20 Coming-Of-Age Movies That Are Totally Flawless
3. Stand By Me (1986)
Stand By Me may just be the first movie that comes to mind when you think about the coming-of-age genre.
Based on the novella The Body by Stephen King, Stand By Me follows four friends (River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O'Connell) who decides to brave the nearby woods in search of a dead body.
The body is secondary to the story, though: What matters here is the relationship between the boys, how they interact and use each to push through their demons and combat their shared uncertainty about what the future holds.
It's simply told, but it's with such simplicity that Stand By Me soars, allowing the characters to do the talking and break your heart with every twist of their haunting, life-affirming journey.