Hayley Kiyoko’s Girls Like Girls nails queer longing in tender coming-of-age drama

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• From viral hit to screen: how a song grew into a movie
• A mid-2000s setting and a soundtrack that sets the mood
• A tender look at first love and what it asks of you
• Cast and characters: performances that anchor the film
• Visual and emotional language: music-video roots inform the film
• The film’s themes and why they matter for queer youth cinema
• Release and what to watch for

Hayley Kiyoko has quietly expanded a moment from pop culture into a full cinematic life. What began as a 2015 single and viral music video has been rewritten, enlarged, and tenderly filmed into a feature that revisits teenage longing with clear-eyed warmth.

From viral hit to screen: how a song grew into a movie

“Girls Like Girls” started as a song and short visual story that resonated online. Kiyoko co-directed that early video and later turned the same emotional core into a novel. Now she brings the narrative to theaters as her first feature film.

• Origin: 2015 single that became a viral short-film style video.
• Expansion: the story was adapted into a novel before becoming a feature.
• Filmmaking voice: Kiyoko moves from music-driven shorts to narrative cinema.

A mid-2000s setting and a soundtrack that sets the mood

The film places its characters in 2006, leaning into the quirks of pre-smartphone youth culture. Messaging on a clunky PC feels as authentic as the mixtape-style soundtrack.

• Tegan and Sara’s melancholic pop colors several scenes.
• Imogen Heap’s electronics add emotional texture.
• AIR supplies a psychedelic sheen to the film’s late-night moments.

Small details — a bike with scraped paint, an elastic tattoo-choker, and the looming presence of the internet’s early days — give the film a precise period flavor. These touches help the romance feel specific and immediate.

A tender look at first love and what it asks of you

Centering on shy Coley and vivacious Sonya, the movie maps the rush and uncertainty of a first relationship. Their bond grows in private corners: bedrooms, pool decks, and backyard hangouts.

The film prioritizes intimacy over spectacle. It lingers on shared looks and small gestures. Those quiet beats carry more weight here than any dramatic set-piece.

• Coley reaches out in hesitant messages and seeks connection after personal loss.
• Sonya offers a dazzling front that conceals the pressure of peer expectations.
• The story frames choices about identity, belonging, and who you become around someone you love.

Rather than centering hostility or violence against queer teens, Kiyoko chooses to explore the daily decisions that shape growth. This version of the tale dwells on tender risks: confessing feelings, finding a voice, and deciding whether to stay in the light.

Cast and characters: performances that anchor the film

Myra Molloy and Maya da Costa form an affecting onscreen partnership. Molloy brings buoyant charisma to Sonya, making her the magnetic center of social scenes.

Da Costa’s Coley is quieter by design. Her performance captures uncertainty as a lived state that slowly gives way to courage.

• Myra Molloy — Sonya, whose ease and charm mask deeper conflicts.
• Maya da Costa — Coley, a grieving teen who learns to step forward.
• Zach Braff — the estranged father, initially seen as distant, who becomes more present.

The film stages the father-daughter relationship with visual metaphor. Early scenes cast him in shadow; as trust grows, he steps into clearer light. That arc mirrors Coley’s emergence.

Visual and emotional language: music-video roots inform the film

Kiyoko’s background in music videos shapes the film’s rhythm. Montage sequences and lyrical framing create moments that feel both cinematic and intimate.

Expect scenes that breathe on sound and silence. The director lets songs and faces carry emotion, rather than relying on heavy exposition.

1. Montages trace romantic discovery with music as guide.
2. Close-ups capture subtle shifts in desire and fear.
3. Period props and costume choices anchor the era and character.

There’s a key poolside sequence that echoes earlier versions of the story, reworked here to fit the film’s softer tone. Stay through the credits: there’s an extra scene that rewards patient viewers.

The film’s themes and why they matter for queer youth cinema

Girls Like Girls avoids the trope that queer coming-of-age must hinge on violence. Instead, it focuses on belonging, joy, and the small victories that feel monumental to a teen.

• Identity unfolds through relationships, not only confrontation.
• Emotional authenticity replaces spectacle.
• The story validates desire as ordinary and worthy of exploration.

By foregrounding tenderness over trauma, the film offers a different model for LGBTQ+ stories. It celebrates the quiet courage of being seen and choosing love in imperfect circumstances.

Release and what to watch for

Girls Like Girls opens widely on June 19. Audiences should watch for the film’s attention to small, lived details and its use of music to shape feeling.

Notable elements:

• Well-curated soundtrack that amplifies emotion.
• Strong central chemistry between the leads.
• A directorial voice that bridges pop music and narrative cinema.