After a career as a Disney Channel teen actor, singer/songwriter/actress/author Hayley Kiyoko pivoted into a pop career that has made her one of the biggest queer artists on the planet. Affectionately known to her fans as “lesbian Jesus,” her biggest hit came in 2015 from her second EP titled “Girls Like Girls.” After the massive success of the song and then the music video, Kiyoko expanded the song into a novel that has now been adapted into a film, written by herself, Chloe Okuno (“V/H/S/94,” “Watcher”), and Stefanie Scott (“A.N.T. Farm,” “The Girl in the Woods”) and directed by Kiyoko.
Its summer 2006 and Coley, played by Maya da Costa (“Under the Bridge”) has just moved in with her estranged father Curtis, played by Zach Braff (“Scrubs,” “Garden State”) after the unexpected death of her mother. In her new town she meets Sonya, played by Myra Molloy (“The Bold Type,” “He’s All That”), and the two begin a whirlwind summer romance as Coley attempts to grapple with her first love, and Sonya struggles with her newfound attraction to girls.
From the film’s opening moments, the vibe Kiyoko wants to capture is extremely clear. This is not a squeaky-clean kind of teen romance. This is the sort of film that's bathed in a warm summery haze, with natural lighting and an emphasis on mid-2000s nostalgia. From the clothes to the hangout spots to the thick original iPods, this film is clearly aimed at anyone who grew up in the years 2000-2009. Nothing here feels flashy either. There are no quick camera cuts or fancy movements. No elaborate panning sequences from cinematographer Sonja Tsypin (“Fuzzy Head,” “The Yellow Wallpaper”), just a calm, understated window into Coley’s life.
In some way, you could see the film’s short runtime and limited scope as a slight, but rather it goes further in capturing Kiyoko’s evocative goal. This is a quiet kind of contemplative film, and while the script certainly has its fair share of romance and coming-of-age cliches, there’s a wistfulness in how it navigates it all. Every character in the film is messy, and Kiyoko, Okuno, and Scott capture the complicated nature of being a teenager quite well. There’s plenty of space to allow both Coley and Sonya grace in their missteps.
Costa plays Coley with a soft and gentle hand; there’s a kindness to her performance that allows anyone in her circumstances to see themselves and feel cared for. Molloy plays Sonya as a popular whirlwind girl, and it's easy to see why and how Coley falls so fast for her. The script spends a majority of its time on Coley though, which makes Sonya feel underdeveloped as a result. She clearly has an arc that’s happening off-screen, but it's harder to sympathize with her in the way the film wants as we simply aren’t seeing her journey. Braff turns in a surprisingly understated performance as Coley’s father Curtis, and there’s a slowly evolving warmth to his portrayal that makes each scene he and Costa share together a highlight.
The rest of the film’s technical merits are all top notch, if slight. The needle drops have plenty of queer representation, such as Tegan and Sara and new songs from Kiyoko herself, and the costume designs have a natural feeling to them, as if the costume designer opened a box of all their old outfits from 2005. This is just a kind, calm film, without sacrificing Coley or Soyna’s emotional journeys. There are no grand statements on life or romance or anything of the sort; just a slice of these two girls lives figuring things out on their own personal queer journeys.
“Girls Like Girls” could be described as a sleepy little film, but it effectively evocates the early 2000s vibe for a sweet lesbian romance brought to the big screen. Kiyoko’s vision is clear and true, if simplistic, and the warmth radiating from the setting and the characters is felt sweetly. Costa and Molloy are great together, and you feel their romance throughout the uneven, cliched script. If nothing else, this is an unpretentious gateway film for young queer women everywhere and a jumping off point for Kiyoko’s potential as a filmmaker. 3.5/5
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