Coming-of-Age Drama movies

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Realistic Tense Intimate Claustrophobic Bleak

Overview

When talented young writer Elizabeth Wurtzel earns a scholarship to Harvard, she sees it as her chance to escape the pressures of her working-class background and concentrate on her true talent. But what starts out so promising leads to self-destructive behavior and paralyzing depression that reflects an entire generation's struggle to navigate the effects of divorce, drugs, sex, and high expectations.

Themes

Academic ambition under pressure, Mental illness and treatment, Divorce strain, Substance abuse cycle, Economic hardship and expectations, Caregiver neglect and support

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Realistic Tense Steady Claustrophobic Brutal

Overview

A troubled and bullied high school student fights against judgement from his community after threatening to bomb the football team.

Themes

School shooting threat, Bullying and peer pressure, High school violence, Ethics of retaliation, Theater as coping mechanism, Community protest and response

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Realistic Claustrophobic Dry Deliberate Relentless

Overview

17 year old Nói drifts through life on a remote fjord in Iceland. In winter, the fjord is cut off from the outside world, surrounded by ominous mountains and buried under a shroud of snow. Nói dreams of escaping from this white-walled prison with Íris, a city girl who works in a local gas station. But his clumsy attempts at escape spiral out of control.

Themes

Family fragility and loss, Dreams of escape, Underdog aspiration against isolation, Romance amid danger, Monotony and stagnation

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Realistic Tense Claustrophobic Bleak Restrained

Overview

In a tiny community enclosed by wheat fields, the adults shelter indoors, while six children venture out on their bikes across the scorched, deserted countryside. Exploring a dilapidated and uninhabited farmhouse, nine-year-old Michele discovers a secret so momentous, so terrible, that he dares not tell anyone about it …

Themes

Moral ambiguity, Power and control, Group pressure and obedience, Familial complicity, Childhood curiosity vs danger, Collective silence

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Realistic Tense Steady Atmospheric Restrained

Overview

A contemporary story of love, rejection, and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.

Themes

Intergenerational conflict, Gendered leadership norms, Tradition and modernity, Female empowerment within tradition, Mentor relationships, Community recognition of merit

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Realistic Steady Intimate Witty Charged

Overview

A talented street drummer from Harlem enrolls in a Southern university, expecting to lead its marching band's drumline to victory. He initially flounders in his new world, before realizing that it takes more than talent to reach the top.

Themes

Class inequality, Talent versus discipline, Institutional pressure, Teamwork and unity, Mentorship and growth, Competition culture, Honor and loyalty

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Tense Bleak Restrained Deliberate Minimalist

Overview

William Hundert is a passionate and principled Classics professor who finds his tightly-controlled world shaken and inexorably altered when a new student, Sedgewick Bell, walks into his classroom. What begins as a fierce battle of wills gives way to a close student-teacher relationship, but results in a life lesson for Hundert that will still haunt him a quarter of a century later.

Themes

Private school culture, Donor influence in education, Merit vs favoritism, Academic integrity, Power and mentorship dynamics, Reputation and legacy

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Raw Claustrophobic Brutal Bleak Relentless

Overview

Ace is an impressionable young man working for a dry cleaning business. His friend, drug dealer Mitch, goes to prison. In an unrelated incident, he finds some cocaine in a pants pocket. Soon, Ace finds himself dealing cocaine for Lulu. Via lucky breaks and solid interpersonal skills, Ace moves to the top of the Harlem drug world. Of course, unfaithful employees and/or rivals conspire to bring about Ace's fall.

Themes

Class inequality, Power dynamics, Social climbing, Loyalty and betrayal, Risk and violence, Urban crime networks, Wealth and corruption

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Realistic Steady Intimate Claustrophobic Bleak

Overview

A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.

Themes

Foster care instability, Mother daughter estrangement, Adolescent resilience under pressure, Power dynamics within families, Loss and bereavement, Deception in care

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Realistic Tense Bleak Deliberate Fantastical

Overview

Teenager Winnie Foster is growing up in a small rural town in 1914 with her loving but overprotective parents, but Winnie longs for a life of greater freedom and adventure.

Themes

Overprotective parenting, Secrecy and consequence, Desire for autonomy, Burden of immortality, Greed versus restraint, Life and death choices

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