''Riley'' is a 2023 American

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by Benjamin Howard in his feature film debut. The film stars Jake Holley, Colin McCalla, Riley Quinn Scott, Connor Storrie and Rib Hillis. The film screened at

Calgary International Film Festival The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a film festival held annually in Calgary, Alberta, in late September and early October. CIFF is the largest international film festival in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada. In 2020, thei ...

and BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, where it was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Plot

The structured life of a disciplined high school athlete starts to fall apart as his queer identity clashes with the expectations of who he is always been told to be.

Cast

Production

The film is Howard's feature film debut and is

semi-autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, with the film being based on his own experience as a

student athlete Student athlete (or student–athlete) is a term used principally in universities in the United States and Canada to describe students enrolled at postsecondary educational institutions, principally colleges and universities, but also at sec ...

. It was crowdfunded with the help of Seed&Spark and

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

took place in April 2022, in and around East County, San Diego.

Release

''Riley'' held its world premiere at

on September 24, 2023. The US premiere took place at Bend Film Festival in

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in central Oregon and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River. The site became known by pioneers as a ford (cros ...

. It later screened at San Diego Film Week, Sedona International Film Festival, San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, and Florida Film Festival. The European premiere was held at BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival in 2024.

Reception

Critical response

Vidal Dcosta at The Movie Buff gave the film an A+ claiming it "excels at tackling multiple issues that plague the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

." Ris Fatah at Queerguru scored the film 9/10 and said "Howard's feature-length drama is an impressive, authentic debut." Rich Cline at Shadows on the Wall scored it 4 out of 5, saying "as the drama gets increasingly serious, the film grabs hold powerfully. So even if things begin to turn a bit melodramatic, there's truth in the way the story plays out." Neil Baker at Cinerama Film praised the screenplay as it "captures a realism rarely seen in coming-of-age, coming-out movies." Josh Winning at

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

scored it 3 out of 5 saying it has "sincere and beautifully shot exploration of young people figuring out their place in the world."

Accolades

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, m/riley
Interview with Holley
at ECHO 2020s English-language films 2020s high school films 2020s LGBTQ-related drama films 2023 directorial debut films 2023 drama films 2023 LGBTQ-related films American coming-of-age drama films American teen LGBTQ-related films American teen drama films Films about juvenile sexuality Films set in San Diego Films shot in San Diego Films directed by Benjamin Howard Films about gender High school football films Semi-autobiographical films Features based on short films