6 Movies to Understand Gen Z
Ah, Gen Z. You are so misunderstood. Thankfully, movies are here to help us old folk out a bit.
First off, who are we even talking about when we refer to Gen Z? Researchers define this group of young people as those born in the mid-to-late ‘90s up to the early 2010s as Gen Z, and also note that most Gen Z’ers are children of my generation, Gen X. (Though if you had kids later in life like me, your kids are part of Generation Alpha — the first generation born entirely in the new millennium.)
Gen Z’ers have, undoubtedly, grown up in a world of extreme upheaval — from the climate crisis, to social justice conflicts, to the polarization of politics, to the pandemic, and so much more. They’re the first generation to not know life before the internet and social media, but beyond that, it’s hard to make any other broad generalizations without falling into lame stereotypes. I think each of these 6 movies does a great job of shining a light on a different aspect of this complex cohort of young people.
Missing – Part of an entirely screen-based anthology that kicked off with 2018’s Searching, Missing revolves around a teenager named June (Storm Reid) who leverages her “digital native” status as a Gen Z’er to think outside of the box and use technology to track down her mother (Nia Long), who seems to have disappeared in Colombia while on a trip with her new boyfriend (Ken Leung).
Bodies Bodies Bodies – This black comedy-slash-slasher offers a hilarious, insightful showcase of Gen Z attitudes, fashion, jargon, social media platforms and general life choices while picking its characters off one by one.
Eighth Grade – This amazing dramedy is such a realistic and intimate look at Gen Z’s awkward time between junior high and high school that it’s been mistaken for a documentary. That’s saying a lot about the skills of director Bo Burnham and his adorable leading lady, Elsie Fisher. Elsie plays Kayla, who’s in her last week of eighth grade and is struggling to break free from her “quiet girl” reputation. Her insecurity, innocence and self-absorption are both heartbreaking and comical, but anyone my age or older is going to be most mystified by Kayla’s love of live-streaming.
The Hate U Give – This adaptation of Angie Thomas’s bestselling novel revolves around a police officer shooting a black teenager in front of his best friend, Starr (Amandla Stenberg). After her friend is killed, Starr grows increasingly uncomfortable with continuing to juggle what amounts to two different personalities depending on whether she’s in her poor, mostly black neighborhood, or at the rich, mostly white prep school she attends. When a civil rights lawyer (Issa Rae) encourages Starr to start speaking out about what she witnessed — in addition to testifying in front of a grand jury — the young girl learns some hard lessons about racism, police brutality, and both the positive and negative consequences of activism. It’s a moving story brought to life by a top-notch cast, and I wish it wasn’t so representative of what so many Gen Z’ers of color experience in today’s world.
Booksmart – When two overachieving high school seniors (Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein) realize on their last day of school that other Gen Z’ers put in minimal effort, partied all year long and still got into top colleges, the friends decide to cram all the fun they missed into one wild night. It does such a wonderful job of summing up all the anxiety, hopes and fears about that pivotal time between high school and college for Gen Z’ers. And for this Gen X’er, I was thrilled that Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, is absolutely fantastic as the comic-relief character, Gigi.
The Edge of Seventeen – Hailee Steinfeld is magnificent as a Gen Z high schooler who was already uncomfortable in her own skin before learning that that her brother (Blake Jenner) and her best friend (The White Lotus’s Haley Lu Richardson) have been secretly dating. Now she’s ready to burn everything to the ground. Woody Harrelson plays her blunt teacher who refuses to treat her like a child, and in the process, helps her grow up.