‘Girls Like Girls’ Review: Hayley Kiyoko Brings Tumblr to Theaters – IndieWire

Hayley Kiyoko‘s “Girls Like Girls” arrives in theaters this weekend carrying an unusually heavy burden. The directorial debut of a beloved queer artist affectionately known as Lesbian Jesus (yes, that’s really what Kiyoko’s fans like to call her) would be enough to generate serious buzz on its own. But the 35-year-old singer-songwriter’s first major movie is also based on her landmark music video from 2015, a legendary text for a certain generation of very online queer women. Hovering around 163 million views on YouTube today, the original “Girls Like Girls” music video is a viral Tumblr-era phenomenon that helped shape sapphic culture in the digital age. Kiyoko’s sun-soaked fairytale — about two teen girls falling in love against a tumultuous backdrop of suburban longing and hidden desire — even inspired the pop icon to write a best-selling YA novel about its characters in 2023. Translating that text to the big screen seemed like an obvious next step for Kiyoko. And, at a time when studios are frantically searching for creative ways to compel internet audiences toward real-world experiences, it’s also a savvy business move from distributor Focus Features. The need for a feel-good queer movie is palpable this summer, too;
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