At least we know the defining moment of Hayley Kiyoko’s life, hands down. First comes the song. Then the book. And now we get Girls Like Girls, the movie version. And you know what? That’s great, Hayley. I can’t wait for the longer, limited TV series on Apple TV in the next couple of years. Keep being so wonderfully yourself.
Our first girl is Coley (Maya da Costa, clearly Kiyoko’s stand in), a shy broken thing forced to live with her estranged dad (Zach Braff) in rural Oregon 2006 summer before senior year. With no friends, Coley bikes around to the local diner, where she locks eyes with Sonya (Myra Molloy) surrounded by her posse. Sonya sees another stray to adopt, so she brings Coley along on her adventures. An AIM screenname, lots of one on one walks, Imogen Heap, and Coley senses maybe this connection is more than just Sonya’s standard flirting.
Even though Hayley Kiyoko’s 35 now, it’s as if her memories have not aged a day. Girls Like Girls feels young in the best ways. First loves are beset on all sides by awkward actions and traversing the unknown, setting the rules accordingly. The mistakes Coley and Sonya make will frustrate any adult, but also with a pang of nostalgia for their own foibles. Coley and Sonya have different obstacles to overcome too, making a double arc of power. What Kiyoko gets so right is that it might be possible for the two of them to end up together, but they have to confront all these obstacles first, some of which might really test their feelings for one another. Naturally, the power dynamics shift, as Coley grows into herself and Sonya has someone who holds her when she wants to run away scared. Then, what Girls Like Girls interestingly shows, is a long amount of time of them apart; how even though maybe the first love is over, it’s still a wonderful thing, teaching each of the girls a little something about themselves they didn’t know was wrong, and growing and learning from it.
It helps that our two leads mostly work. Myra Molloy is the winner here. She’s excellent playing a queen bee, charmingly navigating person to person, understanding how to make them feel special but with her remove so she can jettison when she wants. The first hour of this film is special because of her, drawing Coley out of pure silence into an actual connection with someone. This takes a bunch off Maya da Costa’s shoulders, letting Myra do the talking while she quietly builds who Coley is. So when the split we know is coming does, da Costa has us with her on the ride and is ready for her big section of the film, especially the emotional catharses which she nails. Zach Braff is here for obvious reasons (though you’re treading tough racial waters Kiyoko), going back to the future but as the emotionally sorta stable one this time, and with a necessary chuckle or two. I wonder how important manic pixie dream Natalie Portman was to Hayley Kiyoko’s coming out story?
Girls Like Girls is Hayley Kiyoko. So the movie is her putting herself onscreen, asking us to love her, in all her messiness, flaws, and insecurities. It’s a bold move for sure, hoping that there’s more open hearted people than cynics, especially among the critic cast. Alas, you found one of the believers here, Hayley. Keep living your life, and making your art, with a smile knowing exactly who you are…and we all do too!