7 Excellent Coming Of Age Movies

Greta Gerwig's directorial debut deserves all the praise it received. This is a perfect exploration of the tension of growing up; the interplay between controlling mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf) and equally strong-willed rebellious teen Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is a perfect example of how difficult family ties can be. The two are polar opposites, their tumultuous relationship forming the backbone of many of Lady Bird's tiny revolutions.

Saoirse Ronan is a phenomenal actress, and she proves it by making a character who could be seen as pretentious into one you can't help but sympathise with. Her struggle is one of a character who has simply got bigger ambitions than her upbringing perhaps grants her, and that's nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever.

Watching Lady Bird begin to understand herself and grapple with the combative relationship with her mother and confront the dream of going East to "where culture is" is genuinely cathartic. This is a movie full of "firsts" - going to college, first loves, first job and so on, and each confrontation brings a new challenge that we can all relate to. Whether the plot is autobiographical to Gerwig or not, Lady Bird is a powerful, enjoyable tale.