5 Moments We Hope to See in Hayley Kiyoko’s “Girls Like Girls”
Girls Like Girls, a story years in the making, is finally coming to the big screen this year. Based on the 2023 book of the same name, the story follows Coley (Maya da Costa) as she spends a hot summer falling in love for the first time. Both the book and the movie are inspired by singer and actress Hayley Kiyoko’s iconic music video for her song of the same name.
After their 2015 release, both the song and the video were quickly cemented in queer pop culture. At the time, it was a rare moment of LGBTQ representation that helped teenagers everywhere realize they weren’t alone in their feelings. Whether watched under the covers or on the family computer where the search history was promptly deleted, countless fans found themselves united in the shared feeling of being seen for the first time.
The music video follows a loose narrative and mostly contains stunning visuals filled with the bittersweet feeling of teenage yearning. As an avid fan of the original, it’s been thrilling to watch the story become more and more fleshed out with every iteration. Based on the trailer, the movie promises to deliver on those aforementioned visuals while also crafting an enticing coming of age story.
There are still a few months left until the movie’s June release date. Until then, here are a few book moments we are hoping to see in the movie!
Minor spoilers ahead.
The Calamine Lotion Moment
One word, two syllables: ten-sion. After meeting Sonya (Myra Molloy), Coley finds herself tagging along on Sonya and her friends’ adventures. When the party they’re attending gets busted by the cops, the group makes a mad dash across a field and into a bog to hide. It’s dark and Coley is unfamiliar with Oregon’s wildlife, so the crew winds up covered in poison oak. The remedy to poison oak? A shower and a calamine lotion massage.
Sonya and Coley return to Sonya’s house, where they take turns applying the calamine lotion to the areas that came into contact with poison oak. I’m sure if you ask Coley, having calamine lotion massaged into your back by your crush makes up for the unrelenting itchiness that poison oak so loves to inflict. Though it wasn’t in the original, this moment did feel very reminiscent of the music video with its soft glances and yearning looks.
Sonya’s Angsty LiveJournal Entries
While the story is told through Coley’s point of view, readers are able to get glimpses into Sonya’s inner workings thanks to her LiveJournal. For those unfamiliar with the platform, think of LiveJournal as the birthplace of blogging. Before social media turned into what we know it as today, one of the ways people shared their lives with others was through blogging.
Sonya’s blog makes frequent appearances throughout the book as both private and public entries, though only we, the readers, are able to read the private entries. In those entries, we come to understand Sonya and see just how much her relationship with Coley means to her. It’ll be interesting to see how the movie handles these entries, which are so crucial to understanding Sonya as a character.
Each journal entry also includes a song. Some of the selections include “Portions for Foxes” by Rilo Kiley, “Over My Head” by The Fray, and “Lover’s Spit” by Broken Social Scene. Sonya’s music makes for the perfect early 2000s angsty teen playlist. Perhaps some of these tunes will make their way into the movie.
Olive Juice
Coley and Sonya spend much of their time together alone, away from the prying eyes of Sonya’s friends. This time together allows them to finally be themselves without any expectations of who they feel they have to be. On one particular day, they share a kiss in the grass next to some train tracks.
As a teenager in a small town in 2006, Sonya isn’t quite ready to admit her feelings out loud. Instead, in between kisses, she utters one simple phrase: “Olive juice.” I love you. It’s cheesy and perhaps a little silly and immature, but that’s what makes it so sweet. It’s a touching moment of young love that everyone deserves to experience.
Every Time Coley Crushes on Sonya. Every. Time.
Book-to-movie adaptations are notorious for cutting back on content for the sake of time and story structure. However, part of what makes Coley and Sonya such an enticing couple is the clear pining that Coley does throughout the book. As soon as the two meet, it’s all heart eyes and sapphic yearning from Coley. There were moments between our two leads that had my own heart skipping, almost as if I was seventeen again with a hopeless crush on one of my classmates.
Legs brushing lightly against each other in the back of a beat up old van on the way to the lake. Sonya leaning in to delicately apply lip gloss to Coley’s lips. Drinking stolen champagne from the bottle by the train tracks. While young love is never an endorsement for theft or underage drinking, it’s another moment that highlights the little interactions that drew teens closer together in the aughts, mistakes and all. What’s not to love?
Curtis and Coley’s Epic To Do List for Bonding
That’s not the actual title of the list (we are never told if the list even has a title), but it feels fitting for Coley’s budding relationship with her estranged father, Curtis. Running parallel to Coley’s budding romantic relationship with Sonya, Coley and Curtis also find themselves creating a connection — a rocky one. The two initially struggle to relate to each other after years of separation. However, they finally manage to reach an understanding after a dramatic moment where they say what’s on their minds.
Once the ground stops shaking between them, Curtis and Coley form a tentative father-daughter relationship. They make a list of things they want to do with each other to get to know one another better. While we only see two of the tasks from the list being completed, we hope to see more sweet bonding moments like this in the film.
No matter what happens, longtime fans are excited to finally see their favorite characters on the big screen. Watch Girls Like Girls in theaters June 19.
Looking for something to watch in the meantime? Check out Envi’s March Premiere Picks.
