Girls Like Girls

😁 Girls Like Girls, dir. Hayley Kiyoko, 2026, USA, 95 min.
Thursday, June 18, 2026, 5:45 PM, Castro Theatre
🎦 Now showing in cinemas!
⚠️ Mention of self-harm and death by suicide

Girls Like Girls

Frameline blurb: Musician, author, actor, and all-around lesbian icon Hayley Kiyoko adds “feature filmmaker” to her impressive list of accomplishments with a directorial debut that’s based on both her hit single and best-selling young adult novel of the same name. Set against the backdrop of a small town, this coming-of-age story sees Coley (newcomer Maya da Costa), the new girl in town, falling in love for the first time with the ever-magnetic Sonya (Myra Molloy).

What starts out as a fast friendship deepens, leaving Coley to question not just her feelings for Sonya but her own identity, desires, and life path. Along the way, Coley comes to terms with the loss that brought her to town and her burgeoning connection with her father (Zach Braff). Featuring all-new music from Kiyoko, this sun-drenched, heartfelt debut aptly captures the complicated swirl of highs and lows that come with loving someone who might not be ready to love you back.

My take: I missed the Frameline screening of Girls Like Girls because I went to 💩 Objectionable Content: Banned Retro Shorts, which featured one of the worst films I’ve ever seen, and another that I thought was pretty bad, although there was one tolerable film out of the three shorts. Definitely, definitely my bad. I heard wonderful things about Girls Like Girls, and then I saw that it’s playing in theaters! So I missed the Frameline experience, but at least I got to see the film shortly after.

Sonya starts off as the girl who’s friends with all the kids in town, confident, outgoing, always ready for some fun. Coley is the new kid, trying to adjust to moving from San Diego with Mom to a small town (unspecified, but filmed in Kelowna, B.C., “the Gateway to Salmon Arm”) with Dad. The initial spark of connection between them sends them both on a rollercoaster, as we see that Sonya, too, has some issues in her life and relationships. The scenery is beautiful, and the story is heartfelt. There were a couple of points where the pace dragged a little bit, but it mostly percolates along, spending a fair amount of time in Teen Angst without wallowing in it, and the leads have a satisfying character arc. Inside tip: there is a bonus scene at the end, so do stay after the credits. Highly recommended.

• IMDb • Official website: US ◦ UK • Filmmaker • Instagram / Facebook: @GirlsLikeGirlsFilm • preview • Wikipedia • Rotten Tomatoes • Letterboxd • If you are in distress and need someone to talk to, please call or text the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (US & Canada), or the Trevor Hotline (1-866-488-7836 or text 678678 or chat.trvr.org)  •