Nat (Deanna Tarraza) and Zoe (Molly Morneweck) are middle school best friends both preparing for their high school experience. Despite being close, both hide struggles that threaten to drive a wedge between them. Zoe is a cancer survivor, having gone through treatment as a young child, and the scars of that treatment lead to body image issues as she seeks the approval of her new school’s rowing squad. Meanwhile, Nat begins to feel she is missing out on all the fun as she covers shifts in her parents’ restaurant, but a new hire heightens her struggles with her sexuality.

Writer and director Catherine Argyrople tackles a lot of seldom-discussed subjects in her thoughtful drama. The idea of those who have been through life threatening illnesses facing stigma years after being all clear sits outside of the usual tropes surrounding the subject, as Zoe looks to define herself outside her past experiences. It’s also refreshing to see an LGBTQ+ storyline that acknowledges the problems of modern queer youth, being able to access more information about who they are but still being hampered by their personal situation. Those who have frantically deleted their search histories for fear of being outed by Google will relate to Nat’s often clumsy self-realisation.

Throughout, there’s a sensitivity to the interactions that can perhaps be put down to Argyrople having a mostly female or non-binary creative team. Her vision of high school is one without broad stereotypes, where bullying takes the form of sideway glances or careless remarks rather than confrontations by the lockers. It feels both modern and universal, with text threads and social media feeds being integrated without being a distraction to the story. Nat and Zoe’s bond avoids melodrama, coming from a place of sincerity even when they are at odds. There’s no sense of one person being in the wrong, instead their rift being put down to the messiness of life.

There are some flaws that prevent it from getting to the top of the class. Some of the supporting performances can feel stilted, taking away from some of the emotional punch of these interactions. Some of the dialogue can lack subtlety, as can some of the visual choices such as Zoe reaching for a large while pill bottle with “FAT BURNERS” on the front.

Wobbles aside, Growing Pains paints a largely authentic picture of the complications of modern adolescence, putting characters rather than hyperbole at the centre of the story. Fans of the emotional rawness of Bo Burnham’s 2018 drama Eighth Grade will find something to enjoy here.

Growing Pains premiered in the Boston International Film Festival.