Hayley Kiyoko’s queer masterpiece is perfect watching
BY KAITLIN WILLOUGHBY, IMAGE BY FOCUS FEATURES
Hayley Kiyoko’s new feature film Girls Like Girls is coming to cinemas in October, but first she is hosting a series of preview screenings and Q&As around London. One of which I was lucky enough to attend.
The film is based on the 2015 Girls Like Girls music video, which if you were online in the mid 2010s, was probably part of your queer journey. Girls Like Girls is a love letter to summer – more specifically a summer of self-discovery and first love. The feelings jump off the screen, feelings that many of us associate with our first queer love: anxiety, excitement, euphoria, sadness, and unfortunately, shame.
It follows 17-year-old Coley, who has recently moved to live with her father in a small town in Oregon, and discovers a new friend and infatuation with cool girl Sonya.
Describing her motivations for crafting the film in the Q&A, Hayley said: “I am a normal human being, and I have navigated my whole life never being able to buy a ticket, go to the theatre and see myself reflected back to me. That is crazy. And so that began my 11-year journey…”
This accurately sums up the magical feeling of watching this in a room full of other sapphics, seeing our experiences represented on screen. Other than creating a visual experience, the film created a shared viewing experience. In one scene, when Coley confronts Sonya with her feelings, Sonya responds, “I guess I’m just like that with all of my friends,” and my whole cinema collectively groaned.
This film was made for and by sapphics, shot from the female gaze, and male characters play a minimal role. It is tactile and immersive. Close-up shots convey Coley’s fascination with Sonya, trailing longingly from the smallest details: her hands, her shoulder blades, the flick of her hair, forcing you to reminisce on the intensity of those first feelings of love, of admiration and awe.
Close-ups also offer insight into deeply personal moments such as the anxiety and thrill of a first kiss, or the earth-shattering moment when it all goes wrong, and you sob uncontrollably in your bedroom.
What I love about the film is that, despite displaying the high-stakes emotions of queer love and the hurdles the protagonists have to overcome, there is an undertone of hope. In a touching scene, Coley’s supportive father comforts her without needing explanation, telling her he cannot wait to see her meet “her person”.
It has an explicitly happy ending, made clear through the post-credit scene. Ultimately, Girls Like Girls left me with afeeling of hope, and a reminder of my own growth in the 11 years since I watched the music video. Having this on our screens is a victory and a cause for joy.
Girls Like Girls is out in UK cinemas now.
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