Girls Like Girls Movie Explained: What to Know Before You Go

Girls Like Girls is the feature directorial debut from Hayley Kiyoko, adapting her 2015 viral hit and subsequent novel into an intimate queer coming-of-age story. The film follows 17-year-old Coley, who is forced to navigate the crushing grief of losing her mother while simultaneously falling in love with a girl named Sonya for the first time.

I caught a screening of this earlier this week, and honestly, the way the film treats the 2006 setting isn’t just aesthetic window dressing; it’s a functional part of the isolation the characters feel. If you’re wondering if it hits the same emotional notes as the source material, the answer is yes, but with a structural maturity that the original song only hinted at.

The plot: Grief and first love in 2006

The story centers on Coley, who moves to a small Oregon town to live with her estranged father, Curtis, played by Zach Braff. Set in the era of AOL Instant Messenger and low-rise jeans, the film maps the transition from a guarded, grieving teen to someone opening up to romantic attraction. The plot isn’t driven by external conflict but by the internal friction of Coley and Sonya discovering their feelings in a space where they don't yet have the vocabulary to label them.

Statistically, the "small-town queer romance" genre is crowded, but Girls Like Girls differentiates itself by how it manages the ensemble. Using a Friends-style structural lens, Sonya occupies the role of the pivot character—she’s the one who forces the emotional growth for everyone else in her orbit, including Coley and the supporting friend group. While some of the supporting characters are given light-on-detail arcs, the core dyad of Maya da Costa and Myra Molloy carries the weight of the film with ease.

Quick Facts: Girls Like Girls

• Release Date: June 19, 2026 (Theatrical)

• Platform (US/Canada): In theaters now; streaming release pending

• Director: Hayley Kiyoko

• Runtime: 95 minutes

• Cast: Maya da Costa, Myra Molloy, Zach Braff, Levon Hawke

• Status: Now Playing
  

Is the film based on a true story?

Girls Like Girls is not based on a true story, but it is deeply autobiographical in its emotional texture. The film is a direct adaptation of Hayley Kiyoko’s own 2015 song and the novel she later wrote to expand upon the music video’s narrative. It functions as an extension of a pre-existing emotional world rather than a historical retelling.

FAQ

Where can I watch Girls Like Girls in the US and Canada? Girls Like Girls is currently playing in theaters across the US and Canada as of June 19, 2026. A digital streaming release date for platforms like Hulu or Max has not yet been announced, so a theatrical outing is your best bet for seeing it this month.

Is Girls Like Girls worth watching if I haven't heard the song? Yes, the film stands on its own as a self-contained coming-of-age drama. You do not need to be familiar with the original music video or the novel to understand the character dynamics, as the film establishes the stakes of Coley and Sonya’s relationship clearly in the first act.

What is the age rating for Girls Like Girls? The film is rated R, primarily for its mature thematic elements and the complex emotional nature of the teenage relationships portrayed. It avoids the glossiness of typical YA films, opting for a grittier, more vulnerable look at the realities of early-2000s suburban queer life.

Are there plans for a Girls Like Girls sequel? There are no official plans for a sequel, as the film serves as a complete adaptation of the narrative arc started in the source material. Hayley Kiyoko has framed this project as a singular, deeply personal directorial debut rather than the start of a franchise.