Films about troubled youth explore the challenges, struggles, and complexities faced by young individuals who are dealing with various issues in their lives. These films often delve into themes such as rebellion, identity crisis, addiction, mental health, and societal pressures. They provide a raw and realistic portrayal of the experiences of troubled youth, offering a glimpse into their world and the obstacles they must overcome.
Here is a list of films about troubled youth:
“Rebel Without a Cause”, 1955
Director: Nicholas Ray
Directed by Nicholas Ray, this classic film follows the story of Jim Stark, a troubled teenager who moves to a new town and finds himself caught in a web of violence, love, and family dysfunction.
Starring: James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, William Hopper, Rochelle Hudson, Dennis Hopper, Edward Platt, Steffi Sidney, Marietta Canty, Virginia Brissac, Beverly Long, Ian Wolfe, Frank Mazzola, Robert Foulk, Jack Simmons, Tom Bernard, Nick Adams, Jack Grinnage, Clifford Morris, Dorothy Abbott, David Alpert, Jimmy Baird, Paul Birch, Harold Bostwick, Paul Bryar, John Close, Chuck Hamilton, Chuck Hicks, Skipper Huerta, Louise Lane, Nelson Leigh, David McMahon, Edward McNally, Peter Miller, Ralph Moratz, Bruce Noonan, House Peters Jr., Stephanie Pond-Smith, Charles Postal, Gus Schilling, Almira Sessions, Joel Smith, Bert Stevens, Dick Wessel, Rhoda Williams, Robert B. Williams;
Production year: 1955;
Genre: drama;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 111 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,6;
More information about the film “Rebel Without a Cause” on the website imdb.com
“The Breakfast Club”, 1985
Director: John Hughes
Directed by John Hughes, this iconic film brings together five high school students from different social groups who must spend a Saturday detention together. As they open up to each other, they discover that they are not so different after all.
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Paul Gleason, John Kapelos, Perry Crawford, Mary Christian, Ron Dean, Tim Gamble, Fran Gargano, Mercedes Hall, Jonathan Chapin;
Production year: 1985;
Genre: drama, comedy;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 97 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,8;
More information about the film “The Breakfast Club” on the website imdb.com
“Kids”, 1995
Director: Larry Clark
Directed by Larry Clark, this controversial film explores the lives of a group of New York City teenagers as they engage in reckless behavior, experiment with drugs and sex, and navigate the challenges of urban life.
Starring: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Rosario Dawson, Jon Abrahams, Harold Hunter, Sarah Henderson, Joseph Chan, Johnathan Staci Kim, Adriane Brown, Sajan Bhagat, Billy Valdes, Billy Waldeman, Javier Núñez, Luis Núñez, Christian Bruna, Alex Glen, Julia Mendoza, Gillian Goldstein, Priscilla Forsyth, Francine Fuertes, Deborah Draper, Alan Wise, Billy Solomon, Johanna Ignatov, Raymond Batista, Julie Stebe-Glorius, Christiana Stebe-Glorius, Dr. Henry, Hamilton Harris, Jeff Pang, Atabey Rodriguez, Giovanni Estevez, Karyn Grupski, Mike Hernandez, Peter Bici, Ryan Sikorski, Jim Gordy, Louie Louie, John Perez, Eddie Peel, Rich Arbitelle, Nuri Bell, Medwin Pang, Jamie Story, Jeff Simmons, JAM, Daniel Phillips, Jamal Simmons, Thierry Oddo;
Production year: 1995;
Genre: drama;
MPAA rating: nc17;
Duration: 91 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7;
More information about the film “Kids” on the website imdb.com
“Thirteen”, 2016
Director: Vanessa Caswill, China Moo-Young
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, this coming-of-age drama tells the story of Tracy, a 13-year-old girl who falls under the influence of Evie, a troubled teenager. As Tracy's life spirals out of control, she must confront the consequences of her choices.
Starring: Jodie Comer, Valene Kane, Richard Rankin, Natasha Little, Katherine Rose Morley, Stuart Graham, Aneurin Barnard, Mark Flitton, Kemi-Bo Jacobs, Eleanor Wyld, Peter McDonald, Nicola Stuart-Hill, Ariyon Bakare, Joe Layton, Charles Babalola, Nicholas Farrell, Ceri Murphy, Melina Matthews, Chipo Chung, Alun Raglan, Suzette Llewellyn, Joanna Hole, Colin Mace, Samuel Burton, Rachael Spence, Isabel Shanahan, Andrea Hall, June Watson, Charlie Russell, Paul Blackwell, Sophie Slavin, Ty Hurley, Emma Louise Williams, Daniel Eghan, Nicole Arumugam, Stuart Davidson, Nicholas Cass, Jon Ian Dredge, Garry Marriott, Adrian Mitchell, Chris Pearson, Milena Zenati-Parsons;
Production year: 2016;
Genre: thriller, drama, crime, detective;
Age: 18+;
Rating: IMDB: 7,2;
More information about the film “Thirteen” on the website imdb.com
“Fish Tank”, 2009
Director: Andrea Arnold
Directed by Andrea Arnold, this British drama focuses on Mia, a rebellious teenager living in a rundown housing estate. As she forms a bond with her mother's new boyfriend, her life takes unexpected turns, forcing her to confront her own desires and dreams.
Starring: Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender, Kierston Wareing, Rebecca Griffiths, Carrie-Ann Savill, Toyin Ogidi, Grant Wild, Sarah Bayes, Charlotte Collins, Kirsty Smith, Chelsea Chase, Brooke Hobby, Harry Treadaway, Syrus, Alan Francis, Ben Francis, Jack Gordon, Jason Maza, Michael Prior, Dave Hawley, Lisa Mahoney, Sarah Counsell, Nick Staverson, Sunanda Biswas, Gavin Cooper, Amir Saleem, Jody Schroeder, Fase Alzakwani, Stella McGowan, Mia Copas, Anthony Geary, Hannah-Marie Keeble, Sydney Mary Nash, Joanna Horton, Charlie Baker, Peter Roue, Geoff McCracken, Val King, Kishana Thomas, Raquel Thomas, Natasha Ilic, Maxine Brogan, Kirsty Page, Georgina Crane, Paul King;
Production year: 2009;
Genre: drama;
Age: 18+;
Duration: 123 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,3;
More information about the film “Fish Tank” on the website imdb.com
“Moonlight”, 2016
Director: Barry Jenkins
Directed by Barry Jenkins, this Academy Award-winning film is a poetic and intimate exploration of Chiron's life, a young African American man growing up in Miami. From childhood to adulthood, Chiron grapples with his identity, sexuality, and the challenges of living in a tough neighborhood.
Starring: Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, Naomie Harris, Janelle Monae, Mahershala Ali, Jaden Piner, Jharrel Jerome, André Holland, Patrick Decile, Shariff Earp, Duan Sanderson, Caheej McGloun, Kamal Ani-Bellow, Keomi Givens, Eddie Blanchard, Rudi Goblen, Edson Jean, Herveline Moncion, Fransley Hyppolite, Jesus Mitchell, Larry Anderson, Tanisha Cidel, Stephon Bron, Don Seward, Justin Ebenhack, J.C. Gutierrez;
Production year: 2016;
Genre: drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 110 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,4;
More information about the film “Moonlight” on the website imdb.com
“Lady Bird”, 2017
Director: Greta Gerwig
Directed by Greta Gerwig, this coming-of-age comedy-drama follows the story of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a rebellious teenager trying to navigate her final year of high school. As she dreams of escaping her small town, Lady Bird learns valuable lessons about love, friendship, and self-discovery.
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Lois Smith, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Odeya Rush, Jordan Rodrigues, Marielle Scott, John Karna, Jake McDorman, Bayne Gibby, Laura Marano, Marietta DePrima, Daniel Zovatto, Kristen Cloke, Andy Buckley, Paul Keller, Kathryn Newton, Myra Turley, Bob Stephenson, Abhimanyu Katyal, Chris Witaske, Ben Konigsberg, Gurpreet Gill, Richard Jin, Joan Patricia O'Neil, Robert Figueroa, Carla Valentine, Roman Arabia, Monique Edwards, Matthew Maher, Anita Kalathara, Debra Miller, Georgia Leva, Derek Butler, London Thor, Shaelan O'Connor, Christina Offley, Sabrina Schloss, Connor Mickiewicz, Erik Daniells, Cynthia Cales, Giselle Grams, Ithamar Enriquez, Luisa Lee, Danielle Macdonald, Adam Brock;
Production year: 2017;
Genre: drama, comedy;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 94 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,4;
More information about the film “Lady Bird” on the website imdb.com
“Eighth Grade”, 2018
Director: Bo Burnham
Directed by Bo Burnham, this heartfelt and authentic film captures the struggles of Kayla, a socially awkward teenager, as she navigates the treacherous waters of middle school. Through her YouTube videos and encounters with others, Kayla learns to embrace her true self.
Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan, Daniel Zolghadri, Fred Hechinger, Imani Lewis, Luke Prael, Catherine Oliviere, Nora Mullins, Missy Yager, Shacha Temirov, Greg Crowe, Thomas John O'Reilly, Frank Deal, J. Tucker Smith, Tiffany Grossfeld, David Shih, Trinity Goscinsky-Lynch, Natalie Carter, Kevin R. Free, Keith Maurice Davis, Deborah Unger, William Alexander Wunsch, Marguerite Stimpson, Phoebe Amirault, Veronica Bikowicz, Dan Chen, Castor Feinberg, Shira Fisler, Andrew Geher, Katie Jandrasits, Gerald Jones III, Emma Kathryn, Jalesia Martinez, Luke Mulligan, Dina Pearlman, Kaileen Quinones, Shane Stackpole, Tom Stratford, Kathryn Zimmer;
Production year: 2018;
Genre: drama, comedy;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 93 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,4;
More information about the film “Eighth Grade” on the website imdb.com
These films provide a glimpse into the lives of troubled youth, highlighting their struggles, resilience, and the power of self-discovery. Each film offers a unique perspective on the challenges faced by young individuals, making them compelling and thought-provoking cinematic experiences.
In the realm of cinema, films about troubled youth have always held a special place, capturing the raw emotions and complexities of adolescence. From rebellious acts of defiance to heart-wrenching tales of redemption, these films have not only entertained but also provided a lens into the challenges faced by young individuals navigating the turbulent waters of life. They remind us of the power of resilience, the importance of empathy, and the potential for growth even in the darkest of circumstances. Through their poignant storytelling and compelling performances, these films serve as a poignant reminder that amidst the struggles and uncertainties, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow.
