friday flicks – 20 films to watch if you love sofia coppola’s ‘marie antoinette’

This October, Sofia Coppola’s beloved 2006 historical drama Marie Antoinette turns the big two-oh. More of a whimsical coming-of-age whirlwind of a story than a faithful depiction of the 18th century Queen of France’s short life, Marie Antoinette cemented Sofia as one of the movie greats thanks to its epic post-punk soundtrack, realistic teenage tribulations and – of course – purple Converse high-tops. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this masterpiece of modern cinema, we’ve found 20 films that are just as poetic in their explorations of girlhood interiority as Marie Antoinette. Gather some cake, a pair of anachronistic sneakers and your favourite The Strokes album – girldom is awaiting.

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES Sofia’s directorial feature debut is the obvious first choice of a flick if you adore Marie Antoinette. 1999’s The Virgin Suicides has all the lacey dresses and psychological distress of a typical teenage girl’s life. And just like Marie, no one makes it out alive. Plus, Kirsten Dunst!

MUSTANG 2015 Turkish film Mustang is set in a place far away from the Palace of Versailles, but the unrelenting struggle of young women trying to figure out who they are as the conservative society they’re growing up in is adamant on telling them who they should be is much of the sameness.

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK Part of Australian cinema’s honourary hall of fame, Peter Weir’s 1975 beauty of a flick Picnic at Hanging Rock has most definitely been on Sofia’s moodboard for some time. See: period dresses, the loss of innocence, misunderstood lasses.

THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL Another period classic, only this time it unfolds in the sexy '70s. Marielle Heller’s 2015 movie The Diary of a Teenage is more overt about the inner thoughts of the film’s protagonist than Marie Antoinette dares to be, but the horrid experience of growing up is nonetheless mutual.

BABYTEETH Australian cinema knows how to do a few of things really well: epic shots of vast red dirt, gritty characters of suspicious origin, and girlhood. Shannon Murphy’s 2019 understated gem Babyteeth hits the most brutal nail on the heard of that third thing.

SUMMER 2000: THE X-CETRA STORY Moving between found footage of a gaggle of pre-teen girls making an album in the summer of the year 2000, and those same girls all grown up as they reflect back on the interiority and boldness of their young selves, Ayden Mayeri’s 2026 doco Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story is like girlhood on a silver platter.

PALO ALTO If anyone can craft a film that riffs off Sofia’s work of coming-age-age exploration, it’s her own niece. Gia Coppola’s debut feature – the 2013 flick Palo Alto – is a tad more explicit than Marie Antoinette, but it’s heartbreaking all the same.

BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER While Jamie Babbit’s 1999 film But I’m a Cheerleader leans more into the comedic side than the whimsical drama of girlishness, this queer classic has plenty to say about the silliness and seriousness of growing up in a conservative world.

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD If you love that one scene in Marie Antoinette in which she’s running through the halls of Versailles trying to find a quiet place where she can fantasise about her crush, you’re gonna loooove the running-slash-crush-fantasy scene in Joachim Trier’s 2021 Norwegian masterpiece The Worst Person in the World.

GIRLHOOD So much of growing up is trying to grow into a version of yourself that fits in with those around you. Marieme – the young lady at the centre of Céline Sciamma’s 2014 French flick Girlhood – understands this viscerally. But what if fitting in doesn’t come with the freedom you thought it would?

THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN 2016’S The Edge of Seventeen – directed by Kelly Fremon Craig – is a pretty straight-down-the-line bildungsroman, but a lovely one at that. It’s nowhere near as cheesy as a made-for-streaming flick, and the heart it does contain is bursting with sympathy for getting through the terrible age of 17.

EMMA. If historical drama is your cup of tea, you better start boiling the kettle. Emma. – the 2020 adaption by Autumn de Wilde of Jane Austen’s famed book of the same name – delivers all the period sets and outrageous outfits you could want from a 19th century-set movie, plus a fair dose of cheeky romance.

SORRY, BABY Terrible things happen in life, and Eva Victor – the star and director of 2025’s Sorry, Baby – understands that intimately. But what helps not let those terrible things take over one’s life is the solidity of friendship. This film is as raw and as real as modern coming-of-ages get.

LITTLE WOMEN Whether it’s Greta Gerwig’s 2019 remake or Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 adpation, Little Women is a tale that has stood the test of time on our screens for good reason. Based on the renowned book by Louisa May Alcott, you’ll get all your period-drama kicks while indulging in the cosiest of stories about sisterhood.

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT 2024’s quiet Indian masterpiece All We Imagine as Light, directed by Payal Kapadia, is an exquisite exploration of female friendships and manifested desires. Less about what happens plot-wise and more about the soul that strings the length of the film together, this one’s a goodie if you’re wanting to feel a little more human.

MILE END KICKS The tone of Chandler Levack’s 2025 Mile End Kicks differs a little from Marie Antoinette, but both films’ love of indie-rock and grunge music from the noughties/early 2010s bounds these coming-of-ages close together.

BLUE HERON If you love Sofia’s films for their quiet interiority and limited plots, you’re going to fall even further in love with Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron. The 2025 flick is more interested in the dynamics of human relationships and the memories they hold than any twists and turns in the story, and that’s exactly why it’s a stand-out.

JANET PLANET While the Queen of France’s teenage years at Versailles might feel far away from you in their displays of glitz and glam, how they were perforated by confusion and isolation is enough to make them feel relatable to anyone who has experienced teenagedom. Janet Planet – the 2023 movie directed by playwright Annie Baker in her feature film debut – places the confusion and isolation of pre-teen girlhood front and centre. It might be far from Versailles, but it’s as close to our hearts as Marie.

PARTY GIRL Royal gatherings and white-dusted wigs might be out of place in the world of Daisy von Scherler Mayer’s 1995 Party Girl, but boy oh boy would Parker Posey’s protagonist fit right into Versailles. The super-cool eponymous party girl knows how to throw an event – it’s what happens in the quiet after the guests go home that she doesn’t know what to do with.

MY BRILLIANT CAREER Last on our list is Gillian Armstrong’s 1979 stellar of a film, My Brilliant Career. You’ve got everything you could ever want in these 100 minutes of immaculate storytelling and visuals: period costumes, saucy romance, extravagant dances, Sam Neill. Marie Antoinette shares all the above, minus the Sam Neill (vale).

Hungry for more movie stuff? Spy this list of aussie flicks about girlhood or peep your eyes on the frankie team's movie recommendations. Plus, sign up to our newsletter to stay in the movie loop.