Best movies like Shimmer
Stories of a Detention Farm, From One Who Lived There.
A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Shimmer Starring Marcus Klemp, Elijah James Shepard, Mary Beth Hurt, Tom Bower, and more. If you liked Shimmer then you may also like: Walking Across Egypt, Newsies, Night Comes On, Joe the King, Boy A and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.
The solo actor in Shimmer tells the story by becoming each character in turn. The play takes place in 1956, in a harsh Midwestern juvenile detention center, where two boys befriend each other.
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Night Comes On
Angel is released from juvenile detention on the eve of her 18th birthday. Haunted by her past, she embarks on a journey with her 10 year-old sister that could destroy their future.
Joe the King
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.
Boy A
Freed after a lengthy term in a juvenile detention center, convicted child killer Jack Burridge (Andrew Garfield) finds work as a deliveryman and begins dating co-worker Michelle (Katie Lyons). While out on the road one day, the young Englishman notices a distressed child, and, after reuniting the girl with her family, becomes a local celebrity. But, when a local newspaper unearths his past, Jack must cope with the anger of citizens who fear for the safety of their children.
Freeway
Following the arrest of her mother, Ramona, young Vanessa Lutz decides to go in search of her estranged grandmother. On the way, she is given a ride by school counselor Bob Wolverton. During the journey, Lutz begins to realize that Bob is the notorious I-5 Killer and manages to escape by shooting him several times. Wounded but still very much alive, Bob pursues Lutz across the state in this modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
A group of Catholic school friends, after being caught drawing an obscene comic book, plan a heist that will outdo their previous prank and make them local legends.
Tea and Sympathy
At a high school reunion, a man recalls his schooling days, when the only person who seemed to sympathize with him is his housemaster's wife.
The Caretaker
Aston, a quiet, reserved man, lives alone in a top-floor cluttered room of a small abandoned house in a poor London district. He befriends and takes in Mac Davies, an old derelict who has been fired from a menial job in a café. In time Aston offers him a job as caretaker of the house. Aston's brother, Mick - a taunting, quasi-sadist - harasses the derelict when his brother is away, countermanding his orders...
Crime School
In the slums, teenager Frankie Warren hangs out with a rowdy gang who one day knock him out in a fight. In court, the boys refuse to reveal who struck the knockout blow, and all are subsequently sentenced to a reformatory, cruelly run by two corrupt guards. New deputy commissioner Mark Braden arrives determined to change things, but despite the help of Frankie's sister, Mark's reform plans -- and Frankie's future -- may be sabotaged from within.
A Boy. A Girl. A Dream
On the night of the 2016 Presidential election, Cass, an L.A. club promoter, takes a thrilling and emotional journey with Frida, a Midwestern visitor. She challenges him to revisit his broken dreams - while he pushes her to discover hers.
Smiley
Smiley Greevins is a cheeky, mischievous, imaginative little boy who lives in the small town of Murrumbilla in the Australian outback. His father Bill is a poor drover who is often away from home. Much to the exasperation of his overworked wife, Ma Greevins, Bill is also very fond of the drink. Smiley is determined to buy himself a push bike and so he takes on odd jobs in an effort to save up enough money. But Smiley always seems to get caught up in some sort of misadventure. Smiley is a classic Australian film that will delight audiences of all ages.
The United States of Leland
A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison, a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie, must contend with their own problems.
Lonely Child
William is constantly shooting video journals of his life to have as souvenirs for himself. Feeling the end of his relationship with Médéric, his young lover, William spends two days camping with him, taking advantage of the situation by filming the trip and their time spent with another young gay couple. The camera never stops shooting, even when Médéric decides to get it on with another guy in a tent. As Canada's first Dogme95 film, the story is shot on location, with natural lighting and live sound, the camera is hand-held and all superficial elements are forbidden. Yet somehow, in spite of these harsh restrictions during the filmmaking process, the result is warm and beautiful.
Emergency Hospital
About the lives and loves of the staff of an emergency hospital as reflected in a single frenetic night of business-as-usual.
Lost Christmas
An Urban Fairy Tale set in Manchester. A story of how a series of tragic events, that blight a young boy's life on Christmas Eve, take him on a journey where a chance meeting with a mysterious stranger may have the key to help and give him a perfect Christmas.
Teenage Rebel
Nancy Fallon gets her teenage daughter back from her ex-husband when she remarries and must win her love.
Falling Like This
Falling Like This showcases compelling performances by two young actors, Brian Vaughan and Megan Wilson. Writer/Director Dani Minnick has crafted a compassionate examination of the ragged edge of suburban life as characterized by Boyd, a charming, vulnerable and inveterate juvenile delinquent whose love nearly derails the life of a middle-class teenage girl. The understated themes of adolescent rebellion, adult responsibility and the redemptive power of love are woven elegantly into this dream-like film.
Train of Dreams
At 16, Tony is an English-speaking high-school drop-out in Montreal. In trouble with the law and at odds with his struggling single parent mother, Tony is sent to Juvie where he realizes that he's neither as tough or as disadvantaged as he thought. Then he comes home on a weekend pass only to find his younger brother following in his footsteps.
Malarek
Malarek is a film directed by Roger Cardinal in 1989. Ex-juvenile offender Victor Malarek catches a break when he's hired as a cub reporter for the Montreal Star. After witnessing a cop murder a street kid, Malarek dedicates himself to exposing corruption in the social welfare system.
Campus Confessions
This comical campus romance showcases the fancy footwork of All-American basketball player Hank Luisetti while it tells the story of a dean's son who does his very best to become a good student. When he fails, he turns to playing basketball and befriends Luisetti, which makes him quite popular. This doesn't sit well with the dean, who wants academics to be more important than sports.
Primo Baby
A tomboyish juvenile delinquent, Paschal Draney, is sent to live in a foster home run by a well-known horse breeder where he befriends a Thoroughbred seemingly crippled by a congenital eye defect.
Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern
Well done, personal documentary of one family's fight to save their land.
Walking Across Egypt
An elderly widow befriends an orphaned juvenile delinquent.