Best movies like Sonata

A socially awkward teenage math prodigy finds new confidence and new friendships when he lands a spot on the British squad at the International Mathematics Olympiad.

Neurotypical is an unprecedented exploration of autism from the point of view of autistic people themselves. Four-year-old Violet, teenaged Nicholas and adult Paula occupy different positions on the autism spectrum, but they are all at pivotal moments in their lives. How they and the people around them work out their perceptual and behavioral differences becomes a remarkable reflection of the "neurotypical" world — the world of the non-autistic — revealing inventive adaptations on each side and an emerging critique of both what it means to be normal and what it means to be human.

When adults are ineffectual, children have to grow up quickly. Ola is 14 and she takes care of her dysfunctional father, autistic brother and a mother who lives apart from them and is mainly heard the phone. Most of all she wants to reunite a family that simply doesn’t work — like a defective TV set. She lives in the hope of bringing her mother back home. Her 13 year old brother Nikodem’s Holy Communion is a pretext for the family to meet up. Ola is entirely responsible for preparing the perfect family celebration. “Communion” reveals the beauty of the rejected, the strength of the weak and the need for change when change seems impossible. This crash course in growing up teaches us that failure is not final. Especially when love is in question.

As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.

A family returns from a Grand Canyon vacation with a supernatural presence in tow.

The owner of a drugstore is killed in a hold-up. The only witness who saw one of the murderers without his mask is Gregory, a nine year old autistic boy. Cop Barlow is sure they'll try to silence him. He tries to get him to draw a picture of the man he saw.

An unsuccessful over-the-top actress becomes a successful over-the-top authoress in this biography of Jacqueline Susann, the famed writer of "The Valley of the Dolls" and other trashy novels. Facing a failing career, Susann meets a successful promoter who becomes her husband. After several failures to place her in commercials and a TV quiz show, he hits upon the idea for her to become a writer. In the pre-1960s, her books were looked upon as trash and non-printable. But then the sexual revolution hit and an audience was born for her books. The story shows the hidden behind-the-scenes story of Susann's life, including her autistic son and her continuing bout with cancer which she hid up until her death.

A non-verbal, autistic girl and a chatty boy are partnered on a canoeing trip. To complete their journey across an urban lake, they must both learn how the other experiences the world.

Set during summer in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine of Quebec, Mario and Simon are two brothers living in a fishing village with their mother, who runs a grocery story, and their father, who runs a fishing business. Mario is ten years old, mute and autistic. He is withdrawn from reality and living in a surreal world that only his older brother Simon and his stuffed coyote share. Mario is very close with and deeply admires his 18 year old brother, whom he depends upon for love and attention. Simon reads Arabian Knights stories to Mario, dresses him in sheik's clothing and they play out imaginary wars in an Arabian style fortress that they built. Everything changes when Helene, a beautiful young tourist comes between the two brothers. Simon falls in love and begins to neglect his brother to spend time with her. Mario feels rejected and discovers what hate and jealously are. He sets about a chain of events that lead to tragedy.

Zu, a free spirit estranged from her family, suddenly finds herself the sole guardian of her half-sister, Music, a teenager on the autism spectrum whose whole world order has been beautifully crafted by her late grandmother. The film soon challenges whether it is Zu or Music who has a better view of the world, and that love, trust, and being able to be there for each other is everything.

Follows five autistic children as they work together to create and perform a live musical production.

In darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic five-year-old son, Jack. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.

A lonely young boy feels different from everyone else. Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses the boy’s devices against him to break into our world, his parents must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen.

When a mysterious doctor arrives in a small Midwestern town, her therapy horse, Adeline, quickly gains a reputation for ‘healing’ those with special needs. Not used to this alternative form of healing, some begin to question the authenticity of Adeline’s methods and tensions arise. But one day during an equine therapy session, a destructive tornado descends upon the barn. Adeline leaps into action and corrals her students, pushing them against the founding wall of the stable. Although Adeline saves the lives of 12 people, she takes the brunt of the storm’s destructive force and suffers a shattered leg. With the town’s people now convinced of Adeline’s amazing spirit, they band together to raise the funds necessary to fix her leg and save her life. Based on an inspirational true story, Adeline teaches all those she encounters the same powerful lesson: miracles happen when you let go of the reins.

Follows a charming 13-year-old on a turbulent journey of self-discovery. After an embarrassing incident at school, Trevor must summon the courage to forge his own path.

Both original and incredibly romantic, Redwoods tells the story of an already-partnered man whose love is tested when a mysterious drifter passes through his small Northern California town.

A significant number of American children and teenagers - from all social backgrounds - suffer from mental disorders, schizophrenia, autism and emotional problems, leading them to isolation from society while treating their issues in mental health facilities. But there's no end in sight for those young individuals when they face obstacles and mistreatment in inadequate places under the supervision of careless and inexperienced professionals. The documentary follows some of those public mental institutions and another private center dealing with troubled kids and reveals what's wrong with their procedures, and the irreparable harm they cause in those patients.

Linda and Peter Pratman's son Adam is autistic, but they still love him and hope that he'll at least start talking some day. However he's teased and abused by the kids of the neighborhood and his grandpa . When several people around Adam die an unexpected death, his parents start to suspect Adam - is he just simulating to be so ignorant about his environment?

When an autistic boy witnesses his parents' double murder, controversial therapist Dr. Jake Rainer seeks to probe the child's mind in order to solve the case.

When a mother returns to her musical roots, she rediscovers the passion of her youth, and finds a way to connect with her troubled youngest son.

Backstreet Dreams is the story of a man, who has a disturbed child. He and his wife take their son to a clinic, where he is diagnosed by a talented psychologist (Stevie), as being autistic. After catching his unfaithful wife with another man, Dean tells Lucy to leave, and is faced with the task of raising Shane on his own. Stevie believes that she can improve Shane's condition, going back to Dean's apartment and later convincing him that he can provide a better world for his son. Angelo, who lives in the same apartment building and is like a father to Dean, urges on the relationship, sensing that Stevie is luring Dean away from backstreet dealings, and giving him courage to face life in a positive way. Together, they build a foundation for a better life outside of the violence and danger of the backstreets where they live.

Inspired by the life of Jacqui Jackson, the story follows a self-sacrificing mother of seven children, four of whom are, in one form or another, autistic.

A mother tracks down the first person ever diagnosed with autism, now an elderly man in rural Mississippi, to learn if his life story holds promise for her own autistic son. Her journey exposes a startling record of cruelty and kindness alike, framed by forces like race, money and privilege – but leads to hope that more of us are learning to have the backs of those who are "different".

Michael, a young autistic boy who has trouble with verbalization but a real talent for technology, uses a computer to plead for help after being molested at his school.

A disgraced police man is sent to work security at a local high school and ends up training an autistic boy with talents for mixed martial arts.

An autistic 15-year-old replicates the methods of Sherlock Holmes to discover who killed his neighbor's dog with a garden tool.

Nathan's Kingdom is a dark fantasy, coming-of-age drama about Nathan, a 25-year-old autistic man struggling with his teenage prescription-addict sister, and rather than surrendering their lives to social services, they risk it all to find a kingdom that once existed only in their imaginations.

A former boy band star unexpectedly gets a second shot at success when he forms a bond with a gifted young drummer.

When aspiring filmmaker David is mandated by a judge to attend a social program at the Jewish Community Center, he is sure of one thing: he doesn't belong there. But when he's assigned to visit the Brooklyn Bridge with the vivacious Sarah, sparks fly and his convictions are tested. Their budding relationship must weather Sarah's romantic past, David's judgmental mother, and their own pre-conceptions of what love is supposed to look like.

Produced and directed by Fran Landsman, this documentary screened on BBC2 in July 2003. The family in question was the Jacksons, single-parent Jacqui and her seven children, three girls and four boys. All four of the boys, aged between six and nineteen at the time of the making of the film, are on the autistic spectrum.

Four children become friends during the summer holidays, and out of sight of the adults they discover they have hidden powers. While exploring their newfound abilities in the nearby forests and playgrounds, their innocent play takes a dark turn and strange things begin to happen.

Janice is the subject of the town gossips for four reasons: she wears too much lipstick, her hair is too big, she is a single-mother and her two children are strange. Ray (6) is a hellraiser and Tony (9) is autistic. One day, however, Tony sits down at the piano and plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Janice knows there may be hope for him (and them) yet.

Suzie, a 58 year old depressed taxi driver on the night shift. On Halloween, she finds a 10 year old autistic boy in the back seat of her taxi with 50$ and an address. As Suzie arrived at the father's address, she realizes the mess this family is in. This child and her own troubled past lead her down a surprising road. In French with English subtitles.

This is the story of three characters (brothers Tomek and Jacek and their neighbor Magda), each of them is in their own way lonely and alienated. The title character makes herself secluded. Tomek's alienation results from his neurological disease, and Jacek contacts the world mainly via the Internet. This is also a film about love. Love of one brother to the other and of one alienated human being to the other. All together it creates a very universal picture with a Polish entourage.

A brilliant, but hermetic and hard-living woman discovers an anomalous cosmic force that projects the end of the universe to be a mere two weeks away. The terminal diagnosis for all existence compels her to confront her own fear and isolation, and leads her to pursue another woman who may offer the promise of salvation.