On 26 June 2015, the US Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal nationwide. Two days later, singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko released her debut single, Girls Like Girls, with triumphant bluntness: "Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new." The music video, featuring a Sapphic teen romance, went viral on Tumblr, amassing 163 million YouTube views. Kiyoko, now engaged to former The Bachelor contestant Becca Tilley, has been hailed "lesbian Jesus" by fans.
Kiyoko's 2023 novel adaptation of the video became a New York Times No. 1 bestseller, and her directorial debut of the same name carries forward the neoliberal optimism of the Obama era. Kiyoko states her reason for making the film is that "we need more queer stories," but in this film, representation is all that matters.
Plot and Setting
Set in small-town Oregon in summer 2006, the film follows Coley (Maya Da Costa), a quiet teenager relocated to live with her estranged father (Zach Braff) after her mother's death. She meets Sonya (Myra Molloy), the ideal American girl, unhappily tethered to her boyfriend Trenton. Their connection is ambiguous, pushing at the limits of female friendship.
Stylistic Choices
The film is overwhelmed by color, washed in burnt orange to recreate analogue warmth. Nothing is left implicit, from the 2006 banner to the iPod Classic and AIM login. The script is rote, with dialogue like "I'm tired of running" and "So don't." The performances exceed the script, but the narrative is clumsily stitched together, like a horror director connecting scenes of gore.
Political Vacuum
Kiyoko's adolescent fantasy is depoliticized. When Sonya says her relationship is "wrong," there's no indication why. The film lacks larger institutions, leaving it intensely personal yet emotionally unearned. It is obsessed with being seen but never learns how to look.
Girls Like Girls is out in US cinemas and on VOD in Australia on 19 June, with a UK release date to be announced.
