Best movies like Pariah
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, touching, realistic, sincere, serious, emotional, spiritual, lgbt cinema, sexual, powerful
Best tv shows and movies like Pariah (2011):
Similar in 87%
A Girl Like Grace (2015)
Plot Summary:
Raised by a single mother, a bullied 17 year-old girl seeks guidance from her best friend and the girl's older sister.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 679
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: captivating
Similar in 85%
Middle of Nowhere (2012)
Plot Summary:
When her husband is sentenced to eight years in prison, Ruby drops out of medical school in order to focus on her husband's well-being while he's incarcerated - leading her on a journey of self-discovery in the process.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: captivating, sincere, serious, emotional, inspirational, social, realistic, gloomy, independent film, black cinema
Similar in 85%
Rafiki (2018)
Plot Summary:
Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Netherlands, France, Norway, Lebanon, UK
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: captivating, sincere, touching, social, disturbing, emotional, sensitive, queer cinema
Similar in 87%
A Marine Story (2010)
Plot Summary:
Marine officer Alexandra is tough enough to kick any guy's ass in a bar fight, but there's one opponent she can't beat: military policy. When she returns to her conservative hometown from Iraq with a mysterious personal life, she finds herself charged with preparing a tempestuous teenage girl to boot camp.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sincere, emotional, uplifting, serious, realistic, independent film, queer cinema
Similar in 78%
Margarita with a Straw (2014)
Plot Summary:
In this inspirational love story, a Delhi university student and aspiring writer afflicted with cerebral palsy leaves India for New York University, where she falls for a fiery young activist.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, uplifting, touching, realistic, deep, queer cinema
Similar in 78%
Girlhood (2014)
Plot Summary:
Oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her dress code, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping that this will be a way to freedom.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, hood, realistic, crying, queer cinema
Similar in 80%
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013)
Plot Summary:
Coming of age story about two inner city youths, who are left to fend for themselves over the summer after their mothers are taken away by the authorities.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, hood, clever, sad, therapeutic
Similar in 81%
The Wise Kids (2011)
Plot Summary:
A vivid, dynamic Southern coming-of-age drama, takes place in the transitional space between high school and college, when life seems to be all questions and no answers, and the future is scarily wide open. Set in and around a Charleston, SC Baptist church, weaving through this ensemble piece are three main characters - Brea, an introspective pastor's daughter experiencing debilitating doubt, the hyperactive Laura, Brea's best friend and a devout believer, and Tim, the open-hearted son of a single father, confronting his homosexuality for the first time. Tensions and buried feelings abound, as colleges are chosen and adults behave badly, as Brea, Laura and Tim attempt to hang onto what they have, all the while yearning to break free.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, sexual, christian film, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 75%
Sonja (2006)
Plot Summary:
Sonja is struggling to deal with her parent separation, and find her feelings for her best friend might not just be a phase.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 322
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 72 min
Plot tags: realistic, sincere, touching, sexy, lgbt cinema, sexual, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
Brother to Brother (2004)
Plot Summary:
A drama that looks back on the Harlem Renaissance from the perspective of an elderly, black writer who meets a gay teenager in a New York homeless shelter.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, thought provoking, touching, realistic, captivating, social, contemplative, queer cinema
Similar in 80%
To the Stars (2019)
Plot Summary:
Under small-town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer’s daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, romantic, sexy, touching, melancholic, independent film, teen, tragic ending
Similar in 89%
The Fallout (2021)
Plot Summary:
In the wake of a school tragedy, Vada, Mia and Quinton form a unique and dynamic bond as they navigate the never linear, often confusing journey to heal in a world that feels forever changed.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: suspense, emotional, disturbing, psychological, deep, teen, captivating, intellectual, queer cinema, weird
Similar in 75%
Circumstance (2011)
Plot Summary:
A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, USA, Iran
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, atmospheric, emotional, lgbt cinema, erotic, inspirational, sexy, islamic, serious
Similar in 84%
South of Nowhere (2005)
Plot Summary:
South of Nowhere is an American teen drama television series created by Thomas W. Lynch. Aimed primarily at teenagers, it first aired on November 4, 2005 and was one of six original series on The N. The second half of the third and final season aired October 10, 2008 and the final episode aired on December 12, 2008. Live webisodes were also created to accompany each episode in the season 2 storyline, and were seen exclusively through The N's website on the Click. The show follows the lives of the members of the Carlin family as they adjust to moving from Ohio to Los Angeles, California. One of the main focuses include the relationship between Spencer Carlin and her bisexual friend, Ashley Davies. The close friendship between Ashley and Spencer led Spencer to question her own sexuality, a subject which created controversy before the show first aired. It was the first series on The N to deal with such a subject relating to the primary characters, and the first television show ever to have non-heterosexual teenagers as the top-billed characters.South of Nowhere has received outstanding reviews from TV Guide, The Boston Tribute, New York Post, New York Daily News, Entertainment Weekly, and Variety.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: sincere, realistic, humorous, serious, teen, cult classic, captivating, queer cinema, corny
Similar in 87%
The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)
Plot Summary:
1993: after being caught having sex with the prom queen, a girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, touching, disturbing, teen, captivating, sexy, intellectual, social, stylized
Similar in 85%
All Over Me (1997)
Plot Summary:
Claude and Ellen are best friends who live in a not-so-nice area of New York. They're involved in the subculture of 90s youth, complete with drugs, live music, and homophobia. All is changed one night when a violent and meaningless death rocks their lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: sad, melancholic, sincere, touching, teen, independent film, realistic, indie film, sentimental, serious
Similar in 87%
First Girl I Loved (2016)
Plot Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Anne just fell in love with Sasha, the most popular girl at her L.A. public high school. But when Anne tells her best friend, Clifton—who has always harbored a secret crush on her—he does his best to get in the way.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: teen, psychological, sentimental, captivating, disturbing, lgbt cinema, independent film, cute, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
The Truth About Jane (2000)
Plot Summary:
Jane, a high school teenager, tries to deal with the discovery that she is a lesbian after developing an intense friendship with another girl who makes her discover her true sexuality, which is only the start of Jane's troubles when Jane's unaccepting mother, Janice, struggles with her surprising revelation of brought forth by her only daughter.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: sincere, sentimental, touching, serious, disturbing, crying, emotional, realistic, talky, queer cinema
Similar in 89%
Moonlight (2016)
Plot Summary:
The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 326000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: serious, lgbt cinema, art house, hood, inspirational, social, sexy, touching, emotional, visually stunning
Similar in 83%
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, sentimental, emotional, sweet, inspirational, crying, psychological, captivating, intense
Similar in 77%
Toe to Toe (2009)
Plot Summary:
Out on the lacrosse pitch, wealthy but troubled Jesse and poor but driven Tosha form an easy and deep bond, but their relationship is threatened once they enter the hallways of an elite prep school they attend in Washington, D.C. There, they must work to overcome racial and other tensions in their classmates, and in themselves, if they hope to keep their friendship alive.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 517
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, psychological, sentimental, sexy, sincere, thought provoking, touching, serious, emotional
Similar in 81%
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995)
Plot Summary:
An adventurous love story between two young women of different social and economic backgrounds who find themselves going through all the typical struggles of a new romance.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: teen, independent film, sentimental, sincere, touching, lgbt cinema, semi serious, crying, realistic, humorous
Similar in 76%
But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
Plot Summary:
Megan is an all-American girl. A cheerleader. She has a boyfriend. But Megan doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. Her conservative parents worry that she must be a lesbian and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, where she must learn how to be straight.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: feel good, funny, surreal, sexual, cult classic, hilarious, teen, dark comedy, clever, touching
Similar in 85%
Water Lilies (2007)
Plot Summary:
Set during a sultry summer in a French suburb, Marie is desperate to join the local pool's synchronized swimming team, but is her interest solely for the sake of sport or for a chance to get close to Floriane, the bad girl of the team? Sciamma, and the two leads, capture the uncertainty of teenage sexuality with a sympathetic eye in this delicate drama of the angst of coming-of-age.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: romantic, serious, realistic, sexy, psychological, sexual, erotic, sad, anthology, art house
Similar in 80%
Bloomington (2010)
Plot Summary:
A former child actress attends college in search of independence and ends up becoming romantically involved with a female professor. Their relationship thrives until an opportunity to return to acting forces her to make life-altering decisions.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: sexual, sexy, touching, erotic, serious, realistic, romantic drama, independent film, gay cinema, queer cinema
Similar in 75%
Elena Undone (2010)
Plot Summary:
The wife of a pastor who preaches against homosexuality embarks on an affair with a female writer.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, touching, sexual, sexy, erotic, romantic drama, steamy, independent film, serious
Similar in 89%
Desert Hearts (1985)
Plot Summary:
The story of straight-edge literature professor Vivian who travels to Reno to get away from a relationship breakup when she falls in love with an attractive and unconventional girl named Cay.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: sexy, touching, sentimental, realistic, sincere, captivating, erotic, independent film, lgbt cinema, romantic drama
Similar in 89%
Jack & Diane (2012)
Plot Summary:
Jack and Diane, two teenage girls, meet in New York City and spend the night kissing ferociously. Diane's charming innocence quickly begins to open Jack's tough skinned heart. But, when Jack discovers that Diane is leaving the country in a week she tries to push her away. Diane must struggle to keep their love alive while hiding the secret that her newly awakened sexual desire is giving her werewolf-like visions.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, stylized, erotic, cult classic, dark drama, profound, queer horror, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 83%
Foxfire (1996)
Plot Summary:
The story of five teenage girls who form an unlikely bond after beating up a teacher who has sexually harassed them. They build a solid friendship but their wild ways begin to get out of control.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: teen, touching, sincere, realistic, dark, poignant, spectacular, romantic, independent film, serious
Similar in 78%
The Color Purple (1985)
Plot Summary:
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 94000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: sentimental, uplifting, touching, inspirational, sad, sincere, emotional, compassionate, period piece, heartbreaking