MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Hala

Hala

2019 · 93 min

Quietly intimate and emotionally honest, it draws you into a teenager's private struggle between desire and duty.

Directed by
Minhal Baig
Genres
Drama
Starring
Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna
Tagline
Every journey begins where you come from.
Overview
Seventeen-year-old Pakistani American teenager Hala struggles to balance desire with her family, cultural, and religious obligations. As she comes into her own, she grapples with a secret that threatens to unravel her family.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Hala

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

Stream in the UK
  • Apple TV
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Minhal Baig
Genres
Drama
Starring
Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
  • warmstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
  • family
  • love
  • faith
Places
  • suburbs
  • school
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
teen
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence none
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror0
Humour2
Realism8
Romance4
Tension5
Darkness5
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like Hala

Movie

Schoolgirls

2020

A quiet, observant coming-of-age story that feels like a gentle, bittersweet memory of adolescence.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
97 min
Details
SchoolgirlsHidden from your suggestions.
TV series

All American

2018–2026

An emotional, character-driven drama where teenage dreams collide with adult pressures, mixing sports highs with raw family struggles.

Earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Seasons
8
Details
All AmericanHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

What Will People Say

2017

A tense, heartbreaking plunge into a girl's double life, where love and control collide with devastating intimacy.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
106 min
Details
What Will People SayHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Edge of Seventeen

2016

A sharp, funny, and painfully relatable plunge into teenage insecurity, loneliness, and the messy process of growing up.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details
The Edge of SeventeenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Jinn

2018

A tender, thoughtful coming-of-age story that balances warmth and introspection as it explores faith, desire, and family bonds.

Earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
92 min
Details
JinnHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

We the Animals

2018

A lyrical, sensory immersion into a boy's inner world, blending tender moments with undercurrents of volatility and quiet longing.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
93 min
Details
We the AnimalsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Carmen & Lola

2018

A tender, quietly tense coming-of-age romance that immerses you in a tight-knit community and the painful cost of choosing love over tradition.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details
Carmen & LolaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Pariah

2011

A tender, quietly powerful coming-of-age story that immerses you in a teenager's struggle for self-acceptance with raw honesty and emotional depth.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
86 min
Details
PariahHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Little Sister

2025

It is an intimate and heartfelt journey of self-discovery set against the backdrop of cultural clashes.

Earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
112 min
Details
The Little SisterHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

They

2018

A quiet, introspective weekend that unfolds with gentle tension, inviting you to sit with uncertainty and the weight of small decisions.

Same cinematographer: Carolina Costa · Melancholic, earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Also
Same cinematographer: Carolina Costa
Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
80 min
Details
TheyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Your Heart Will Be Broken

2026

A tender, anguished teen romance that aches with longing and the sting of outside forces pulling two people apart.

About identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
134 min
Details
Your Heart Will Be BrokenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Mickey and the Bear

2019

A raw, quietly devastating portrait of a teenager carrying too much, with moments of tenderness amid volatility.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and coming-of-age

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
Mickey and the BearHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Apple TV

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Minhal Baig
Written by
Minhal Baig
Starring
Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna, Purbi Joshi, Hatta Azad Khan, Taylor Marie Blim, Anna Chlumsky, Charin Alvarez
Music
Mandy Hoffman
Cinematography
Carolina Costa
Runtime
93 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English, Urdu

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.