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In Harlem, 1987. Sixteen year old Claireece Jones - who goes by her middle name Precious - is an illiterate, overweight black girl. She is pregnant with her second child, both children fathered by her biological father, who has continually raped her since she was a child, but who she doesn't see oth …erwise. Her infant daughter, Mongo - such named since she has Down Syndrome - lives with Precious' grandmother. Precious lives with her mother Mary, who abuses Precious both physically and emotionally. Mary does nothing but smoke, watch television and collect welfare through fraud (as she doesn't ever look for a job) and believes that education does nothing for Precious, who she would rather also collect welfare if only to bring money into the household. To escape her life, Precious often daydreams of herself in glamorous situations. Because of her current pregnancy, Precious' principal transfers her into an alternative school. In dealing with the school's sympathetic teacher Miss Blu Rain, Precious begins to believe that she can have a future by learning how to read and write. Despite some devastating news from her mother following the birth of her child, Precious also begins to believe she can escape the grips of her abusive mother, who, up to this point, was Precious' only real support. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of ageindependent film |
Themes: | father daughter incestwritingadoptionabuseredemptiondeath of fatherincestfearpregnancymoneyrapelovedeath |
Mood: | ambiguous endingrain |
Locations: | museumelevatorbusmotorcyclehotelswimming poolchurchschoolrestaurantnew york cityhospital |
Characters: | teacher student relationshippregnant by incestmother daughter incestpregnant from rapeself narrationgrandmother granddaughter relationshipsingle motherbabystudentteacherfemale protagonistbrother sister relationshipteenage girlafrican americanmother daughter relationship …father daughter relationshipmother son relationshipteenager (See All) |
Period: | year 19871980s |
Story: | christmas presentfalling down stairsphysical abusesexual abusechild abusestealing foodteenage pregnancyphotograph comes to liferesentment toward daughterreference to hurricane katrinahole in ceilingthrowing booksmashing a tv setreference to mcdonald'swater thrown in face …african american lesbianex drug addictsleeping in a chairchristmas cardfried chickenpregnant teenfemale tearsplaying against typeteenage mothermother daughter conflictreference to martin luther king jr.fat girlbad motherfemale vomitingmicrowave ovenharlem manhattan new york citysociologyscarfteenage daughterhiv aidsilliteracy16 year oldcandypresentsocial workertrophyclassmatelesbian couplestairsremote controlheroineballoonteen angstblack americanunderwatersplit screencrosswigchristmas treereadingfantasy sequencescreaminglimousinemontagewomannew yorkwinemanhattan new york citybathroombedcatwatching tvslow motion sceneface slapmirrorfoodsongcryingvoice over narrationpartysingingtitle spoken by characterphotographdancingcharacter name in titlebased on novelone word titlef ratedviolencedogflashback (See All) |
This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900's. The first time we see Celie, she is 14 - and pregnant - by her father. We stay with her for the next 30 years of her tough life...
Themes: | father daughter incestadoptionabuseincestrapelove |
Locations: | church |
Characters: | pregnant by incestpregnant from rapestudentfemale protagonistafrican americanfather daughter relationship |
Story: | physical abusesexual abusechild abuseilliteracyblack americanwomanface slapmirrorvoice over narrationtitle spoken by characterphotographbased on novel |
The outcast teenager Carrie White is bullied by her classmates at high school. Her mother, Margaret White, is a pious and paranoid woman that sees sin everywhere and the need of self-inflicting punishment. When Carrie has her first period, she does not understand what is happening to her and her cla …ssmates humiliate her in the changing room. The spiteful Chris Hargensen videotapes Carrie with her cell phone and posts it on the Internet. Their teacher Ms. Desjardin punishes the students, but when Chris challenges her, she is suspended and consequently is banned from the prom. Meanwhile, Carrie discovers that she has telekinesis and learns how to control her ability. Sue Snell, one of the girls that tormented Carrie, feels bad and asks her boyfriend Tommy Ross to invite Carrie to go with him to the prom to make up for what she did to Carrie. But Chris and her boyfriend Billy Nolan plot an evil prank with her friends to seek vengeance for Carrie. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | redemptionfearpregnancyrapedeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | swimming poolschoolhospital |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipsingle motherstudentteacherfemale protagonistteenage girlmother daughter relationshipteenager |
Story: | falling down stairschild abuseteenage pregnancyteenage daughterclassmateteen angstcrossscreaminglimousinemontagewomanslow motion sceneface slaptitle spoken by characterdancing …character name in titleone word titlebased on novelf ratedviolence (See All) |
Based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky, this is about 15-year-old Charlie (Logan Lerman), an endearing and naive outsider, coping with first love (Emma Watson), the suicide of his best friend, and his own mental illness while struggling to find a group of people with whom he belongs. The intr …overt freshman is taken under the wings of two seniors, Sam and Patrick, who welcome him to the real world. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | writingabuseincestfearlove |
Locations: | churchrestauranthospital |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipteacherbrother sister relationshipteenage girlmother son relationshipteenager |
Story: | christmas presentsexual abusechild abuse16 year oldchristmas treereadingwinebathroomwatching tvslow motion sceneface slapmirrorfoodcryingvoice over narration …partysingingphotographdancingbased on novelflashback (See All) |
Abducted on a rainy night in 1988, the obnoxious drunk, Oh Dae-Su, much to his surprise, wakes up locked in a windowless and dilapidated hotel room, for an unknown reason. There, his invisible and pitiless captors will feed him, clothe him and sedate him to avoid committing suicide, and as his only …companion and a window to the world is the TV in his stark cell, the only thing that helps Oh Dae-Su keep going is his daily journal. But then, unexpectedly, after fifteen long years in captivity, the perplexed prisoner is deliberately released, encouraged to track down his tormentor to finally get his retribution. Nevertheless, who would hate Oh Dae-Su so much he would deny him of a quick and clean death? (Read More)
Themes: | father daughter incestwritingincestfearpregnancymoneydeathlove |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | elevatorhotelrestaurantnew york city |
Characters: | babybrother sister relationshipmother daughter relationshipfather daughter relationship |
Story: | remote controlsplit screenfantasy sequencemontagemanhattan new york citybathroomwatching tvslow motion scenefoodsongcryingvoice over narrationsingingtitle spoken by characterphotograph …one word titledogviolenceflashback (See All) |
The true story of serial killer Aileen Wuernos who was convicted of luring men to their death and eventually executed in 2002. In 1989, she was working as a prostitute and finally makes a friend when she meets and begins a relationship with a young woman, Selby. Determined to straighten out her life …, she tries to find legitimate work but with little education and limited social skills, she fails at every turn. She starts working as a hooker hitching rides along the local interstate highway and after robbing a few clients has an encounter with a vicious client whom she kills in self-defense. After that however she just takes to killing clients taking their money and car. Once arrested she claims self-defense but is eventually convicted. (Read More)
Themes: | death of fathermoneyrapedeathlove |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | buschurchrestaurant |
Characters: | female protagonistbrother sister relationshipteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | sexual abusechild abuselesbian couplecrosswomanwinebedwatching tvface slapfoodcryingvoice over narrationtitle spoken by characterone word titlef rated …violence (See All) |
Detroit, the early 1960s. Curtis Taylor, Jr., a car salesman, breaks into the music business with big dreams. He signs a trio of young women, the Dreamettes, gets them a job backing an R&B performer, James "Thunder" Early, establishes his own record label and starts wheeling and dealing. When Early …flames out, Curtis makes the Dreamettes into headliners as the Dreams, but not before demoting their hefty big-voiced lead singer, Effie White, and putting the softer-voiced looker, Deena Jones, in front. Soon after, he fires Effie, sends her into a life of proud poverty, and takes Deena and the Dreams to the top. How long can Curtis stay there, and will Effie ever get her due? (Read More)
Themes: | pregnancymoneylovedeath |
Locations: | elevatorbusswimming poolnew york city |
Characters: | single motherfemale protagonistbrother sister relationshipteenage girlafrican americanfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationship |
Story: | playing against typereference to martin luther king jr.black americanwigchristmas treelimousinemontagewomanwatching tvmirrorsongcryingpartysingingtitle spoken by character …dancingone word title (See All) |
Katherine Ann Watson has accepted a position teaching art history at the prestigious Wellesley College. Watson is a very modern woman, particularly for the 1950s, and has a passion not only for art but for her students. For the most part, the students all seem to be biding their time, waiting to fin …d the right man to marry. The students are all very bright and Watson feels they are not reaching their potential. Altough a strong bond is formed between teacher and student, Watson's views are incompatible with the dominant culture of the college. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | love |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | swimming poolschoolrestaurantnew york city |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipbabystudentteacherfemale protagonistteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipteenager |
Story: | christmas presentchristmas treewomanwinemanhattan new york citywatching tvfoodsongcryingvoice over narrationsingingphotographdancingf rated |
Tracy Flick is running unopposed for this year's high school student election. But school civics teacher Jim McAllister has a different plan. Partly to establish a more democratic election, and partly to satisfy some deep personal anger toward Tracy, Jim talks popular varsity football player Paul Me …tzler to run for president as well. Chaos ensues. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Locations: | schoolnew york city |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipstudentteacherfemale protagonistbrother sister relationshipteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipmother son relationshipteenager |
Story: | teenage daughterteen angstlimousinemanhattan new york citycryingvoice over narrationpartytitle spoken by characterone word titlebased on novelf ratedflashback |
THE READER opens in post-war Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. Michael discovers that Hanna love …s being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from "The Odyssey," "Huck Finn" and "The Lady with the Little Dog." Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken. Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life - this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna's past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. THE READER is a story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | writingfearmoneydeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | churchschoolrestaurantnew york city |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipstudentteacherbrother sister relationshipteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipmother son relationshipteenager |
Period: | 1980s |
Story: | illiteracy16 year oldclassmatereadingwomanwinebedface slapmirrorfoodcryingvoice over narrationphotographbased on novelflashback |
A tale told over four seasons, starting in autumn when Juno, a 16-year-old high-school junior in Minnesota, discovers she's pregnant after one event in a chair with her best friend, Bleeker. In the waiting room of an abortion clinic, the quirky and whip-sharp Juno decides to give birth and to place …the child with an adoptive couple. She finds one in the PennySaver personals, contacts them, tells her dad and step-mother, and carries on with school. The chosen parents, upscale yuppies (one of whom is cool and laid back, the other meticulous and uptight), meet Juno, sign papers, and the year unfolds. Will Juno's plan work, can she improvise, and what about Bleeker? (Read More)
Subgenre: | independent film |
Themes: | adoptionpregnancy |
Locations: | schoolhospital |
Characters: | single motherbabystudentteacherfemale protagonistteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother son relationshipteenager |
Story: | teenage pregnancyteenage mother16 year oldteen angstmontagebathroomslow motion scenesongcryingvoice over narrationsingingtitle spoken by characterdancingcharacter name in titleone word title …f ratedflashbackdog (See All) |
Betty Anne Waters (Swank) is a high school dropout who spent nearly two decades working as a single mother while putting herself through law school, tirelessly trying to beat the system and overturn her brother's (Rockwell) unjust murder conviction.
Themes: | death of fatherfearmoneyrapedeath |
Locations: | churchschool |
Characters: | single motherbabyfemale protagonistbrother sister relationshipmother daughter relationshipfather daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | candyremote controlchristmas treelimousinewomanwatching tvface slapmirrorfoodcryingphotographdancingcharacter name in titleone word titleflashback …dogviolence (See All) |
Early summer. In a village in northern Turkey, Lale and her four sisters are walking home from school, playing innocently with some boys. The immorality of their play sets off a scandal that has unexpected consequences. The family home is progressively transformed into a prison; instruction in homem …aking replaces school and marriages start being arranged. The five sisters who share a common passion for freedom, find ways of getting around the constraints imposed on them. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | fearmoneyrape |
Locations: | busschoolhospital |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipgrandmother granddaughter relationshipstudentteacherteenage girlmother son relationshipteenager |
Story: | readingscreamingwatching tvslow motion sceneface slapmirrorfoodsongcryingvoice over narrationsingingphotographdancingone word titlef rated …violence (See All) |
As children, Lorenzo Carcaterra - Shakes to his friends - Michael Sullivan, Tommy Marcano, and John Reilly were inseparable. They grew up in Hell's Kitchen, a far from perfect neighborhood, one filled as Shakes says with scams and shake downs, but one where the rules were known by its residents. The … one adult who they admired was Father Bobby Carelli, who understood them as kids more than most adults and more than he himself would like to admit. In 1967, their lives would change forever when a typical teenage prank went wrong which led to the four of them being sentenced to various terms at Wilkinson Home for Boys, a reformatory. There, they were physically, emotionally and sexually abused primarily by Sean Nokes, the head guard of their cell block, and fellow guards Ralph Ferguson, Henry Addison, and Adam Styler, although there were other caring figures of authority at the home including other guards. Their time at the home affected the four, not all who were able to emerge from the experience to regroup their lives. In their want to forget about the experience, they made a vow not to talk about it either between themselves or with others. Fast forward thirteen years, with Tommy and Johnny being career criminals, Michael an assistant district attorney and Shakes a newspaper writer, their friendship on the surface more loose than it was when they were children. When Tommy and John spot Nokes, it leads to Shakes and Michael banding together to exact revenge not only on Nokes b… (Read More)
Themes: | abusepregnancyrapedeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | buschurchrestaurantnew york cityhospital |
Characters: | teacherafrican americanmother son relationship |
Period: | 1980s |
Story: | physical abusesexual abusechild abusesocial workertrophyteen angstblack americancrossmanhattan new york citybathroomwatching tvslow motion scenefoodsongcrying …voice over narrationsingingtitle spoken by characterphotographone word titleflashbackviolence (See All) |
Three students and a school teacher disappear on an excursion to Hanging Rock, in Victoria, on Valentine's Day, 1900. Widely (and incorrectly) regarded as being based on a true story, the movie follows those that disappeared, and those that stayed behind, but it delights in the asking of questions, …not the answering of them. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of ageindependent film |
Themes: | death |
Locations: | churchschool |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipstudentteacherbrother sister relationshipteenage girl |
Story: | fat girlreadingscreamingwomanwineslow motion sceneface slapmirrorfoodsongcryingvoice over narrationpartysingingphotograph …based on novelf ratedflashbackdog (See All) |
Brian Lackey is determined to discover what happened during an amnesia blackout when he was eight years old, and then later woke with a bloody nose. He believes he was abducted by aliens, and N. McCormick, a fellow player on Brian's childhood baseball team, may be the key as to exactly what happened … that night. As Brian searches for the truth and tries to track him down, Neil McCormick takes up hustling and moves to New York, in attempts to forget childhood memories that haunt him. Together, the two of them uncover the terrible truth of the scars they share. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of ageindependent film |
Themes: | abusemoneyrape |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | busnew york city |
Characters: | single motherstudentbrother sister relationshipteenage girlmother son relationship |
Period: | year 19871980s |
Story: | sexual abusechild abusepresentunderwaterchristmas treereadingnew yorkbedwatching tvface slapfoodcryingvoice over narrationsingingphotograph …based on novelflashbackviolencedog (See All) |
From July, 1913 to the outbreak of World War I, a series of incidents take place in a German village. A horse trips on a wire and throws the rider; a woman falls to her death through rotted planks; the local baron's son is hung upside down in a mill; parents slap and bully their children; a man is c …ruel to his long-suffering lover; another sexually abuses his daughter. People disappear. A callow teacher, who courts a nanny in the baron's household, narrates the story and tries to investigate the connections among these accidents and crimes. What is foreshadowed? Are the children holy innocents? God may be in His heaven, but all is not right with the world; the center cannot hold. (Read More)
Themes: | father daughter incestabusedeath of fatherincestfeardeath |
Mood: | ambiguous ending |
Locations: | churchschool |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipsingle motherbabyteacherbrother sister relationshipteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother son relationshipteenager |
Story: | sexual abusechild abusecrosschristmas treewomanbedface slapfoodcryingvoice over narrationpartysingingdancingviolence |
Soon after moving in, Beth, a brainy, beautiful writer damaged from a past relationship encounters Adam, the handsome, but odd, fellow in the downstairs apartment whose awkwardness is perplexing. Beth and Adam's ultimate connection leads to a tricky relationship that exemplifies something universal: … truly reaching another person means bravely stretching into uncomfortable territory and the resulting shake-up can be liberating. (Read More)
Subgenre: | independent film |
Themes: | adoptiondeath of fatherfear |
Locations: | schoolrestaurantnew york city |
Characters: | babystudentteacherafrican americanfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationship |
Story: | presentlesbian coupleblack americanreadingnew yorkmanhattan new york citybedwatching tvmirrorfoodcryingvoice over narrationpartytitle spoken by characterphotograph …character name in titleone word title (See All) |
Christy Brown is a spastic quadriplegic born to a large, poor Irish family. His mother, Mrs Brown, recognizes the intelligence and humanity in the lad everyone else regards as a vegetable. Eventually, Christy matures into a cantankerous writer who uses his only functional limb, his left foot, to wri …te with. (Read More)
Themes: | writingdeath of fatherfearpregnancymoneydeathlove |
Locations: | restauranthospital |
Characters: | babybrother sister relationshipteenage girlmother daughter relationshipfather daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | falling down stairsreadingwinebedmirrorfoodsongsingingphotographcharacter name in titlebased on novelflashback |
It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is trying to upend the school's strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear-based discipline. The winds of political change are … sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James, a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequences. (Read More)
Themes: | death of fatherfearlove |
Mood: | ambiguous endingrain |
Locations: | churchschool |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipstudentteacherbrother sister relationshipafrican americanmother son relationship |
Story: | candyblack americancrosschristmas treewinecatmirrorfoodsongcryingsingingtitle spoken by characterphotographdancingone word title …f ratedflashback (See All) |
In 1986, In Brooklyn, New York, the dysfunctional family of pseudo intellectuals composed by the university professor Bernard and the prominent writer Joan split. Bernard is a selfish, cheap and jealous decadent writer that rationalizes every attitude in his family and life and does not accept "phil …istines" - people that do not read books or watch movies, while the unfaithful Joan is growing as a writer and has no problems with "philistines". Their sons, the teenager Walt and the boy Frank, feel the separation and take side: Walt stays with Bernard, and Frank with Joan, and both are affected with abnormal behaviors. Frank drinks booze and smears with sperm the books in the library and a locker in the dress room of his school. The messed-up and insecure Walt uses Roger Water's song "Hey You" in a festival as if it was of his own, and breaks up with his girlfriend Sophie. Meanwhile Joan has an affair with Frank's tennis teacher Ivan and Bernard with his student Lili. (Read More)
Subgenre: | independent film |
Themes: | pregnancymoneylove |
Locations: | museumelevatorschoolrestaurantnew york cityhospital |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipstudentteacherbrother sister relationshipteenage girlmother son relationshipteenager |
Period: | 1980s |
Story: | readingbathroombedcatwatching tvface slapmirrorfoodsongcryingpartysingingphotograph |
Based on the true story of Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, two close friends who share a love of fantasy and literature, who conspire to kill Pauline's mother when she tries to end the girls' intense and obsessive relationship.
Subgenre: | coming of ageindependent film |
Themes: | writingredemptiondeathlove |
Locations: | hospital |
Characters: | studentteacherfemale protagonistbrother sister relationshipteenage girlmother daughter relationshipfather daughter relationshipteenager |
Story: | teen angstchristmas treefantasy sequencescreamingmontageface slapsongcryingvoice over narrationpartysingingtitle spoken by characterdancingflashback |
In 1937 China, during the second Sino-Japanese war, a mortician, John ('Christian Bale' (qv)) arrives at a Catholic church in Nanjing to prepare a priest for burial. Upon arrival he finds himself the lone adult among a group of convent girl students and prostitutes from a nearby brothel. When he fin …ds himself in the unwanted position of protector of both groups from the horrors of the invading Japanese army, he discovers the meaning of sacrifice and honor. (Read More)
Themes: | death of fatherfearmoneyrapedeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | church |
Characters: | studentteenage girlfather daughter relationship |
Story: | sexual abuseclassmatecrosswigwinebathroomcatslow motion sceneface slapmirrorfoodsongcryingvoice over narrationparty …singingphotographbased on novelflashback (See All) |
Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a seemingly unbeatable high school basketball squad, Jim's life centers around the basketball court and the court becomes a metaphor for the world in his … mind. A best friend who is dying of leukemia, a coach ("Swifty") who takes unacceptable liberties with the boys on his team, teenage sexual angst, and an unhealthy appetite for heroin -- all of these begin to encroach on young Jim's dream of becoming a basketball star. Soon, the dark streets of New York become a refuge from his mother's mounting concern for her son. He can't go home and his only escape from the reality of the streets is heroin for which he steals, robs and prostitutes himself. Only with the help of Reggie, an older neighborhood friend with whom Jim "picked up a game" now and then, is he able to begin the long journey back to sanity. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of ageindependent film |
Themes: | abusemoneydeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | bushotelchurchschoolrestaurantnew york cityhospital |
Characters: | studentteacherteenage girlafrican americanmother son relationshipteenager |
Story: | physical abuseclassmateteen angstblack americancrossfantasy sequencemanhattan new york citybathroomwatching tvslow motion sceneface slapfoodcryingvoice over narrationphotograph …based on novel (See All) |
Raimunda, her daughter Paula and her sister Sole travel from Madrid to the windy and superstitious village of Alcanfor de las Infantas to visit the grave of their mother Irene, who died years ago in a fire with her husband. Then they visit Irene's sister Paula, an old senile aunt that raised Raimund …a after the death of her parents that insists to tell them that Irene is alive and living with her; later, they go to the house of her neighbor and friend Agustina, who gives a support to Paula. They return to Madrid, and after a hard day of work, Raimunda meets her daughter completely distraught at the bus stop waiting for her. When they arrive home, Paula tells her mother that she killed her unemployed father Paco, who was completely drunk and tried to rape her. While Raimunda hides his body, Sole calls her to tell that their beloved aunt Paula has died. The next morning, Sole travels alone to the funeral, and when she returns to Madrid, she finds her mother hidden in the trunk of her car. She brings Irene to her apartment, where secrets from the past are disclosed. (Read More)
Themes: | father daughter incestdeath of fatherincestmoneyrapedeathlove |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | busrestauranthospital |
Characters: | pregnant by incestgrandmother granddaughter relationshipfemale protagonistteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationship |
Story: | child abuseremote controlwomanwatching tvmirrorfoodsongcryingpartysingingphotographone word titlef rated |
Unable to cope with reality and the difficulty that comes with it, 18 year old Susanna, is admitted to a mental institution in order to overcome her disorder. However, she has trouble understanding her disorder and therefore finds it difficult to tame, especially when she meets the suggestive and un …predictable Lisa. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | father daughter incestwritingincest |
Characters: | female protagonistteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationship |
Story: | physical abusechild abusesocial workerclassmateteen angstscreamingcatcryingvoice over narrationf rated |
Mia, an aggressive fifteen-year-old girl, lives on an Essex estate with her tarty mother, Joanne, and precocious little sister Tyler. She has been thrown out of school and is awaiting admission to a referrals unit and spends her days aimlessly. She begins an uneasy friendship with Joanne's slick boy …friend, Connor, who encourages her one interest, dancing. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | money |
Mood: | ambiguous endingrain |
Locations: | school |
Characters: | single motherteenage girlmother daughter relationshipteenager |
Story: | child abuseteenage daughtersocial workerballoonteen angstscreamingwatching tvslow motion sceneface slapmirrorcryingpartysingingphotographdancing …f rateddog (See All) |
Kevin Lomax, a ruthless young Florida attorney that never lost a case, is recruited by the most powerful law firm in the world. In spite of his mother's disagreement, which compares New York City to Babylon, he accepts the offer and the money that comes along. But soon, his wife starts feeling homes …ick as she witnesses devilish apparitions. However, Kevin is sinking in his new cases and pays less and less attention to his wife. His boss and mentor, John Milton, seems to always know how to overcome every problem and that just freaks Kevin right off. (Read More)
Themes: | incestfearmoneyrapedeath |
Mood: | ambiguous ending |
Locations: | elevatorchurchnew york cityhospital |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipsingle motherbabystudentteacherteenage girlafrican americanmother son relationship |
Story: | remote controlmanhattan new york citybathroomwatching tvslow motion scenemirrorcryingpartysingingphotographdancingbased on noveldog |
After a chance encounter at a theater, two men, Benigno and Marco, meet at a private clinic where Benigno works. Lydia, Marco's girlfriend and a bullfighter by profession, has been gored and is in a coma. It so happens that Benigno is looking after another woman in a coma, Alicia, a young ballet stu …dent. The lives of the four characters will flow in all directions, past, present and future, dragging all of them towards an unsuspected destiny. (Read More)
Themes: | fearpregnancyrape |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | hotelswimming poolchurchhospital |
Characters: | pregnant from rapestudentteacherfather daughter relationship |
Story: | sexual abusepresentwomanwatching tvslow motion scenecryingsingingtitle spoken by characterphotographflashback |
Erik is expelled from school for fighting. He ends up at a private boarding school where the senior students control the young ones. Erik finds a friend in Pierre, his room mate. The story revolves around Erik who just wishes to be left alone and graduate. He doesn't listen to what the seniors have …to say and they don't like it. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | writingdeath of fatherfearpregnancymoney |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | swimming poolschoolrestaurant |
Characters: | studentteacherbrother sister relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | child abusetrophychristmas treereadingface slapfoodbased on novelone word titleviolence |
At a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers, Grace is a young counselor trying to do her best for kids who often have been pulled from the worst kinds of home situations. Even then, life is not easy as Grace and her colleagues care for kids who are too often profoundly scarred, even as they try …to have lives of their own. Now, things are coming to a head as Grace readies for marriage even as some her charges are coming to major turning points in their lives. To cope, Grace will have to make difficult perceptions and decisions that could put her career, and more importantly her charges, at dire risk. (Read More)
Themes: | father daughter incestabuseincestpregnancydeath |
Locations: | bushospital |
Characters: | babyafrican americanfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipmother son relationshipteenager |
Story: | child abusesocial workerblack americanreadingslow motion sceneface slapmirrorfoodcryingpartysingingtitle spoken by characterdancing |
A young man is released from prison after many years and given a new identity in a new town. Aided by a supervisor who becomes like a father to him he finds a job and friends and hesitantly starts a relationship with a compassionate girl. But the secret of the heinous crime he committed as a boy wei …ghs down on him, and he learns that it is not so easy to escape your past. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | abuseredemptionincestfearrapedeathlove |
Locations: | busschoolrestaurant |
Characters: | studentteachermother son relationship |
Story: | sexual abusechild abuseremote controlscreamingbedwatching tvface slapmirrorcryingpartyphotographdancingbased on novelflashbackviolence |
59 year old Ove is the block's grumpy man who several years earlier was deposed as president of the condominium association, but he could not give a damn about being deposed and therefore keeps looking over the neighborhood with an iron fist. When pregnant Parvaneh and her family moves into the terr …aced house opposite and accidentally backs into Ove's mailbox it turns out to be an unexpected friendship. A drama comedy about unexpected friendship, love and the importance of surrounding yourself with the proper tools. (Read More)
Themes: | death of fatherpregnancymoneylovedeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | bushotelswimming poolchurchrestauranthospital |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipbabyteacherteenage girlmother daughter relationshipfather daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | crosswinecatslow motion scenemirrorfoodcryingvoice over narrationphotographdancingcharacter name in titlebased on noveldogflashback |
At the edge of adolescence, Tracy is a smart straight-A student--if not a little naive (it seems...she smokes and she cuts to alleviate the emotional pain she suffers from having a broken home and hating her mom's boyfriend, Brady.) When she befriends Evie, the most popular and beautiful girl in sch …ool, Evie leads Tracy down a path of sex, drugs and petty crime (like stealing money from purses and from stores). As Tracy transforms herself and her identity, her world becomes a boiling, emotional cauldron fueled by new tensions between her and her mother--as well as, teachers and old friends. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of ageindependent film |
Themes: | adoptionmoneydeath |
Locations: | school |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipsingle motherstudentteacherfemale protagonistbrother sister relationshipteenage girlmother daughter relationshipfather daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | child abuseteenage daughterclassmateteen angstface slapdancingone word titlef rateddogflashback |
A master chef, Kate, lives her life like she runs the kitchen at upscale 22 Bleecker Restaurant in Manhattan--with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. With breathtaking precision, she powers through each hectic shift, coordinating hundreds of meals, prep …aring delicate sauces, seasoning and simmering each dish to absolute perfection. (Read More)
Themes: | pregnancydeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | schoolrestaurantnew york cityhospital |
Characters: | single motherstudentmother daughter relationship |
Story: | scarfmontagewinemanhattan new york citywatching tvslow motion scenefoodsongcryingvoice over narrationsingingphotographdancing |
After causing a loss of almost one billion dollars in his company, the shoe designer Drew Baylor decides to commit suicide. However, in the exact moment of his act of despair, he receives a phone call from his sister telling him that his beloved father had just died in Elizabethtown, and he should b …ring him back since his mother had problem with the relatives of his father. He travels in an empty red eye flight and meets the attendant Claire Colburn, who changes his view and perspective of life. (Read More)
Themes: | death of fathermoneydeathlove |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | museumhotelchurch |
Characters: | brother sister relationshipafrican americanmother daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | reference to martin luther king jr.remote controlscreamingbathroomwatching tvslow motion scenefoodsongcryingvoice over narrationsingingtitle spoken by characterphotographdancingone word title …flashbackdog (See All) |
Violet Weston ('Meryl Streep' (qv)) has cancer and a propensity for pills and alcohol. She's a difficult woman to deal with and her husband has finally had enough. Violet's family gathers including middle daughter Ivy, youngest daughter Karen (with her new fiance), eldest daughter Barbara (with her …separated husband and teenage daughter), and her sister Mattie Fae (with her husband and son in tow). A family tragedy causes tensions to run high and secrets to come out. The Weston women will be forced to examine themselves and their lives whether they want to or not. Welcome to Osage County, Oklahoma in the sweltering heat of August. (Read More)
Themes: | death of fatherincestfearmoneydeath |
Locations: | buschurch |
Characters: | grandmother granddaughter relationshipteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | child abuseteenage daughtercrosswigwomanwineface slapmirrorfoodsongcryingsingingphotograph |
Romantic comedy: Will Hayes, a 30-something Manhattan dad is in the midst of a divorce when his 10 year old daughter, Maya, starts to question him about his life before marriage. Maya wants to know absolutely everything about how her parents met and fell in love. Will's story begins in 1992, as a yo …ung, starry-eyed aspiring politician who moves to New York from Wisconsin in order to work on the Clinton campaign. For Maya, Will relives his past as a idealistic young man learning the ins and outs of big city politics, and recounts the history of his romantic relationships with three very different women. On the campaign, Will's best buddy is Russell McCormack. They not only have similar political aspirations, they share the same type of girl problems, too. Will hopelessly attempts a "PG" version of his story for his daughter ad changes the names so Maya has to guess who he finally married. Is her mother Will's college sweetheart, the dependable girl next-door Emily? Is she his longtime best friend and confidante, the apolitical April? Or is she the free-spirited but ambitious journalist? As Maya puts together the pieces of her dad's romantic puzzle, she begins to understand that love is not so simple or easy. And as Will tells her his tale, Maya helps him to understand that it's definitely never too late to go back...and maybe even possible to find a happy ending. (Read More)
Themes: | death of fatherpregnancylove |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | hotelschoolrestaurantnew york cityhospital |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipafrican americanfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationship |
Story: | black americansplit screenreadingwomanwinemanhattan new york citybedwatching tvslow motion scenemirrorsongcryingvoice over narrationsingingtitle spoken by character …photographdancingflashbackdog (See All) |
Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising a child prodigy - his spirited young niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) in a coastal town in Florida. Frank's plans for a normal school life for Mary are foiled when the seven-year-old's mathematical abilities come to the attention of Frank's formidable moth …er Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) whose plans for her granddaughter threaten to separate Frank and Mary. Octavia Spencer plays Roberta, Frank and Mary's landlady and best friend. Jenny Slate is Mary's teacher, Bonnie, a young woman whose concern for her student develops into a connection with her uncle as well. (Read More)
Themes: | fearmoneydeath |
Locations: | swimming poolschoolrestauranthospital |
Characters: | grandmother granddaughter relationshipstudentteacherbrother sister relationshipafrican americanfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | black americanmontagewomancatwatching tvslow motion sceneface slapmirrorsongsingingtitle spoken by characterphotographdancingone word title |
Dolores Claiborne works as a maid for a wealthy woman in remote Maine. When she is indicted for the elderly woman's murder, Dolores' daughter Selena returns from New York, where she has become a big-shot reporter. In the course of working out the details of what has happened, as well as some shady q …uestions from the past and Selena's troubled childhood, many difficult truths are revealed about their family's domestic strife. This is cleverly portrayed with present reality shot in cool blue tones blending seamlessly into flashbacks shot in vivid color. As small town justice relentlessly grinds forward, surprises lie in store for the viewers.... (Read More)
Themes: | writingincest |
Characters: | female protagonistfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationship |
Story: | falling down stairssexual abusechild abusebad motherpresentchristmas treewomantitle spoken by charactercharacter name in titlebased on novelf ratedviolenceflashback |
Patrick Bateman is handsome, well educated and intelligent. He is twenty-seven and living his own American dream. He works by day on Wall Street, earning a fortune to complement the one he was born with. At night he descends into madness, as he experiments with fear and violence.
Subgenre: | independent film |
Themes: | abusefearmoneyrapedeath |
Mood: | ambiguous ending |
Locations: | restaurantnew york city |
Characters: | self narration |
Period: | 1980s |
Story: | remote controlchristmas treescreaminglimousinemontagewomannew yorkwinemanhattan new york citybedcatwatching tvmirrorfoodcrying …voice over narrationpartyphotographdancingbased on novelf rateddogviolence (See All) |
Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.
Subgenre: | coming of ageindependent film |
Themes: | death of fatherdeath |
Locations: | elevatorbusschoolhospital |
Characters: | single motherteenage girlafrican americanfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Story: | black americanwiglimousinemontagecatwatching tvslow motion scenemirrorfoodsongcryingvoice over narrationsingingphotographbased on novel …dogflashback (See All) |
The bitter, cynical and lonely Barbara Covett is a tough and conservative teacher, near to retirement, who is loathed by her colleagues and students. In the loneliness of her apartment, she spends her spare time writing her journal, taking care of her old cat Portia and missing her special friend Je …nnifer Dodd. When Sheba Hart joins the high-school as the new art teacher, Barbara dedicates her attention to the newcomer, writing sharp and unpleasant comments about her behavior and clothes. When Barbara helps Sheba in a difficult situation with two students, the grateful Sheba invites her to have lunch with her family. Sheba introduces her husband and former professor Richard Hart, who is about twenty years older than she; her rebellious teenager daughter Polly; and her son Ben that has Down's Syndrome. Barbara becomes close to Sheba, but when she accidentally discovers that Sheba is having an affair with the fifteen year-old student Steven Connolly, Barbara sees the chance to manipulate and get closer to Sheba, hiding the secret from the school headmaster. When Portia dies and Sheba does not stay with Barbara in the veterinary office to see Ben in a theater play, Barbara plots a Machiavellian revenge against Sheba, creating a scandal and consequent turmoil in their lives. (Read More)
Themes: | writingdeath of fatherpregnancy |
Locations: | school |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipstudentteacherfemale protagonistteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipmother son relationshipteenager |
Story: | christmas presentchild abusecatface slapmirrorcryingvoice over narrationdancingbased on novelflashback |
Smart-but-ineffectual journalist Dan "We use euphemisms!" cannot decide between his girlfriend, loving-but-clingy waitress Alice, or his lover cold-but-intellectual photographer Anna; herself indecisive between Dan and honest-but-thuggish "You're bloody gorgeous!" doctor Larry. The film puts the fou …r leading characters in a box and strips them apart. (Read More)
Subgenre: | independent film |
Themes: | death of fathermoney |
Mood: | ambiguous endingrain |
Locations: | elevatorbushotelrestaurantnew york cityhospital |
Story: | balloonwigmanhattan new york citybathroomslow motion sceneface slapmirrorcryingphotographdancingone word titleflashback |
A triumphant epic of survival and a tale of powerful womanhood and resistance against the unforgiving cruelty of a hell on earth. Our heroine is Liz (Dakota Fanning), carved from the beautiful wilderness, full of heart and grit, hunted by a vengeful Preacher (Guy Pearce) - a diabolical zealot and he …r twisted nemesis. But Liz is a genuine survivor; she's no victim - a woman of fearsome strength who responds with astonishing bravery to claim the better life she and her daughter deserve. Fear not. Retribution is coming. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of ageindependent film |
Themes: | father daughter incestabuseincestfearpregnancyrapelovedeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | church |
Characters: | female protagonistteenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipteenager |
Story: | physical abusesexual abusechild abuseheroinewomanface slapcryingvoice over narrationphotographviolenceflashback |
The story of Ray Charles, music legend. Told in his adult live with flashbacks to his youth we see his humble origins in Florida, his turbulent childhood which included losing his brother and then his sight, his rise as pianist in a touring band, his writing his own songs and running his own band an …d then stardom. Also includes his addiction to drugs and its affect on his working life and family life. (Read More)
Themes: | writingredemptionfearpregnancylovedeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | bushotelswimming poolchurchhospital |
Characters: | single motherbabyafrican americanmother son relationship |
Story: | harlem manhattan new york citytrophymontagemanhattan new york citybathroomsongcryingsingingtitle spoken by characterdancingcharacter name in titleone word titledogflashback |
Ken Park focuses on several teenagers and their tormented home lives. Shawn seems to be the most conventional. Tate is brimming with psychotic rage; Claude is habitually harassed by his brutish father and coddled, rather uncomfortably, by his enormously pregnant mother. Peaches looks after her devou …tly religious father, but yearns for freedom. They're all rather tight, or so they claim. But they spend precious little time together and none of them seems to know much about one another's family lives. This bizarre dichotomy underscores their alienation # the result of suburban ennui, a teenager's inherent sense of melodrama, and the disturbing nature of their home environments. (Read More)
Themes: | death of fatherincestpregnancylovedeath |
Mood: | rain |
Characters: | teenage girlfather daughter relationshipmother daughter relationshipteenager |
Story: | child abuseteenage pregnancytrophyteen angstcrossreadingmirrorfoodcryingvoice over narrationtitle spoken by characterphotographcharacter name in titledogviolence …flashback (See All) |
Teenager Hubert haughtily regards his mother with contempt, and only sees her tacky sweaters and kitsch decorations. In addition to these irritating surface details, there is also his parent's cherished mechanisms of manipulation and guilt. Confused by this love/hate relationship that obsesses him m …ore and more each day, Hubert drifts through the mysteries of adolescence - artistic discoveries, illicit experiences, the opening-up to friendship, and ostracism. The turbulent relationship between mother and son unfolds with a compelling combination of savage fury and melting affection. The stunning, semi-autobiographical directing debut of 20-year-old actor Xavier Dolan. (Read More)
Subgenre: | coming of age |
Themes: | love |
Locations: | busschoolrestaurant |
Characters: | teacher student relationshipsingle motherstudentteachermother son relationship |
Story: | 16 year oldteen angstfantasy sequencemontagewatching tvslow motion sceneface slapmirrorfooddancingflashback |
The story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist and a sheltered young cellist who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York …and cared for by a mysterious stranger, August uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth. (Read More)
Themes: | pregnancylove |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | churchschoolrestaurantnew york cityhospital |
Characters: | babyafrican americanfather daughter relationshipmother son relationship |
Period: | 1980s |
Story: | black americanlimousinemanhattan new york cityfoodsongcryingvoice over narrationpartysingingtitle spoken by characterphotographdancingcharacter name in titleflashback |
In Manhattan, the British limousine driver Alfie is surrounded by beautiful women, most of them clients, and he lives as a Don Juan, having one night stands with all of them and without any sort of commitment. His girl-friend and single-mother Julie is quite upset with the situation and his best fri …ends are his colleague Marlon and his girl-friend Lonette. Alfie has a brief affair with Lonette, and the consequences of his act forces Alfie to reflect and wonder about his life style. (Read More)
Themes: | pregnancydeath |
Mood: | rain |
Locations: | motorcyclerestaurantnew york city |
Characters: | single motherbabyafrican americanmother son relationship |
Story: | split screenlimousinemontagewomanmanhattan new york cityfoodcryingvoice over narrationpartysingingdancingcharacter name in titleone word titleflashbackdog |