Best movies like Runaways
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Steve Moore is sixteen and lives with his younger sister, mother Cheryl and her boyfriend John, in a modest house in Bakersfield, California. An abusive and often intoxicated man, John rules the household, and though his attacks on Steve result in emergency hospital visits, Cheryl's loyalty is to her boyfriend. To protect her relationship with John, she "ditches" her son, having him arrested and locked in a correctional "mental" facility, before coercing her older brother Burt, who lives in Hollywood, to take him. Steve quickly discovers that Burt cannot even provide temporary lodging, but an administrator at his new high school directs him to a shelter for runaway kids where he soon learns to navigate his way.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 126
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, independent film, psychological, sincere, humorous
Best tv shows and movies like Runaways (2003):
Similar in 87%
An Adolescent (2001)
Plot Summary:
Tomokawa is a tough guy turned bored cop who spends much of his time sating lonely housewives and looking after retarded teen Sukemasa. One day while hanging out at a bar, he is approached by a 15-year-old enjo kosai named Yoko, offering a round of illicit sex in exchange for cash. Though he demurs, their paths cross again and soon a relationship of sorts forms. Yoko, it turns out, is Sukemasa's sister; and both are the children of his old flame Yukie, a grasping, self-centered woman. Moreover, Yoko's grandfather is responsible for the massive tattoo sprawling across Tomokawa's back. Tomokawa soon takes both teens under his wing, protecting them from their heartless mother, and their lecherous stepfather. Soon, Yoko gets a similarly massive tattoo illustrating her bond with her policeman savior.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 542
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic
Similar in 86%
Terror in the Family (1996)
Plot Summary:
Fifteen-year-old Deena Marten wants the same freedom every teenager craves. But when she can't have her way, her rebellious temperament erupts in violence. Her parents, Stephanie and Todd, fear her new boyfriend, Garret, 17, is the cause. Distraught, Stephanie turns to alcohol, and Todd escapes in his work. They're unaware their Boy Scout son Adam, 13, sips from a vodka bottle hidden in his bedroom. And the problems in this dysfunctional family continue to worsen.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 730
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, crying
Similar in 90%
Wildflower (1991)
Plot Summary:
One day Sammy and his younger sister Ellie happen upon a cabin where Alice, a young, partially deaf girl with epilepsy is being kept by her abusive stepfather. The three soon become friends and hope to get Alice an education and help her escape from the torture she undergoes daily. However, Alice's stepfather soon finds out about the friendship Alice has struck up and punishes her brutally. This story of friendship and youth shows that everyone is human and deserves to be treated so, no matter their disability or weakness.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, serious, realistic, inspirational
Similar in 79%
Hard Sun (2014)
Plot Summary:
After the death of her parents, a young woman assumes primary guardianship of her special needs brother. But as she attempts to balance her new life with her brother and her own blossoming romance, it becomes painfully clear that life will only make room for one.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 72
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, independent film
Similar in 77%
The American Standards (2008)
Plot Summary:
At a crossroads in his life, Doc Jennings goes home to celebrate his mother's birthday and uncovers dramatic family secrets. Lies, affairs and afflictions bubble to the surface of his seemingly perfect family. Can they come back together or is it too late?.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 654
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, captivating
Similar in 83%
Stella (1990)
Plot Summary:
Barmaid Stella Claire and blueblood Stephen Dallas have very little in common -- except they've fallen in love. When their relationship fails, Stella decides to raise the child they had, Jenny, alone. But Jenny and Stella are far from the perfect mother-daughter pair.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, sentimental, captivating, sad, touching, realistic, sexual, erotic, romantic
Similar in 85%
A Common Thread (2004)
Plot Summary:
French drama, the debut film from writer-director Eléonore Faucher. Teenager Claire (Lola Naymark) discovers she is pregnant and decides to keep it a secret. Abandoning her dead-end supermarket job, she is taken on as an apprentice by couturiere Madame Mélikian (Ariane Ascaride), who is grieving over the death of her own child. As the two women work together, they soon develop a supportive and fam.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 89%
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992)
Plot Summary:
Chantel Mitchell (Ariyan Johnson), a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (the IRT is one of NYC's subway lines). She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. But personal and sexual challenges confront Chantel on her way to fulfilling these dreams.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, surprise ending, hood, black cinema
Similar in 75%
Bridge to Silence (1989)
Plot Summary:
A woman with a hearing problem tries to get het life back together after a car accident that killed her husband.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 82%
Engel & Joe (2001)
Plot Summary:
A love story of a 17 year old punk-rocker and a 15 year old runaway girl.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 966
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Germany
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, sentimental, sincere, atmospheric, serious, emotional, realistic, talky, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Most High (2004)
Plot Summary:
When Julius (Marty Sader) loses his girlfriend, his job and the life of his pseudo father, Jack, his itch for a "quick fix" suffocates his ambitions and takes him on a trip through the disturbing addiction of crystal meth. Julius confides in Erica (Laura Keys), who lures him into her erratic lifestyle, and their crazy romance brings him terrifying hallucinations and isolation as he learns that hedonism will not eliminate his pain.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 294
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 79%
1 Out of 7 (2011)
Plot Summary:
Runaway teen Lexi find herself alone and pregnant on the streets. Seemingly beyond hope, she must turn to Devon, a woman with her own demons, to help her find a way back from her past mistakes.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 199
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, rough, serious, realistic, bleak, independent film
Similar in 84%
Refuge (2012)
Plot Summary:
After their parents abandon the family, a young woman works to take care of her younger siblings.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 592
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, captivating, independent film
Similar in 80%
Cook County (2008)
Plot Summary:
After a stint in prison, Sonny returns to his home in East Texas, determined to repair his relationship with his son. Standing in his way is his brother, who has turned the home into a crumbling meth lab (IMDb.com).
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 559
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, psychological, atmospheric, disturbing, sentimental, sincere, touching, suspenseful
Similar in 78%
The Angel (2009)
Plot Summary:
A drug addict becomes a mother and has to deal with responsibility and self-respect.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 867
Genere: Drama
Country: Norway, Sweden, Finland
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, serious, realistic, independent film, bleak, contemplative, non-linear
Similar in 86%
Mouth to Mouth (2005)
Plot Summary:
The teenage girl Vera left her family after an incident at home, and is now living with a middle-aged drug addict, Morgan, who is using her as a prostitute to get money for drugs and debts. Meanwhile, the rest of her family is falling apart, and her father, Mats, is trying to figure out how to get her back before it's too late.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 463
Genere: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 81%
Loverboy (2005)
Plot Summary:
A neglected daughter becomes a possessive mother in an emotional journey into the heart and mind of a woman who loved too much.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, touching, serious, erotic, offbeat, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 90%
The Secret Life of Zoey (2002)
Plot Summary:
Marcia always thought her overachieving daughter Zoey was the dream child. But then she discovers that her perfect teen has a not-so-perfect drug addiction. Marcia and her ex-husband go through plenty of denial as their daughter spirals out of control. It's a true-to-life tale that parents and their kids should watch together.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 389
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: humorous, captivating, psychological, touching, suspenseful, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 75%
America (2009)
Plot Summary:
In "America," Dr. Maureen Brennan, a psychiatrist at a youth treatment center, encounters her newest patient, a bi-racial boy named America. Through their sessions, Dr. Brennan helps America come to terms with his roller-coaster life, which began when he was taken by authorities from his crack-addicted mother, and placed into foster care as an infant. The short time of stability in his life occurred when America lived with Mrs. Harper, the elderly nanny to one of his foster families. Later reunited with his mother, she soon abandons America and he is again placed into foster care. Lagging behind in school and full of anger, America retreats further away from society after years of sexual abuse. After attempting suicide, America is placed in a treatment center where Dr. Brennan helps him open up about his painful past and discover the support and courage he needs to get his life back on track.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 698
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, uplifting, serious, realistic
Similar in 77%
Lost Angels (1989)
Plot Summary:
Rich L.A. party brat Tim (Adam Horovitz) spins into a cycle of despair after his parents divorce, and trying to fill the void with drugs and trouble only buys him a ticket to an asylum. But with the help of a psychiatrist (Donald Sutherland) who has taken an interest in him, will Tim try to pull himself out of the muck of teenage rebellion and ennui?.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, thought provoking, suspenseful, independent film, rough, captivating, gloomy, cult film
Similar in 85%
Crutch (2004)
Plot Summary:
An autobiographical film taken from the experiences of writer-director Rob Moretti, CRUTCH is a coming-of-age tale about a young man's struggle with family problems and substance abuse. Behind a facade of suburban middle class perfection, David's home life is falling apart. As he tries to cope with the impossible situation, the troubled and impressionable teenager falls under the spell of Kenny, a georgous, thirty-something, has-been actor turned theatre coach. When Kenny's "support" escalates into seduction, David slowly decends into an abyss of drinking and drug addition from which he must escape if he is to survive. CRUTCH is a dramatic tale of the confusion of youth and the difficulties in finding oneself.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 712
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, emotional, realistic, bleak, contemplative, gloomy, crying, queer cinema
Similar in 76%
Treading Water (2001)
Plot Summary:
Casey (Angela Redman) has rejected her privileged upbringing and restores old boats for a living. She lives a cozy life with her beautiful social worker girlfriend Alex (super sexy Nina Landey) until her stuffy family demands that she come home for Christmas – without Alex.Casey is a longshorewoman who seems to have everything she wants; she and her girlfriend Alex are very much in love. But there’s nothing like the holidays to bring out the drama of the average family. Casey lives just across the bay from her upper crust New England family. The proximity seems no accident: Casey can’t quite let go, despite her family’s judgmental and inescapable hold on her otherwise independent and unconventional life. When the family reunites for Christmas, the unwrapping of presents takes a back seat to the unraveling of emotions.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 435
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, talky, biting, suspense, queer cinema
Similar in 80%
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 90%
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (1999)
Plot Summary:
An amnesiac youth tries to piece together his past, but what he discovers may jeopardize his future.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, independent film
Similar in 75%
Sweet Jane (1998)
Plot Summary:
Jane, an HIV-positive heroin addict, meets Tony, a young AIDS victim with no family, and the two form a bond.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 609
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: sad, independent film, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 78%
In My Pocket (2011)
Plot Summary:
A harrowing journey down the dark spiral of drug addiction. As Stephen Jameson's carefully constructed life slowly falls apart, his belief system is shattered when he discovers that he's no longer the functioning addict that he once was.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 234
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, psychological, atmospheric, captivating, independent film
Similar in 80%
Explicit Ills (2008)
Plot Summary:
The film follows four inter-connecting stories revolving around love, drugs and poverty in Philadelphia.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 854
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, serious, emotional, freeze frame, sincere, realistic
Similar in 86%
Acts of Worship (2001)
Plot Summary:
Alix is taken in by a photographer, Digna, who despite her friends' protests, tries to help Alix piece her life back together and overcome her addictions.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 316
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, disturbing, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 83%
On the Outs (2004)
Plot Summary:
Follows the choices made by three young women - one a drug dealer, one an addict, one a pregnant teen - in Jersey City.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 692
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: rough, touching, serious, emotional, anthology, bleak, realistic, independent film
Similar in 75%
Fifteen and Pregnant (1998)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story, 15 year old Tina Spangler discovers she is pregnant. Her choices are abortion, adoption, or a lonely, exhausting life as a single parent. Abandoned by her boyfriend, she turns to her mother. Tina discovers although it has torn her world apart, her pregnancy could re-unite her shattered family and help her find her true purpose in life.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, psychological, sincere, talky, ridiculous