Girls Like Girls (2026) – Review and Summary

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“Girls Like Girls” Film Details

• Director(s): Hayley Kiyoko
• Writer(s): Hayley Kiyoko, Stefanie Scott
• Based On Work By: Chloe Okuno, Hayley Kiyoko
• Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 35 Minutes
• Public Release Date (In Theaters): June 19, 2026
• Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Young Adult, LGBT+
• Content Rating: Rated R
• Primary Language: English
• Images © of / Courtesy Of Focus Features

Movie Summary

Nicole, Coley, is fresh from San Diego and comes to a small town right after school ends, so outside of when she rides her bike around, she is stuck with her estranged father, Curtis. Lucky for her, though, she catches the eye and attention of a girl named Sonya, who does more than take her under her wing. The two have a hot/cold fling throughout June, which could have been transformative.

But, it is 2005, and as much as Sonya took the lead, as things get serious, it becomes more and more difficult for both to figure out if this can extend beyond June, if not the summer, and become something serious and long-term.

Cast and Characters

Nicole “Coley” (Maya da Costa)

• Character Summary: Coley is fresh from San Diego, seemingly, even with an AIM account, keeps up with no one from there, and after moving, it seemed she planned to spend her summer riding her bike, listening to music, and finding places that were cool. All while ignoring her estranged father.

Sonya (Myra Molloy)

• Character Summary: Sonya is popular, presumably rich, considering she had an iMac G4, which was over $1,000 retail, and her own car. But, beyond the wealth, she is a dancer, winning many competitions since she was five, and she is the type who struggles with the idea of people not liking her, unless she is trying to push them away.

Curtis (Zach Braff)

• Character Summary: Curtis was a musician at one time, makes jewelry as a hobby, and was notably absent for most of Coley’s life. However, he is now her primary caregiver and while he struggles to connect, he keeps trying.

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

Boundary Testing Tension [85/100]

Whether we’re talking about being a queer person or non-queer person, when you like someone but don’t know if they like you, sometimes you explore. It can be something as simple as how they react if your knees touch, if your fingers graze theirs in a way that could become a handhold, or the many ways Sonya seeks to see if Coley will reject her advances.

It’s all innocent, subtle even, but at the same time, when you’re in the situation, it can be intense – on both sides. After all, intimacy doesn’t require sex. Just someone being open to being alone with you in their room, allowing you to see what things they wake up to, or them taking you to their little corner of the world, can be major.

And it all creates this wonderful build-up to when that moment hits, when you don’t need to question if they like you, but things become, who is going to stop being coy first and just go for it? Be it a kiss, a confession, or initiating the conversation so you can define the relationship, vs. living in ambiguity, which is fun at first, but draining if it goes on too long.

Sonya’s Struggle [83/100]

In watching Girls Like Girls, I think it has to be firmly remembered that this takes place in 2005. Only one US State, Massachusetts, legalized same sex marriage at the time; there wasn’t social media to make being a queer person feel more normalized, and there were no apps to easily build community. So, as much as it is understandable for people to get mad at Sonya for coming on strong, then backing away once feelings were being reciprocated, I feel like she deserves grace.

After all, while it isn’t made explicitly clear where Coley moved to, Sonya noting it is the type of town where everyone knows everybody, and how scared she was about how her family could react, should not be downplayed. To me, Sonya reminded you why the new person in town is always treated like a big deal, and it is because they offer a friendship or relationship that has safety via anonymity.

No one knowing Coley, and Sonya getting to her first, meant that if they built trust, Sonya could see if these feelings she had were for women in general or just Coley. And as you may hear from many an elder queer person, even young ones, in modern times, especially those who live in the US South, finding someone you can feel safe enough to explore feelings with is a big deal. For it is hard out there for non-queer people to find someone, imagine in 2005 when you had to rely on hopes and prayers.

Coley Holding People Accountable But Being Open To Giving Grace [83.5/100]

But let’s be clear, Coley wasn’t folding any and every time Sonya decided to act right. Never mind, as much as Coley was insecure about a few things, let us not forget who initiated things and who generally chased whom. This often led to Coley using the power given to want and expect better from Sonya. Not in terms of her pressuring her to come out, since I don’t think Coley was even out. However, she at least didn’t want to be iced out or her feelings played with.

It wasn’t asking for much, and to a point, like me, Coley understood she and Sonya weren’t going to be holding hands senior year, making out at football games, as if that was the safest thing to do. But that didn’t mean Coley was going to wait around, have Sonya act like a village bicycle, and be cool with it.

The Question Of Whether You’re Gay, Bi, Or Just Like This Person [86/100]

What Girls Like Girls presents, which very few films featuring same-sex couples don’t do, is present the idea that maybe these two people aren’t gay, despite being the same gender. It could very well be they are soul mates in a society where how they look on the outside complicates the overwhelming feelings on the inside. The other person being a boy, girl, however they identify, doesn’t matter. It’s them, their personality, how they make someone feel, how they love them, which matters.

Truly, in all, if not the majority of movies and shows I’ve seen, I don’t think any really took the approach of it being about the person, and not the gender.

On The Fence

Coley’s Relationship With Her Parents [74/100]

How Sonya makes Coley feel consumes the majority of the movie, and what’s left, they try to use to establish who she is outside of Sonya’s world. The problem is that it isn’t given the oomph it needs to compete with such an engrossing romance. Curtis, being Coley’s estranged father, who really doesn’t make much of an effort until Sonya starts hurting Coley’s feelings? He doesn’t get you invested in their relationship or reconciliation.

Coley’s mom? Things are honestly left a bit vague there. You know, there were definitely mental health issues. However, again, it’s 2005, so the vocabulary isn’t there for either Coley or Curtis to describe what was going on with clarity, and what grace either can muster is reliant on nostalgia. Leaving you with this relationship that has to exist, as Coley is underage, but the complications we’re told about pale in comparison to the rest of Coley’s drama.

Overall

Our Rating (82/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)

Girls Like Girls may stumble a bit regarding establishing Coley’s life outside of the role Sonya plays in it, but in terms of the romance, the highs and lows of it, it is wonderfully done. It will have you tearing up when it is going bad, getting butterflies when it is good, and will make you appreciate all that comes from experiencing your first love and navigating the rush of feelings.

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