Overview
- Focus Features is releasing Girls Like Girls in select theaters on June 19, marking Hayley Kiyoko’s feature directorial debut adapted from her 2015 song and 2023 novel.
- Reviewers widely praise the performances and chemistry of leads Maya da Costa (Coley) and Myra Molloy (Sonya) and the film’s warm, sunlit cinematography.
- Multiple critics note the film leans heavily on mid‑2000s Y2K period detail such as AOL Instant Messenger and iPods to create mood, which some say strengthens atmosphere but limits plot development.
- Kiyoko has released a companion soundtrack and said she pared back source music in post so the actors’ performances would carry key emotional beats during the film.
- Fans and critics view the release as culturally significant because it centers sapphic tenderness and queer joy on a specialty theatrical platform with potential awards‑season visibility.