Best movies like 16 Years of Alcohol
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
16 Years of Alcohol is a 2003 drama film written and directed by Richard Jobson, based on his 1987 novel. The film is Jobson's first directorial effort, following a career as a television presenter on BSkyB and VH-1, and as the vocalist for the 1970s punk rock band The Skids.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, touching, realistic, suspense, gloomy, freeze frame
Best tv shows and movies like 16 Years of Alcohol (2003):
Similar in 81%
The Angels' Share (2012)
Plot Summary:
Narrowly avoiding jail, new dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf. A visit to a whisky distillery inspires him and his mates to seek a way out of their hopeless lives.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: UK, France, Belgium, Italy
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: feel good, harsh, sincere, humorous, semi serious, funny, realistic, philosophical, thought provoking, social
Similar in 81%
Russia 88 (2009)
Plot Summary:
A gang of skinheads 'Russia 88' are filming propaganda videos in order to place it on the internet. At the same time the camera records the life of the gang, they become accustomed to this and stop paying attention to it. The leader of the gang 'Blade' discovers that his sister is dating a guy from the Caucausus. This family drama develops into a tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: heartbreaking, serious, psychological, intense, rough
Similar in 84%
Junkhearts (2011)
Plot Summary:
Frank is an ex-soldier, haunted by a violent past. He lives alone, drowning his nightmares with alcohol. Christine - smart and successful... on the surface, tackles life as a single working mother by immersing herself in drugs, parties and sex. Lynette, a young rough sleeper watches Christine stumble out of a club whilst she sits in the cold waiting for loose change to fall on her lap; her luck seems to change when she meets Frank who despite his misgivings, offers her a place to stay.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 787
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, atmospheric, captivating, rough, serious, gloomy
Similar in 81%
Cass (2008)
Plot Summary:
The incredible true story of how an orphaned Jamaican baby, adopted by an elderly white couple and brought up in an all white area of London, became one of the most feared and respected men in Britain.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic, powerful, captivating
Similar in 75%
I.D. (1995)
Plot Summary:
Four policemen go undercover and infiltrate a gang of football hooligans hoping to route out their leaders. For one of the four, the line between 'job' and 'yob' becomes more unclear as time passes.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: crime drama, independent film, psychological, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 84%
Nil by Mouth (1997)
Plot Summary:
The family of Raymond, his wife Val and her brother Billy live in working-class London district. Also in their family is Val and Billy's mother Janet and grandmother Kath. Billy is a drug addict and Raymond kicks him out of the house, making him live on his own. Raymond is generally a rough and even violent person, and that leads to problems in the life of the family.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, France
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: disturbing, depressing, bleak, realistic, rough, controversial, thought provoking, sad, cult classic, powerful
Similar in 83%
As Night Comes (2014)
Plot Summary:
Troubled 17-year-old Sean Holloway falls in with a group of teenage outcasts called 'The Misfits,' whose charismatic leader, Ricky, takes him under his wing. But as Sean becomes more and more entangled in the gang's anarchist ways, things begin to spiral out of control, and Sean realizes Ricky is a ticking time bomb on a rampage of revenge. On the eve of Halloween, as night comes, everything explodes….
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 236
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, psychological, tense, slasher, rough, realistic
Similar in 76%
Oi! Warning (1999)
Plot Summary:
No overview found.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 786
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 80%
Made in Britain (1982)
Plot Summary:
Trevor sometimes-violent skinhead with no regard for authority, and would rather spend his time stealing cars than sitting in the detention centre to which he is sent. His social worker, Harry Parker, tries to do his best, but Trevor is only interested when there’s something that he can get out of it. The authorities within the centre try to make Trevor conform to the norms of society, but he takes no notice, and would rather speak in a torrent of four-letter words and racial abuse.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 76 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial, cult classic, powerful, terrifying, rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 76%
Awaydays (2009)
Plot Summary:
On the Wirral in the grim early years of Margaret Thatcher's premiership, the opportunities for thrill seeking young men looking to escape 9 to 5 drudgery are what they've always been: sex, drugs, rock n' roll, fashion, football and fighting.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, bleak, realistic, gloomy, cult film
Similar in 79%
Steel City (2006)
Plot Summary:
After a tragic accident caused by the truck of the middle-aged Carl Lee where a woman dies with a crushed stern, he is arrested and sent to the county jail. His son PJ, who works washing dishes and cleaning tables in a restaurant, feels lost, without financial support to keep his father's house, and is fired from his job and evicted from his house.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 622
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: emotional, psychological, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, independent film, gloomy
Similar in 84%
Small Faces (1995)
Plot Summary:
Three teenage brothers, gang-member Bobby, troubled mama's boy Alan and self-assured prankster Lex, reside in a downtrodden section of Glasgow, Scotland, circa 1968. But while Bobby and Alan are beginning to experience the power of raging hormones, the story focuses on Lex, who begins a downward spiral after he accidentally shoots the leader of Bobby's gang. Lex's cockiness and immaturity unfortunately prevent him from understanding the effect his subsequent crimes will have on both himself, and on those around him.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: bleak, realistic, independent film, tense, rough, serious, road movie, thought provoking, clever, brutal
Similar in 82%
Hi, Tereska (2001)
Plot Summary:
Teenager Tereska comes from poor family and has to face difficult world and mean people around her.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: disturbing, touching, serious, realistic, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 84%
Eastern Plays (2009)
Plot Summary:
Two estranged brothers are brought together when they have opposite roles in a racist beating: while Georgi who's recently joined a neo-nazi group participates in the violence, Hristo witnesses and rescues a Turkish family. Georgi, now being asked to participate in larger events, starts to question his implication in the movement and Hristo wonders if the beautiful Turkish girl he saved could be his ticket out of his sad life in Sofia. Only by reuniting will the two brothers be able to assess what they really want from life.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Bulgaria, Sweden
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, sincere, psychological, philosophical, melancholic, existential, tense, serious
Similar in 78%
We're All Christs (2006)
Plot Summary:
Adaś Miauczyński, a Polish intelectual, has severe alcohol problems which affect his relationship with his son Sylwek.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, surreal, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 77%
Clean and Sober (1988)
Plot Summary:
Hotshot real estate salesman Daryl has a bad cocaine habit. After embezzling his company's money, he wakes up next to a girl who overdosed. To hide from the police, he checks into a rehabilitation program guaranteeing anonymity. Under the mentorship of counselor Craig, Daryl accepts that he has a substance abuse problem. As he falls in love with fellow patient Charlie, Daryl begins committing to a newly sober life.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, emotional, compassionate, melancholic, sincere, serious, psychological, depressing, spiritual
Similar in 83%
The Toy Soldiers (2014)
Plot Summary:
On one evening in a decade of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, the innocence of youth and family unravels. Five parallel coming-of-age stories dramatize the stages of grief. A youthful mother in a custody battle over her children, finds tranquility with the bottle. The abuse of her ex-husband still haunts the children; a nineteen year old drug addict, and his younger brother, a bullied closet homosexual.There's the story of the dog; a teen who offers sexual favors to gain acceptance, the challenged classmate who would do anything for her love, and the redhead beauty, haunted by a secret, tragic past. These lives and others will change forever on this final evening before their hangout, The Toy Soldiers Roller Rink, closes its doors for the final time.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, serious, suspenseful, sexy, captivating, realistic, independent film
Similar in 84%
Joe the King (1999)
Plot Summary:
A destitute 14 year old struggles to keep his life together despite harsh abuse at his mother's hands, harsher abuse at his father's, and a growing separation from his slightly older brother. Petty thefts for food grow into more major takes until he steals a cash box from the diner where he works. Although Joe uses the money to pay off some of his father's debts and to replace his mother's records that his father smashed in a fit of temper, Joe gets no thanks.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: emotional, harsh, tense, rough, grim, realistic, art house, semi autobiographical, serious, gloomy
Similar in 88%
Pure (2002)
Plot Summary:
A young boy trying to deal with his mother's heroin addiction befriends a waitress who helps him cope with the tough situation.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy, crying, independent film, iconic
Similar in 90%
Smashed (2012)
Plot Summary:
Kate and Charlie like to have a good time. Their marriage thrives on a shared fondness for music, laughter… and getting smashed. When Kate’s partying spirals into hard-core asocial behavior, compromising her job as an elementary schoolteacher, something’s got to give. But change isn’t exactly a cakewalk. Sobriety means she will have to confront the lies she’s been spinning at work, her troubling relationship with her mother, and the nature of her bond with Charlie.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: sincere, depressing, touching, realistic, indie film, sentimental, spiritual, mumblecore, cute, informative
Similar in 77%
My Name Is Bill W. (1989)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true story of Bill W. (James Woods), a successful stock broker whose life falls apart after the stock crash of the 20's and how he comes to grips with his alcoholism. Along with a fellow alcoholic (James Garner) he forms a support group that would eventually become Alcoholics Anonymous.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, sincere, uplifting, thought provoking, serious, spiritual, contemplative
Similar in 88%
Drunks (1995)
Plot Summary:
At the beginning of a nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim seems particularly troubled. His sponsor encourages him to talk that night, the first time in seven months, so he does - and leaves the meeting right after. As Jim wanders the night, searching for some solace in his old stomping grounds, bars and parks where he bought drugs, the meeting goes on, and we hear the stories of survivors and addicts - some, like Louis, who claim to have wandered in looking for choir practice, who don't call themselves alcoholic, and others, like Joseph, whose drinking almost caused the death of his child - as they talk about their lives at the meeting.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film, realistic, talky, spiritual, sincere, serious, emotional, thought provoking, clever, depressing
Similar in 81%
The Mighty Angel (2014)
Plot Summary:
A shocking story about addiction and attempts to overcome it. The script is based on Jerzy Plich’s excellent novel “The Mighty Angel” (alternative title: "The Strong Angel Inn"). Jerzy (Robert Więckiewicz) is a writer and a heavy drinker. We meet him at the point when he believes that he can beat his addiction. He falls in love with a young girl (Julia Kijowska) and finally feels that he has got the person and the reason to live for. But soon he yields to his addiction.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Poland, Hungary
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, cynical, psychological, captivating, thought provoking, touching, gloomy
Similar in 88%
Sweet Sixteen (2002)
Plot Summary:
Determined to have a normal family life once his mother gets out of prison, a Scottish teenager from a tough background sets out to raise the money for a home.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK, Germany, Spain
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: disturbing, sentimental, bleak, realistic, depressing, heartbreaking, compassionate, touching, sincere, emotional
Similar in 90%
This Is England (2006)
Plot Summary:
A story about a troubled boy growing up in England, set in 1983. He comes across a few skinheads on his way home from school, after a fight. They become his new best friends even like family. Based on experiences of director Shane Meadows.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 127000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: emotional, political, depressing, stylized, harsh, rough, cult classic, social, tense, sincere
Similar in 82%
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Plot Summary:
Bob and his friends Dianne, Rick and Nadine have been drug addicts for years and live from one high to the next. Gus Van Sant attempts to show an intimate look into the lives of heroin addicts with his film Drugstore Cowboy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: road movie, independent film, cult classic, depressing, dark, grim, realistic, psychedelic, art house, aesthetic
Similar in 86%
Strays (1997)
Plot Summary:
Rick (Diesel) is frustrated by the repetitious grind of one-night stands and aimless hustling. Whilst looking for more to his life he meets Heather (Lanza), a neighbour. Rick takes the opportunity to escape his boring life style with her, but soon finds that his volatile behaviour threatens to finish their relationship before it even really begins.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: cult classic, tense, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
Adulthood (2008)
Plot Summary:
After serving six years for killing his schoolmate, a young man learns that someone is out for revenge.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: hood, rough, serious, realistic, cult classic, gloomy, bleak
Similar in 90%
Sket (2011)
Plot Summary:
When a young woman is cruelly and indiscriminately attacked by a notorious gang led by the violent Trey, her little 16 year old sister Kayla wants revenge and will stop at nothing to get it, even if it means joining a rival girl gang led by the volatile and damaged man-hating Danielle.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic, bleak
Similar in 81%
Scum (1979)
Plot Summary:
This is the hard and shocking story of life in a British Borstal for young offenders. The brutal regime made no attempt to reform or improve the inmates and actively encouraged a power struggle between the 'tough' new inmate and the 'old hands'. The film was originally made as a BBC play but it was banned before ever being shown.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, tense, serious, controversial, offbeat, depressing, art house, grindhouse, cult classic