Best movies like 1:54
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Tim is a bit of a loner. At school he gravitates towards another shy boy and they become friends. But the verbal and physical bullying by a gang of kids, as well as an aggressive use of social media, unsettle Tim’s new mate and he backs away from him – an act of cowardice which will have serious repercussions. As a result of Tim’s unwillingness to snitch, the bullies appear to get away with their actions, none more so than the gang’s leader Jeff. He’s one of the school’s star athletes, who seems guaranteed a place in the national championships with an 800m time of 1.54 minutes. When Tim decides to start training in order to go up against Jeff, even having a girlfriend as cover, his enemies seem willing to go to any lengths to stop him.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: Canada
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, lgbt cinema, crying, gay cinema, queer cinema
Best tv shows and movies like 1:54 (2016):
Similar in 79%
The Male Gaze: Strikers & Defenders (2020)
Plot Summary:
Work up a sweat from the soccer field to the locker room in these drama-fueled four films from Germany, France and the UK that explore how rivalry between teams can spill over into teacher-pupil relationships, high school crushes and brotherly compassion. The short films are: Islands [Inseln] (2018); Play It Like a Man [Un été viril] (2018); Colours (2015); Through the Fields [Passer les champs] (2015).
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 87
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: France, Germany, UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, touching, unusual plot structure, contemplative
Similar in 82%
Golden Delicious (2022)
Plot Summary:
When a hot, openly gay new neighbour moves in across the street, high school senior Jake is forced to think about what - and who - he really wants.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 361
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: Canada
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 76%
The Shiny Shrimps (2019)
Plot Summary:
Matthias Le Goff, an Olympic champion at the end of his career, makes a homophobic statement on TV. His punishment: coach the Shiny Shrimps, a flamboyant and amateur gay water-polo team. They have only one thing in mind: to qualify for the Gay Games in Croatia where the hottest international LGBT athletes compete. It's the start of a bumpy and joyful ride - Faster, Higher, Stronger.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Sport
Country: France
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: light, sincere, feel good, captivating, lgbt cinema, crying, freeze frame, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 75%
Drown (2015)
Plot Summary:
Len is a Surf Lifesaving champion, a legend in the cloistered surf club just like his father. When the younger, faster, and fitter Phil arrives at the club, Len’s legendary status starts to crumble. Then Len sees Phil arriving in the company of another man. Phil is gay. After the annual awards dinner, Len finds Phil in the Club House locker room and violently attacks him. To Len’s surprise, Phil refuses to rat on Len about the beating. When Phil wins the annual Surf Lifesaving competition, Len’s defeat is final. In an act of revenge, Len gets Phil drunk and subjects him to a series of humiliating acts. But, the hatefulness forces Len to come face to face with a fundamental question: can he accept the truth about his own sexuality.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Sport, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, tense, queer cinema
Similar in 75%
Punch (2022)
Plot Summary:
Jim is preparing for his first professional fight but begins to rethink his life's trajectory and his sexuality after tangling with Whetu, a gay Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: New Zealand
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, disturbing, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 84%
Green Butterflies (2017)
Plot Summary:
Mateo is an intelligent boy who falls in love with Daniel, but when everyone reveals that relationship, Mateo is at a crossroads, and he will have to decide between fighting his adversities or giving up everything, even his life.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 688
Genere: Drama
Country: Colombia
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, serious, disturbing, erotic, lgbt cinema, crying, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 84%
Marilyn (2018)
Plot Summary:
Marcos and his family work as ranch hands. While his father and brother handle the heavier tasks, Marcos stays home, close to his mother. Each one has their future laid out before them, yet Marcos bides his time waiting for Carnival, the one moment where he can let his true self out to shine. The sudden death of his father leaves his family in a very vulnerable situation. The ranch owner hounds them to go away, while Marcos’s mother pressures him to take over the work in the fields. Nicknamed Marilyn by the other teenagers in town, Marcos is a target for desire and discrimination.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 450
Genere: Drama
Country: Argentina, Chile
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: psychological, sexy, tense, sincere, unusual plot structure, disturbing, contemplative, crying, interesting, queer cinema
Similar in 89%
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party (2015)
Plot Summary:
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party takes place over 24 hours at the birthday pool party of 17-year-old preacher's kid Henry Gamble. The party guests include adults and teenagers from his church, as well as Henry's "secular" friends, including the closeted young Logan, who has eyes for Henry.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, sexy, touching, unusual plot structure, lgbt cinema, suspenseful, contemplative, mumblecore, dark comedy, teen
Similar in 80%
Consequences (2018)
Plot Summary:
After being sent to a youth detention centre, 18-year-old Andrej has to fight for his place within the group of inmates while getting closer to Željko, their informal leader, and struggling to keep his repressed secret in the dark.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Slovenia, Austria
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: lgbt cinema, serious, suspense, realistic, suspenseful, social, crying, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 85%
My Life on Ice (2002)
Plot Summary:
Etienne is crazy about ice skating and videoing his daily life with a digital camera. He records his mother, friends, and geography teacher. Initially his intention is to setup a date between his mother and his teacher, however, he starts to realize that he is infatuated with the teacher himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 854
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Sport
Country: France
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, sexy, touching, realistic, psychological, art house, sexual, queer cinema, fake documentary
Similar in 85%
Like It Is (1998)
Plot Summary:
A young, bare-knuckle boxer Craig (played by real-life boxer Steve Bell) moves from Blackpool to London, where he falls for a twenty-something music producer, Matt. Trouble ensues when shy, awkward Craig tries squeezing into Matt's glib lifestyle and Matt's scheming boss (played by Roger Daltrey) tries to break up the couple.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: lgbt cinema, independent film, rough, sexy, serious, emotional, realistic, sexual, queer cinema, gay cinema
Similar in 90%
Defying Gravity (1997)
Plot Summary:
John Keitel wrote the film based on his personal undergraduate experience and filmed campus footage in the neighborhood and environs surrounding his graduate film school alma mater USC.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, emotional, realistic, semi serious, sexual, independent film, detective, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 78%
You'll Get Over It (2002)
Plot Summary:
When Vincent finds himself a victim of outing in his high school, he must accept to live with the drastic changes it provokes, and redefine his relationships with his friends and family.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: France
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: touching, sexual, semi serious, sincere, disturbing, rough, humorous, realistic, sentimental, intellectual
Similar in 87%
Mario (2018)
Plot Summary:
Two young gay soccer players get caught up between the politics of the game and the politics of love. In Swiss German.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: Switzerland
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: lgbt cinema, sentimental, captivating, touching, psychological, romantic, art house, ambiguous ending, crying, gay cinema
Similar in 79%
Land of Storms (2014)
Plot Summary:
Szabolcs plays in a German football team, as does Bernard. They are roommates, best friends, inseparable. A lost match makes him reconsider his life and he goes back to Hungary in hope for more simplicity. Yet his solitude does not last long. Soon after his arrival he meets Áron and a mutual attraction between the two boys develops when suddenly Szabolcs receives an unexpected phone call from Bernard: he has arrived to Hungary.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: Hungary, Germany
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, psychological, captivating, lgbt cinema, meditative, cute, tense, atmospheric, touching
Similar in 85%
A Brother (2018)
Plot Summary:
15-year-old Tom (Simon Royer) is going to spend another calm summer with his parents and younger sister at their summer house. But by fate, another family comes to spend some time with them, with their 17-year-old son Félix (Marin Lafitte). In the unforgettable summer, Félix will introduce Tom to new things.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: lgbt cinema, sexy, psychological, sentimental, unusual plot structure, contemplative, queer cinema
Similar in 81%
Boys (2014)
Plot Summary:
BOYS tells the story of Sieger, a sporty, rather quiet 15-year-old boy who discovers love during the summer holidays. Sieger is training in the new athletics team for the national relay championships and meets the intriguing and unpredictable Marc. The friendship that develops seems nothing out of the ordinary, but Sieger secretly harbours stronger feelings for Marc. He engages in a lonely struggle with himself when it emerges that Marc is also in love with him.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: Netherlands
Duration: 78 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, sentimental, lgbt cinema, captivating, disturbing, sexy, independent film, sexual, cute
Similar in 88%
My Brother's Keeper (2004)
Plot Summary:
Identical twin brothers Lou and Eric plan to compete together in the National Rowing Championships. But when Eric leaves their small town to attend an Ivy League University, the brother's bond is torn apart.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 219
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, exciting, crying, freeze frame
Similar in 76%
Shank (2009)
Plot Summary:
Teenage gang member Cal, hides his sexuality from his fellow gang members despite their often violent dislike of anyone that isn't the same as them, be they unsuspecting shoppers, foreign students, gays, etc. When his world collides with Olivier, a student he rescues from a pointless beating, he encounters a lifestyle that presents as many new experiences as it does obstacles.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, erotic, captivating, talky, compassionate, lgbt cinema, sexual, crying, romantic
Similar in 79%
Nighthawks (1978)
Plot Summary:
A gay man is forced to hide his sexuality by day while living his secret life by night. A respectable geography teacher by day; by night, hanging out in London's gay bars, looking for a long-term relationship, but usually encountering only one-night stands. Ron Peck later talks about his experiences of growing up as a gay man, the attitudes to homosexuality in Britain, and his journey towards making this film in the 1991 movie "Strip Jack Naked: Nighthawks II".
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 681
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, West Germany
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy, sexual, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 78%
Giant Little Ones (2018)
Plot Summary:
Two popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: captivating, emotional, realistic, thought provoking, lgbt cinema, independent film, freeze frame, indie film, meditative, queer cinema
Similar in 88%
Spa Night (2016)
Plot Summary:
A young Korean-American man works to reconcile his obligations to his struggling immigrant family with his burgeoning sexual desires in the underground world of gay hookups at Korean spas in Los Angeles.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, serious, captivating, suspenseful, sexy, sensual, queer cinema
Similar in 87%
Close (2022)
Plot Summary:
Two thirteen year-olds have always been incredibly close but they drift apart after the intimacy of their relationship is questioned by schoolmates. An emotionally transformative and unforgettable portrait of the intersection of friendship and love, identity and independence, and heartbreak and healing.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, Netherlands, France
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sad, teen, crying, iconic
Similar in 75%
Hidden Kisses (2016)
Plot Summary:
Nathan, 16, lives alone with his father Stephane. A newcomer in high school, he is invited to a party and falls in love with Louis, a boy in his class. They find themselves out of sight and kiss each other, but someone takes a picture of them. Soon, the photo is published on Facebook and a storm overtakes their lives as they face bullying and rejection.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: lgbt cinema, realistic, captivating, disturbing, existential, cute, melancholic, atmospheric, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 83%
Shelter (2007)
Plot Summary:
Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach works dead-end jobs to support his sister and her son. Questioning his life, he paints, surfs and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe. When Gabe's older brother returns home for the summer, Zach suddenly finds himself drawn into a relationship he didn't expect.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, sexy, romantic, sweet, sincere, realistic, emotional, lgbt cinema, romantic drama, erotic
Similar in 89%
The Way Back (2020)
Plot Summary:
A former basketball all-star, who has lost his wife and family foundation in a struggle with addiction attempts to regain his soul and salvation by becoming the coach of a disparate ethnically mixed high school basketball team at his alma mater.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: realistic, motivational, touching, inspirational, serious, feel good, depressing, spiritual, emotional, cult classic
Similar in 84%
Summer Storm (2004)
Plot Summary:
Tobi and Achim, the pride of the local crew club, have been the best of friends for years and are convinced that nothing will ever stand in the way of their friendship. They look forward to the upcoming summer camp and the crew competition. Then the gay team from Berlin arrives and Tobi is totally confused. The evening before the races begin, the storm that breaks out is more than meteorlogical.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: Germany
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sexual, light, romantic, sweet, humorous, erotic, realistic, lgbt cinema
Similar in 80%
Geography Club (2013)
Plot Summary:
At Goodkind High School, a group of students of varying sexual orientation form an after-school club a as a discrete way to share their feelings and experiences.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: witty, touching, semi serious, sexual, teen, humorous, lgbt cinema, thrilling, realistic, sexy
Similar in 80%
Center of My World (2016)
Plot Summary:
A strange family: 17-year-old Phil lives with his mother and twin sister in an old mansion on the outskirts of town. When he returns from summer camp, the mood in the mansion has soured somehow. Phil doesn’t worry about it, hanging out with his best friend Kat instead. When he starts to feel attracted to a mysterious new student at school, Phil is plunged into emotional turmoil only exacerbated by the trouble at home.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Germany, Austria
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, psychological, rough, lgbt cinema, erotic, cute, teen, crying, freeze frame
Similar in 89%
I Killed My Mother (2009)
Plot Summary:
Hubert, a brash 17-year-old, is confused and torn by a love-hate relationship with his mother that consumes him more and more each day. After distressing ordeals and tragic episodes, Hubert will find his mother on the banks of Saint Lawrence river, where he grew up, and where a murder will be committed: the murder of childhood.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, sincere, touching, captivating, sad, sentimental, sexy, brutal, depressing