Girls Like Girls Film Review: Sweet But Predictable Queer Teen Romance

Hayley Kiyoko is a well-known name in the LGBTQ+ community. Fans call her 'lesbian Jesus.' She is a singer and former Disney Channel actress. Now she has made her first film as a director.

The film is called Girls Like Girls. It is based on her famous 2015 music video. That video showed a romantic story between two teenage girls. It spread quickly on Tumblr and got 163 million views on YouTube.

The original music video came out on June 28, 2015. That was just two days after the US Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal. The timing felt very powerful for many queer people.

The song had a simple but strong message. 'Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new,' Kiyoko sang. For many young queer people, this felt like a big moment. It gave them something to hold on to.

But the new film does not reach the same heights. The story feels slow and hard to follow. The dialogue often feels unnatural and forced. Some scenes make the audience groan instead of feel moved.

The film tells a Sapphic teen love story. The emotions are real and the intention is good. But the writing does not always support the story well. The pacing makes it hard to stay interested.

Kiyoko is clearly passionate about queer storytelling. That passion shows on screen. But passion alone is not enough for a strong film debut. A tighter script would have helped a lot.

It is worth remembering how much has changed since 2015. Queer voices in pop music are much more common now. Artists like Chappell Roan, King Princess, and Reneé Rapp are very popular. The world Kiyoko helped create is now bigger and bolder.

Kiyoko herself is also in a happy place. She is now engaged to Becca Tilley, known from The Bachelor. Her personal story is a joyful one.

Girls Like Girls the film has heart. It will mean a lot to some queer viewers. But as a piece of cinema, it still has room to grow. Kiyoko's next project may show more of her true potential as a filmmaker.