow up,” said Yamijala. She later clarifies how peoples’ experiences in life vary, creating different paths, yet all those paths lead to one destination, adulthood. It’s the obstacles teens face that help to shape who they become, but being young isn’t just about strife it’s also about fun. 

      “Three Idiots” is a film that tells the story of 3 roguish characters who navigate the pressures of the young adult world. “I like the scene where they crash into a wedding and they go to get the free buffet but they get caught by the host and the host happens to be the principal of the college,” Allu said, laughing about the playful antics of the 3 characters. “Although we don’t get into trouble we like to have fun and be a little bit rebellious,” Allu said when asked how the film applies to her own life. She explains that the movie touches upon how despite the academic responsibilities that are placed on us, life is meant for the happiness of friendship, and how the lessons it teaches us along way are much more valuable than any college certificate or degree. She said this has taught her to enjoy being with her friends and spending time with them.

Coming-of-age films tell us that teenhood is not something a person must go through alone.

     “I think it represents community in a way that’s very honest, it shows that true friendship means people are gonna be there for you,” said Yamijala referring to one of her favorite scenes in “Perks of Being a Wallflower.” The scene is significant to her because it demonstrates that friends are some of our greatest supporters on the journey to discover who you are. 

     Furthermore, life is encapsulated in experiences and moments that are mended together, coming of age is figuring out how those pieces of your life create the person you are. “ I [also] think coming of age can be a lot of things.

“You can come of age when you’re thirty, when you can come of age when you’re 5, you can come of age whenever you want to you know?”

     “What I mean [is] it’s just like when are you realizing who you are in that whole process,” said Yamijala detailing how coming of age isn’t simply restricted to people ages 16 to 18. It is a process in which you become a human being finding your place in the world and realizing you have the power to do that.