Movies like Shadow Kids

If you like "Shadow Kids" you are looking for bleak, serious and emotional movies about / with mother daughter relationship, manipulation, family drama, investigation, tragedy, family secret and grief themes of Drama genre shot in Germany.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps: 1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below). 2. Look for them in the presented list.
Shadow Kids (2007)
 6.2
 47
Shadow Kids (2007)
Original name: Schattenkinder
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 90 min.
Story: This family drama deals with a case of Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy, a fabricated illness. Stephanie is an apparently happy single mother of two daughters, Therese and Agnes, although the latter suffers from chronic health problems. When Stephanie's sister Christiane visits them, Agnes collapses during a theater play at their school and later dies in a hospital. Due to Stephanie's odd behavior, Christiane tries to find out the truth about the death of her niece...
Style: bleak, serious, emotional, realistic, disturbing, suspense, melancholic, intense, art house
Plot: mother daughter relationship, manipulation, family drama, investigation, tragedy, family secret, grief, obsession, moral dilemma, guilt, suspicion, intimate, betrayal, small town, social services, slow burn, psychological drama, denial, family secrets
Time: contemporary

Movie in categories

Most similar movies to Shadow Kids

The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, melancholic, emotional and intense films with plots about grief, small town, guilt, family drama, family secret, psychological drama and intimate mostly in Drama, Crime and Thriller genres. Some movies like Shadow Kids: Punorjonmo (2021), Ullozhukku (2024), Abandoned Man (2025), Max Dagan (2024), In the Middle of the River (2018). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
 8.4
 3K
Punorjonmo (2021)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Bangladesh
Duration: 61 min.
Story: Rafsan Haq is a famous chef of Bangladesh. After disappearing for three years, one day his wife Neela suddenly shows up in a local police station. Everyone around Rafsan including the police became skeptical of this miraculous event and started ...
Style: romantic drama, emotional, suspense, intense, twist ending ...
Plot: identity crisis, missing person, moral dilemma, investigation, family conflict, suspicion, betrayal, secret past, small town, obsession, loneliness, police procedural ...
Time: 2020s
Place: bangladesh
Similarity:
100%
 7.6
 2K
Ullozhukku (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 123 min.
Story: The film is set in a flooded region in Kerala where a woman and her daughter-in-law attempt to bury a loved one. However, due to heavy floods, the burial is postponed. This delay brings long-buried secrets and lies to the surface, threatening the ...
Style: tension, intense, melancholic, suspense, grim
Plot: lie, family drama, family secret, loss, grief, betrayal, guilt, moral dilemma, confrontation, tradition, isolation, claustrophobia ...
Similarity:
73%
Abandoned Man (2025)
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 91 min.
Story: After serving time in prison for his brother's crime, a man warily reunites with family, finding hope and healing in a life-changing bond with his niece.
Style: dramatic, emotional, realistic, melancholic, suspense
Plot: family drama, second chance, redemption, guilt, trauma, family secret, healing, uncle niece relationship, bittersweet, moral dilemma, intimate, forgiveness ...
Similarity:
61%
 7.1
 26
Max Dagan (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story: Trying to get his dying father out of prison with a compassionate release, Max Dagan needs the help of the daughter of the man his father killed.
Style: emotional, heartfelt, bleak, melancholic, tension
Plot: redemption, forgiveness, father son relationship, family drama, prison, guilt, moral dilemma, second chance, dying man, reconciliation, grief, family secret ...
Similarity:
61%
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In the Middle of the River (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 113 min.
Story: Led to believe his abusive grandfather is responsible for his sister's recent death, Gabriel returns to his humble home in rural New Mexico. Yearning to protect his family, he swears to secretly kill his grandfather, yet at the critical moment, ...
Style: realistic, disturbing, suspenseful, sincere, serious ...
Plot: dysfunctional family, vietnam veteran, uncover truth, grief, veteran, trauma, family drama, family conflict, family secret, getting home, death of sister, abuse ...
Place: new mexico
Similarity:
61%
 5.2
 140
Happy Together (2008)
Genre: Drama
Country: Belgium
Duration: 95 min.
Story: Martin is a successful man with a well-paid job at a pharmaceutical company. He lives with his family in an upscale neighborhood of a Belgian city, and is already making plans for another home in Tuscany, Italy. However, soon after he becomes the ...
Style: realistic, melancholic, intense, suspense, tension ...
Plot: embezzlement, family drama, corruption, corporate world, guilt, betrayal, pharmaceutical company, urban, moral dilemma, suburban life, shame, workplace ...
Time: 2000s
Place: belgium, italy
Similarity:
50%
 6.5
 1K
Collision (2019)
Genre: Drama
Country: Denmark
Duration: 117 min.
Story: 'Collision' centres on a married couple, Leo and Olivia. As they are facing a crisis in their marriage, their nine-year-old daughter, Liv, becomes a messenger between her mother and father. The film explores the break-up of a family and ...
Style: emotional, bleak, realistic, intense, tense ...
Audience: adult
Plot: daughter, parent child relationship, marriage crisis, family drama, loss, desperation, custody battle, parents, social issues, grief, moral dilemma, hopes ...
Similarity:
48%
Rickey L Colbert Jr's Where the Truth Lies (2018)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Story: A family searches for the truth ,when their lives get turned upside down after some unforeseen circumstances happen.
Style: emotional, dramatic, intense, suspenseful, realistic ...
Plot: lie, family drama, family secret, relationships, loss, revelation, trauma, suspicion, grief, empathy, house, investigation ...
Similarity:
46%
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Boy on the Bridge (2016)
Genre: Drama
Country: Cyprus
Duration: 85 min.
Story: In a seemingly idyllic Cypriot village, twelve-year-old Socrates finds himself in the centre of a murder investigation that exposes a dark family secret and changes his life forever.
Style: emotional, dramatic, atmospheric, crime drama, tense ...
Audience: teen drama
Plot: coming of age, childhood, small town, family secret, murder investigation, childhood trauma, family drama, loss of innocence, investigation, summer, suspicion, secret revealed ...
Time: 2010s
Place: cyprus
Similarity:
45%
 7.0
 48
Charlie (2022)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story: In the aftermath of a traumatic event, a socially-awkward teen, Charlie, grapples with the guilt and judgement that ensues. He must confront the prison-like bondage of his fear when the perpetrator comes after him. In this tribute to contemporary ...
Style: slow cinema, bleak, melancholic, tense, realistic ...
Plot: guilt, character study, trauma, mother son relationship, slow burn, mental health, intimate, isolation, socially awkward, fear, family drama, claustrophobia ...
Similarity:
45%
Love Me Instead (2021)
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 124 min.
Story: One day, Sedat, who works as a prison guard in Konya, is given the duty to take one of the prisoners, Musa, to his hometown. Musa does not intend to return until he finds out why his daughter was killed.
Style: psychological, emotional, dramatic, suspense, captivating ...
Plot: prison guard, investigation, prisoner, liar, lie, uncover truth, life is a bitch, hidden truth, loss, tragedy, father daughter relationship, getting home ...
Similarity:
44%
Her Second Chance (2006)
Genre: Drama
Country: Switzerland
Duration: 90 min.
Story: After many years in jail, Sonjas returns to her home village where she takes up her fight for custody of her 8-year old son Tim. But neither the authorities, nor her in-laws, nor Tims foster parents will ever consider handing over little Tim to ...
Style: emotional, intense, serious, realistic, tense ...
Plot: redemption, second chance, mother son relationship, motherhood, child custody, family drama, family secret, forgiveness, branding iron, legal battle, guilt, reconciliation ...
Time: 2000s
Similarity:
44%
 5.6
 118
10 Sekunden (2008)
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 90 min.
Story: No overview found.
Style: emotional, dramatic, intense, melancholic, tension ...
Plot: investigation, guilt, plane crash, grief, revenge, air traffic controller, death, loss of family, mourning, airport, obsession, police officer ...
Similarity:
43%
 5.2
 242
Sisters Apart (2008)
Genre: Drama
Country: Finland
Duration: 101 min.
Story: Taru elää ratsutilalla harmonista elämää miehensä Harrin ja tytärpuolensa Ninnin kanssa. Kaikki muuttuu, kun Ninni loukkaantuu hevosonnettomuudessa. Kymmenen vuotta sitten Ruotsiin lähtenyt Ninnin biologinen äiti Eve kutsutaan paikalle ...
Style: realistic, emotional, tense, melancholic, suspenseful
Plot: motherhood, half sister, family secret, family drama, sisters, accident, identity, mother and daughter, introspection, intimate, conflict, grief ...
Similarity:
42%
 5.3
 103
Sea Lights (2021)
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 86 min.
Story: Thomas Wintersperger, a man who has to learn to deal with his grief, sees his loss as an opportunity to reorganize his life.
Style: emotional, melancholic, reflective, realistic, atmospheric
Plot: family drama, bereavement, grief, cathartic, resilience, memorial service, small town, intimate, starting over, harbor, friendship, provincial life ...
Place: east germany
Similarity:
42%
 7.6
 1K
Samantaral (2017)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 114 min.
Story: On a family visit, a young man and his girlfriend set out to discover why his eccentric uncle has been mysteriously confined to one room for years.
Style: suspenseful, emotional, thrilling, captivating, psychological ...
Plot: dysfunctional family, family drama, mental health, social problems, family problems, eccentric family, life is a bitch, secret, uncle nephew relationship, family secret, empathy, intimate ...
Place: india, kolkata
Similarity:
42%
 6.4
 173
Patchwork (2021)
Genre: Drama
Country: Cyprus, Israel, Slovenia
Duration: 87 min.
Story: Chara’s family is everything to her, and yet she sometimes ponders a life without them. When she strikes up a hesitant friendship with a young girl, she is inexorably forced to confront a painful past and to answer a burning question: Is ...
Style: emotional, melancholic, realistic, psychological, atmospheric ...
Plot: motherhood, domestic drama, character study, identity, female protagonist, gender roles, intimate, realism, family secret, trauma, friendship, intimacy ...
Similarity:
40%
After the Waterfall (2010)
Genre: Drama
Country: New Zealand
Duration: 94 min.
Story: A forest ranger is haunted by the disappearance of his four-year-old daughter, and the subsequent breakup of his marriage. He discovers his ex-wife Ana is pregnant to the policeman in charge of his missing daughter's case.
Style: psychological, suspense, emotional, disturbing, captivating ...
Plot: cheating wife, cheating on husband, relationships, grief, infidelity, fatherhood, loss, missing child, male female relationship, relationship problems, marital problem, forest ...
Place: new zealand
Similarity:
40%
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 6.5
 163
Still Life (2011)
Genre: Drama
Country: Austria
Duration: 78 min.
Story: An unexpected letter forces siblings Bernhard and Lydia to confront each other and to deal with their family history.
Style: captivating, psychological, emotional, disturbing, dark ...
Plot: family relations, prostitute, family history, brother sister relationship, guilt, trauma, family secret, family problems, parents and children, family drama, shame, self discovery ...
Similarity:
40%
 5.0
 176
The Frost (2009)
Genre: Drama
Country: Norway, Spain
Duration: 103 min.
Story: A couple's marriage falls apart after the death of their son. Based on Henrik Ibsen's "Little Eyolf"
Style: bleak, serious, realistic, sincere, melancholic ...
Plot: couple relations, guilt, crumbling marriage, life is a bitch, couples, death in the family, dealing with death, grief, mourning, regret, mature, literary ...
Time: 21st century
Similarity:
39%
 5.9
 310
The Wild Duck (1983)
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 95 min.
Story: The Wild Duck is a 1983 Australian film adapted from the play by Ibsen
Style: bleak, tense, art house, serious, realistic ...
Plot: secrets, family drama, character study, lie, betrayal, literary, moral dilemma, illegitimacy, adaptation, trust, guilt, loss ...
Time: 80s
Place: australia
Similarity:
38%
Circle of Violence - A Family Drama (1986)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story: Georgia Benfield's, at her wit's end, loses control and begins physically abusing her elderly mother, just as Georgia had been abused herself as a child. As family and friends slowly begin to learn of the abuse, and long buried family ...
Style: intense, tense, bleak, realistic, period drama
Plot: mother daughter relationship, family drama, domestic abuse, dysfunctional family, trauma, female protagonist, family secret, character study, emotional abuse, guilt, social issues, realism ...
Time: 80s
Similarity:
38%
A Death of Innocence (1971)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 73 min.
Story: A mother travels to New York to see her daughter who is awaiting trial for murder. The mother is totally convinced of her daughter's innocence and does all she can to help her. As the trial progresses however, the mother begins to have doubts.
Style: dramatic, suspense, bleak, suspenseful, realistic ...
Plot: murder trial, mother and daughter, courtroom drama, false accusation, female protagonist, moral ambiguity, moral dilemma, family secret, interrogation, defense attorney, investigation, evidence ...
Time: 70s
Place: new york
Similarity:
38%
Movie in collections
Narayaneente Moonnaanmakkal (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 108 min.
Story: Three distanced, discordant brothers strive to put aside their differences as they reunite after decades at their ancestral home to give their dying mother a peaceful send off, but soon are at loggerheads as the house brings up painful memories of ...
Style: emotional, serious, intense, realistic
Plot: brothers, family drama, dying mother, sibling rivalry, bereavement, domestic drama, painful memories, estrangement, memory, grief, family secret, parent child relationship ...
Similarity:
37%
 7.3
 2K
Alice (2005)
Genre: Drama
Country: Portugal
Duration: 102 min.
Story: In the wake of his daughter's disappearance, a father wallowing in grief feeds his desire to find her with unusual methods.
Style: intense, melancholic, emotional, suspense, noir ...
Plot: depression, surveillance camera, missing daughter, missing child, grief, obsession, father daughter relationship, loss, bereavement, investigation, routine, small town ...
Place: lisbon portugal, portugal
Similarity:
37%
 6.3
 187
Christina (2010)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story: Inspired by a true story about a young German woman prepares to leave her war-ravaged city to begin a new life in America with her G.I. fiance. But standing between her and a hopeful future is a relentless police inspector, determined to prevent her ...
Style: emotional, tense, realistic, serious, historical drama ...
Plot: haunted by the past, hidden identity, uncover truth, love and romance, dishonesty, hopes, starting over, post war, escape, female protagonist, police inspector, guilt ...
Time: 1940s, post world war two, 20th century
Similarity:
37%
Archaeology of a Woman (2012)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story: A mother's dementia reignites a past of crime and lust, forcing her daughter to make difficult decisions.
Style: realistic, tense, serious, emotional, independent film ...
Plot: aging, uncover truth, haunted by the past, mentally unstable, parents and children, family relations, life is a bitch, love affair, love and romance, elderly, family drama, dementia ...
Time: 21st century
Place: new york, usa
Similarity:
36%
 5.4
 218
Celia's Lives (2006)
Genre: Drama
Country: Spain, Mexico
Duration: 101 min.
Story: The night Celia unsuccessfully attempts suicide, a teenage girl (Melany) is raped and murdered nearby. Miguel Ángel, the police officer in charge of finding the perpetrator of the crime, digs around Celia and her closest circle, including her two ...
Style: tense, disturbing, suspense, psychological, captivating ...
Plot: police investigation, suicide attempt, murder, sexual abuse, relationships, problem, male female relationship, investigation, sleuth, murder investigation, crime investigation, character study ...
Time: 2000s
Similarity:
36%
April, May and June (2019)
Genre: Drama
Country: Netherlands
Duration: 117 min.
Story: To inform each personally about her impending death, Mies summons her three daughters home. The three half-sisters April, May and June, each of whom has a different father, start to question their lives: "Where are we at in life? What do we ...
Style: psychological, disturbing, captivating, realistic, emotional ...
Plot: mother, family drama, mother daughter estrangement, sister sister relationship, family problems, sisters, women, female protagonist, mother daughter relationship, estrangement, family relations, estranged sister ...
Similarity:
36%
 7.4
 247
April Skies (2022)
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min.
Story: Three stories based in three countries in Europe. Three languages with three sets of peoples, all intertwine to the same tragedy.
Style: anthology, dramatic, poignant, bleak, emotional ...
Plot: tragedy, grief, loss, european, fate, slow burn, humanity, relationships, loss of innocence, social realism, moral dilemma, language
Similarity:
35%