[SPEAKER_00]: Hi everyone and welcome back to room for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: A space where queer voices thrive.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host P and every single week.
[SPEAKER_00]: I like to sit down, get vulnerable, and talk about all things queer with all of you.
[SPEAKER_00]: It has been so long since I've posted and I'm so sorry about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Crystal and I actually just bought our first place in Vancouver so we've just been like settling in and getting everything together.
[SPEAKER_00]: So new space and I will eventually be posting a little bit more about that
[SPEAKER_00]: My own personal page, just like the decorating journey and like how we're kind of going along with that, I mean, it's been so fun, it feels good to be in like something that we own.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's exciting.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like there's so many updates for the listeners of room for us.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't even believe how much has changed even over the last like couple months.
[SPEAKER_00]: so many updates.
[SPEAKER_00]: But for this episode specifically, I really wanted to make it all about girls like Girls The Movie.
[SPEAKER_00]: I finally got to see it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the movie that is co-written by Haley Kiyoko and Stephanie Scott with Chloe Okuno who also contributed to the story and it was directed by Haley.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had been waiting to see this for a long time.
[SPEAKER_00]: I believe the release date was June 19 and I only got to seeing it about a couple weeks ago just because of how busy the move was coming over here but I was obsessed with that movie.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was everything I expected but even a little bit better.
[SPEAKER_00]: because for millennials, this movie will really hit you in the fields, especially for us relating to Coli's story, who's the main character and how we've all kind of been there, been through like what she is going through in her experience with her friend Sonia.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Kristallna, I just kept glancing at each other as we were watching the movie together, just being like, we have been there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, this is exactly what we've experienced in our
[SPEAKER_00]: and I just kept thinking about how special would it have been.
[SPEAKER_00]: If I saw that movie as a 15-year-old, like if that type of media was normalized, like that specific kind of story was much more normalized, especially on such a global scale.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like for Hailey, Kiyoko to have this movie like released theatrically is huge.
[SPEAKER_00]: I even loved seeing who is at the theaters watching it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like you can tell it's a lot of queer millennials,
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure like heterosexual people going to see it as well, just like out of curiosity and I've always admired Hayley Kyoko for her storytelling.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's something she's always put at the forefront of her music.
[SPEAKER_00]: Every music video she's done has some kind of story element.
[SPEAKER_00]: And girls like girls was huge when it came out in 2015.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh yeah, the music video released in 2015 and has since accumulated over 160 million views on YouTube.
[SPEAKER_00]: So what I find fascinating about the eventual film release of girls like girls is that because the reception on Haley's music video was huge people were saying like they wanted it to be a feature film.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like they kept messaging her about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: She, of course, as you're shopping around trying to get this movie out there, I don't think she was having the best of luck trying to do that, but girls like girls eventually turned into a book, which is then what turned into this feature film that everybody is talking about this year.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's really been like over a 10 year journey of Haley Kyoko and her characters that she's had on this journey with her.
[SPEAKER_00]: So full morning, like there are going to be so many spoilers in this episode, but I wanted to break down everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to be talking about what happens in the movie, the storyline, and how it is so relatable to all of us.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I could not stop thinking about myself.
[SPEAKER_00]: as a teenager in high school.
[SPEAKER_00]: When I was in high school, I was there from 2009 to 2013.
[SPEAKER_00]: So not like super far off from what like this timeline was for the movie.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I know this is actually set in the summer of 2006.
[SPEAKER_00]: So in 2006, I would have been about
[SPEAKER_00]: 11, you know, similar timelines.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like the things that they were doing in the movie and the way things were communicated was very, very much like my growing up because it wasn't so far off that I was entering high school to three years later.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're going to get into it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so excited and I do want to shout out that this film was actually primarily filmed in Colona, British Columbia.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I know it's meant to be like the film is meant to be set in Oregon, but they really did shoot in Canada, which is awesome.
[SPEAKER_00]: It took place in the Okanagan region from July 3 to August 2nd.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they really didn't have a lot of time to film, like I think that was actually kind of a short filming period.
[SPEAKER_00]: and it was so beautifully done.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to go see it again, like instantly.
[SPEAKER_00]: The film stars my Ramaloy, Asonia, and Sonia is the popular girl in this movie, and then Maya Dacosta plays our lead, Coli, and that's kind of the POV you're with the entire time as you're watching this film.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so as mentioned, I am going to be going through the synopsis and kind of breaking down the scenes of this film.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I would suggest you should go watch this movie and then come back to this podcast so we can like interpret this breakdown together.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the film is set in the summer of 2006, which I love.
[SPEAKER_00]: It immediately brings you back to that nostalgic feeling of when you were younger and how you would like.
[SPEAKER_00]: Communicate with your friends like the things you would do when you were bored like it was such a different time in life like no social media other than like A. I am messenger how you'd like connect with your friends on messenger and you see holy so she moves from San Diego
[SPEAKER_00]: After we find out about the death of her mom, which you find out later in the film, as to why she's actually, she had to leave San Diego and move to Oregon.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because it basically sets sit up first, like she's clearly like this new girl in town.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's riding her bike by herself.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's living with her dad now, who was like an estranged father for all her life.
[SPEAKER_00]: And who's played by Zach Braff, so I love that Zach Braff was part of this film.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know Haley mentioned that she wanted Zach Braff to be a part of this because Garden State, the soundtrack was such a pivotal moment for that time when she was growing up, so she kind of wanted that to be in the film.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we know that Coli is living in this new town.
[SPEAKER_00]: She doesn't really have a close relationship with her father.
[SPEAKER_00]: We still don't understand why when it's in the beginning of the film, but you can tell like,
[SPEAKER_00]: She is on her own for a good portion of the beginning.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, she's kind of just trying to navigate this new place as a teenager, which can already feel very isolating and very anxiety inducing.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's 2006 for her to stay occupied.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's staying busy.
[SPEAKER_00]: You see her biking a lot.
[SPEAKER_00]: And she ends up going to a restaurant to kind of cool down from the heat.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's when she sees there's like a group of teenagers sitting at another booth far ahead of her and They're kind of heckling her a little bit like for my memory I think one of the guys in the group sees Koli from across the restaurant and they think she's really cute and They're kind of teasing him to go and talk to her
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Koli notices they're talking about her, so she takes out her headphones, but she actually makes eye contact with the popular girl in the group, or, you know, seemingly popular one, who's kind of like very outgoing, and her name is Sonya, and Sonya actually invites Koli to sit with them, and she apologizes for the behavior of her friends who are sitting at that table.
[SPEAKER_00]: So at this table, I have this room down here, they sit there and they meet Alex Goose, SJ Brooke, and Sonia's on and off again boyfriend Trent.
[SPEAKER_00]: When they leave the restaurant, Colise kind of like, you know, she's just figures she's going to go home, but Sonia actually wants to continue to hang out and invites Colise to hang out with the rest of them at this like local lake they were going to go swimming at.
[SPEAKER_00]: So when Kohli does meet the group there, she's still trying to pick up on the vibes.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's so new to this, like she doesn't really know these people that well.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Trenton, who is Sonia's on and off again, boyfriend, immediately takes over and just throws her into the water against her will, like he's trying to frame it like he's playing around, he's having fun, but clearly,
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, she kept stating she didn't want that to happen and she bikes away in tears.
[SPEAKER_00]: So as Cole is trying to bike away, Sonya catches up to her and basically once again is apologizing, but this time for Trenton's behavior, she ends up giving Cole her AIM ID and makes her promise to send a message that night and that is kind of where their friendship begins.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can see it again, Kolees, a little hesitant to message, you can't tell if it's because maybe she's feeling something for Sonya right away.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a little hard to tell at this point, but you can definitely tell it's very classic like New teenager to a new town.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's kind of unsure how to make the first move even in this friendship.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Sonia, you can kind of tell right away from the film.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's a very outgoing personality, very fiery, and quirky at times.
[SPEAKER_00]: And she actually just shows up at Collie's house the next day, just inviting her to hang out.
[SPEAKER_00]: She meets her dad.
[SPEAKER_00]: Collie's definitely a little bit like taken off guard, but she is excited to hang out with Sonia and potentially see what they can do together.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of her first friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: in this town.
[SPEAKER_00]: As I interpreted it from this film, Sonya and Kolei's friendship feels like a very very fast friendship.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like they kind of instantly click.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're kind of doing these things that are a little rebellious.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, they go to this convenience store.
[SPEAKER_00]: They shop-lift alcohol.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're taking snacks.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to bring up the store clerk actually because this store clerk who
[SPEAKER_00]: took the alcohol, but she basically gives Coli a look like she's not going to say anything and she won't rat them out.
[SPEAKER_00]: So anyway, the two of them, they go to Sonya's house, they're bonding, they're dancing because Coli actually learns that Sonya is a trained competitive dancer.
[SPEAKER_00]: So as the day continues to progress, the two of them are drinking more wine and then eventually Sonya actually throws up
[SPEAKER_00]: And basically says like she'll hit coal up another time, but coal takes the hint and goes home.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where you kind of see a montage of the two of them becoming really, really close.
[SPEAKER_00]: They spend the next several weeks together and they're very, very inseparable.
[SPEAKER_00]: In female friendships, sometimes especially when you're younger, you kind of act on that like closeness and intimacy and especially as a young, closeted queer person that can be really hard to interpret if your friend is just a very affectionate person.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like that was kind of my experience as well being a 15-year-old and being so close with my childhood friend, Alice.
[SPEAKER_00]: As I mentioned on this podcast, I've talked about Alice a lot, but she was one of my best friends in high school, and also was into dance, so that was kind of interesting for me to kind of pick up on those similarities as I was watching this film.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that was kind of like my friendship with Alice.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was very, very quick, very fast, almost like a very inseparable bond.
[SPEAKER_00]: we had formed and it wasn't till only years later I had realized I actually had real romantic feelings for her.
[SPEAKER_00]: So there is a situation in the film where the romantic feelings actually really come to light.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's this one evening where the two of them are just spending time alone together on the railroad tracks.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're lying in the grass and this is actually the first time that Koli reveals that her mother has died and that she has moved in with her father for that reason who had abandoned them as a child.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonya consoles her and they, you know, they're very close.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're caressing each other, which actually leads to them having a very very passionate kiss.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then they wake up some time later, because they fall asleep in this like grassy area.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonya quickly rushes away and says she will message Koli as usual.
[SPEAKER_00]: One thing I want to note about this scene is that I picked up on this right away
[SPEAKER_00]: they were talking about their love for each other.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonya looks at Koli as she's very drunk and she's saying you're very pretty and I think Koli makes a comment like oh you're very drunk.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonya basically says something like you know I made do a lot of things when I'm drunk but I never forget anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wanted to point this out because this kind of comes up later.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is the point in the movie where it does start to take a turn because after Sonya and Koli share this
[SPEAKER_00]: very, very instantly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kohli doesn't hear from her Sonya starts avoiding her and prioritizing other friends and leaving Kohli out and when Kohli shows up to a party of their friend Brooke she shows up to this party she doesn't go with Sonya Sonya's there and kind of acknowledges Kohli but then it's also avoiding her and spending a lot of time with Trenton at this point.
[SPEAKER_00]: But at this party, it's where Coli learns that Sonya is leaving for a 10-week dance camp.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when Coli confronts Sonya, about this, and she's saying you're being weird, something feels very off.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can tell Sonya's a little tipsy like she's been drinking, and she starts to kind of, you know, warm up to Coli again.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the two of them,
[SPEAKER_00]: Almost half sex in this moment, like it seems like that is what is leading to this moment because they're in a private bedroom at this party talking about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But then what happens is she trends in and broke, interrupt because they open the bedroom door.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm assuming looking for Sony at this point, and Cole immediately leaves.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in this time too, because Cole is very frustrated, she goes outside and she can see from outside,
[SPEAKER_00]: through a window that Trenton and Sonia are kissing.
[SPEAKER_00]: So she immediately like reacts carefully because she can't even make out what her feelings are for Sonia of course it's confusing but she knows deep in her heart she loves this girl like she knows that no doubt.
[SPEAKER_00]: But at this point in this what Coli doesn't see is that when Trenton and Sonia are, you know, they're making out and seemingly may have sex.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonia declines and she declines very, very tearfully, probably confused herself because this has also been her boyfriend and she had also just had this intimate moment with her best friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's a very confusing moment for her.
[SPEAKER_00]: So because Koli had only seen the first part of this who the window where she sees that Trenton and Sonya are kissing, she actually goes to one of the friends who in the beginning is this guy named Alex who had mentioned he had a crush on Koli and she tries to kiss him.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think she's just trying to kiss him as a distraction but she immediately breaks it off because of course she has conflicted feelings and she knows she is not into Alex.
[SPEAKER_00]: But at this point, Alex, I think, is kind of realizing, you know, I wonder if Kohli has been having all these conflicting feelings and she's feeling off because of the death of her mother.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is when Kohli is very taken aback because now she knows the only person she has told this information to is Sonia.
[SPEAKER_00]: So she assumes Sonia must have told everybody about the death of her mother when Kohli told her that in confidence.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some time passes and Koli is now upset with Sonya and is avoiding her, but before she leaves for dance camp.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonya wants to make sure she gets the jacket of her mother.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the denim jacket that she had lent Sonya on the day they were on the railroad tracks.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a scene I think we can all relate to if you've experienced something with somebody and they act completely different.
[SPEAKER_00]: Completely different from what you had experienced with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: So when she goes to Sonya's house kind of unannounced, like the mother lets her in says, oh Sonya, I already has some friends over, of course,
[SPEAKER_00]: But she goes into Sonia's room with Sonia there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonia gives her the jacket, but Coli says I have to confront you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, what is going on?
[SPEAKER_00]: And Sonia kind of denies everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: And just says she just guesses she treats all of her friend like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, she does with Coli.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's so interesting.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I had a bit of a flashback too when I was actually in my earlier to mid 20s.
[SPEAKER_00]: Something like this had actually happened to me, similarly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, not to that scale of, like, the...
[SPEAKER_00]: fleeing a house and crying.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I remember feeling very conflicted and confused when I had a connection with this one girl and we had had a really, really fun night together and we really connected deeply.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I remember the next day, I, she had kind of loosely invited me to this pool party she was having the next day.
[SPEAKER_00]: And once again, she invited me the night, we had all gone out the night before.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I remember going to her pool party the next day.
[SPEAKER_00]: her energy towards me was completely different, completely different, very detached, like you said, kind of like how coldly experiences these feelings, how it's so intimate with Sonya and it's like the friendship that is clearly not a friendship anymore.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember feeling those exact feelings and how confusing it can be,
[SPEAKER_00]: when you're connecting with someone who is unsure about their sexuality.
[SPEAKER_00]: And at this point as well, Versonia, she doesn't know what she wants or she knows deep down.
[SPEAKER_00]: She wants Coli, but her defense mechanism is to kind of just play it off and be cool and just say, hey, I'm like this with all my friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just what it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this can be a very heartbreaking and isolating feeling for
[SPEAKER_00]: anyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think about the queer experience in this because I feel like it happens quite often, especially when you are connecting with someone who is very new and they're not confident in their sexuality or it's something they say they only do when they're drawn.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, like we've been there and it's such a tricky thing to navigate, especially as someone who is confident
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like I've been there multiple times as a teenager for sure because Alice and I would definitely have moments like this, but you know, you just play it off like it's nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I also, unlike Holy, I just would shove my feelings to the side and pretend everything was okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: I actually felt very proud of Koli in those moments when watching this film, where even when Sonya would say something like, oh, that's just something I do with all my friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: Koli actually cut her off because at this point Koli had that maturity and confidence to also understand exactly what she wanted and she knew she didn't deserve what Sonya was doing to her.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whereas, I feel like teenage me was too concerned about losing a friendship, so I feel like if I was coolly in that moment, I would have just probably pretended like everything was okay and just continued the friendship, and I quickly realized how toxic that had become for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whereas, like to have that inner confidence that coolly carried throughout the film is very, very commendable because I definitely did not have that as a 15 year
[SPEAKER_00]: 24, 25, and the situation had happened to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: With another girl, I also was so hung up on just trying to be friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: I did not want to rock the boat and that actually led to a lot of heartbreaking situations for me where I wasn't staying true to what I actually wanted and just pretended like I was okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: At this point, Koli doesn't want anything to do with Sonya, especially after Sonya says that and totally dismisses her feelings.
[SPEAKER_00]: During this time, Koli actually doesn't go to her father for any comfort.
[SPEAKER_00]: You see throughout the film, he's really trying with her, like he's trying to build a relationship and continue something with his daughter, but
[SPEAKER_00]: because of the abandonment issues and what had happened when she was a kid, Koli does not feel connected to her dad and she's not willing to also hear his side of the story of what happened between him and her mother.
[SPEAKER_00]: Koli continues to grow more detached from her father and she actually ends up connecting very, very briefly with the convenience store worker Blake who I mentioned at the beginning of this podcast episode.
[SPEAKER_00]: Koli connects with Blake again and the two of them
[SPEAKER_00]: There's the montage where you can see Koli is completely just picturing Sonya like our heart is still with Sonya She was looking to hook up with Blake as an escape and then as a result of that She comes home and she is bawling she's crying.
[SPEAKER_00]: So at this point Koli does open up to her dad a little bit more because he notices she comes home She's crying he does console her and
[SPEAKER_00]: She basically tells him that she feels very broken and unwanted.
[SPEAKER_00]: And her dad is the one who kind of set that example for her.
[SPEAKER_00]: Showed her that, you know, she wasn't wanted as a kid.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is something she has been holding in her for so long.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like those heavy, heavy feelings.
[SPEAKER_00]: and it's not completely stated in the film, but it is hinted that Kolei's mom had suffered deeply with mental illness and mental struggles and had were assuming had taken her life, but Kolei's dad doesn't encourage her to see the good in herself.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that her mother's death had nothing to do with her and it was not her fault.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is a weight that Koli has been carrying for so long.
[SPEAKER_00]: After this conversation with her dad, Koli does start to get a little bit better because he mentions something like you should never also be with someone whoever is going to make you feel this way.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think at this point, Coli's dad has any suspicion as to who this could be about.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I feel like Coli kind of takes this advice from him and she does begin to heal.
[SPEAKER_00]: She gets a job as a hostess at this restaurant and she spends a lot of time with her dad while Sonia is away at this camp and actually during this montage where you can see Coli, you know, she's working.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's connecting with other queer people.
[SPEAKER_00]: You actually see
[SPEAKER_00]: So, then of course, it wouldn't be a film without Sonya coming back into this, so she's been away at dance camp and then she and her family actually come to a restaurant.
[SPEAKER_00]: The restaurant that Kole is working at for Sonya's sister's birthday.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Sonya reacts very warmly to see in Koley but
[SPEAKER_00]: Kohli definitely doesn't reciprocate, she's still standing very firm in her boundary and is very upset for how they left things.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonia then of course wants to talk to Kohli, she asks if they could talk after Kohli's on her shift and when they do meet up after Kohli's shift, they talk in the car and Sonia does finally admit that she knows their bond is something greater than a friendship but it feels wrong to love her romantically as she does.
[SPEAKER_00]: Meaning, you know,
[SPEAKER_00]: She does feel this way deep down, but this is something she doesn't think she could ever explain to her mom to her family.
[SPEAKER_00]: She doesn't see how this could ever fit into her life, but you can see Sonya is clearly struggling because the attraction she feels for Koli is so strong like it's
[SPEAKER_00]: She almost feels like she doesn't know if it means she's gay, she doesn't know if it means she only likes Kolei or of Kolei's the only woman she'll like that she just knows like she is attracted to Kolei but of course when Sonya mentions like this feels wrong Kolei is immediately offended feeling like she's being used as a means for Sonya to figure out her own life
[SPEAKER_00]: instead of this actually, you know, being a real relationship and how they could actually continue to develop their connection that is already so strong and they can actually date, they can be together.
[SPEAKER_00]: So she storms away, Koli, you know, leave Sonya, basically says, like you need to figure your own life before you get me involved.
[SPEAKER_00]: So as we're nearing the end of the film, we kind of bring it back to the first
[SPEAKER_00]: So some of the first couple scenes where Kohli is actually spending time at that local lake that the friends go to.
[SPEAKER_00]: She tends to go there by herself.
[SPEAKER_00]: It kind of seems like now that she's kind of healed.
[SPEAKER_00]: She likes to go in the water and spend some time there.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when she notices that regular group of friends comes around, she starts to leave and she sees Sonya there, but once again doesn't make eye contact.
[SPEAKER_00]: But then one of the friends does confront Koli and says that, you know, Sonya hasn't been the same since you guys haven't connected.
[SPEAKER_00]: And she also apologizes to Koli about her mother's death becoming widely known.
[SPEAKER_00]: And she does explain that Sonya was looking for advice on how to support Koli.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Trenton had overheard Sonya say this and then had like spread the story to everybody else.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Coli does understand and you can tell like deep in her heart she still feels something for Sonya and she doesn't want to write her off completely.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean her heart is with this girl.
[SPEAKER_00]: So she does tentatively accept the invitation when this friend invites her to a pool party.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because she said, listen like I know you and Sonya haven't been talking but I'd still like to invite you and just so you know Sonya does really, really miss you.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Coli does end up going to this party.
[SPEAKER_00]: She overhears Trenton and Sonya breaking up, and she eventually approaches Sonya at the pool, where Sonya is just sitting there alone.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is where they start to have a hard-tart conversation.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonya tells Koly that all she does is run, and Koly tells her, like simply, you should stop running.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Sonya agrees and she rest her head on Koly's shoulder.
[SPEAKER_00]: and this is how the movie ends.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's very, very much up to the audience's interpretation.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I didn't realize there was a post-credit scene.
[SPEAKER_00]: So at this point, the movie ends, the song is playing like the new version of Girls Like Girls that's on the soundtrack.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Crystal and I are sitting there for a bit, but you know, we start to get up and leave and we're just like, wow, what an open ended.
[SPEAKER_00]: ending.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was saying, I believe they do end up together.
[SPEAKER_00]: I definitely think that that was kind of a sign to be like, you know, so when you realize it's like for her to live her life authentically and if she's going to actually be who she is, she has to stop running.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think her and
[SPEAKER_00]: But when I did some research, I did find out that there is a post-credit scene and I think this can fulfill all of the like questions the audience had and it does like kind of give you that closure that you needed and I'm really happy about this scene.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it does kind of confirm what my thoughts were.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the scene, you see that Koli is returning home from the pool party on her bike when Sonya runs after her and she has her jacket.
[SPEAKER_00]: She actually, because I guess Koli had left the denim jacket at this party that she decided to wear.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Sonya has her jacket and then at this point they, like, embrace and they're kissing on the street.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonya makes Coli, promised to messenger, reminding her that she knows where she lives and shall track her down.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of like that playful banter they had in the beginning of the movie.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're Sonya says, promise you'll message me.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's how the movie ends.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that I know that there was a post-credit scene, it's like so fulfilling for my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can really see the similarities between the music video and the film and also portions that Haley did intentionally
[SPEAKER_00]: is the fight scene.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's cut out.
[SPEAKER_00]: So if you watch the music video, the whole premise of the music video shows these two friends, Coli is going to a pool party.
[SPEAKER_00]: You see Sonya there, you see the boyfriend there, Trenton, and you see kind of like a montage of this very close friendship between Coli and Sonya in the music video.
[SPEAKER_00]: Basically what you can fit in three minutes and then the last minute or so is basically the fight scene where Trenton actually catches Koli and Sonya at the pool about to kiss and then he reacts very angrily.
[SPEAKER_00]: and actually physically assaults Koli.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's trying to beat her up, um, but then Koli actually ends up beating him up back.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think in the book, I'm pretty sure she like ends up winning this fight.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I have to rewatch the music video and maybe I'll like play a little portion of it here.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you can kind of see like Koli is, you know, she's standing up for herself.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's fighting back.
[SPEAKER_00]: But then it does end with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: kissing.
[SPEAKER_00]: It ends with Sonya and Coli being together.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that Haley intentionally cut this out because she mentioned she didn't want this to be about Trenton.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know like she didn't really want the story to be about like Trenton coming in between them and Coli like needing to fight for Sonya.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the way she did this especially for 2026 was a good way to do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that
[SPEAKER_00]: Sonya in Kuali's relationship, like Trenton is a part of the story, but not as big a part as he was in the music video, which I really love because it's a bit more of a way to just allow the queer joy, part of this to shine, where Sonya is obviously dealing with such confusing and conflicting feelings.
[SPEAKER_00]: She knows Trenton, she's been dating Trenton for however many years.
[SPEAKER_00]: but she knows her heart doesn't belong to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: She is completely fallen in love with Coli, but she breaks up with him.
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't mean it needs to be a big fight.
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't need to be this crazy jealousy that even he senses.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe he does sense it and he knows something is going on because you can kind of see those tidbits in the movie.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like hinting at it, but he doesn't do anything violently about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't react to it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's something
[SPEAKER_00]: Comforting about that just letting these two really really be and it doesn't need to be this dramatic ending and We need more queer joy and I feel happy that the film version Actually doesn't show that I understand for the music video that is actually kind of what sparked up so many conversations and how people were saying like This needs to be a feature film like what an interesting story, but I think for the times to not include that is
[SPEAKER_00]: very, very important.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it just really does center, Koli and Sonya, and like their beautiful love story that was that was formed in this film.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I really, really enjoyed this movie.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would recommend anyone who's had a connection to the music video or who loves Hayley Kyoko.
[SPEAKER_00]: Please, please go support this.
[SPEAKER_00]: We need more films like this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think there needs to be more stories that
[SPEAKER_00]: are about like coming of age and queer coming of age stories.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we have met like a few films that have definitely depicted these types of storylines.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I feel like this one is so specific to like what all of us have really, really been through.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've really related to it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I saw myself so much in Koli and her experience, especially with like her dancer friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was like
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so grateful for queer content, I'm so grateful that movies and books and music like this exists because it is all about the storytelling and having that kind of content is what can help kids like also feel seen, not feel so alone in their queerness and feel like they need to hide these parts of themselves and it's also good for parents to see as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that was my breakdown of girls like girls that was co-written by Haley Kyoko and directed by Haley
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's available to stream on Prime video right now, so please please go check it out.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you haven't already, I really want to watch it again because it's just such a comfort movie.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like it's something I'm going to be coming back to as often as I can.
[SPEAKER_00]: Stay tuned next week as I dive into more queer topics on either queer films, music, public figures you name it, and I can't wait.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will see you all then.
[SPEAKER_01]: But your name gotta get with you Cause like girls I'm all used to