Movies like One Penny
If you like "One Penny" you are looking for inspirational, emotional and heartfelt movies about / with poverty, coming of age, resilience, homelessness, struggle, hopes and survival themes of Adventure and Drama genre shot in USA.
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.
One Penny (2017)
53
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A young boy homeless by tragic misfortune, is taken in by a poor yet loving man. Dylan, now a street-smart maverick yearns for a better future. With the odds stacked against him, Dylan fights to bring hope to his community, and find his place in the world.
Style:
inspirational, emotional, heartfelt
Plot:
poverty, coming of age, resilience, homelessness, struggle, hopes, survival, community, street life, aspiration, loneliness, friendship, mentor, caregiver, urban, redemption, empowerment, identity, social realism
Time:
contemporary
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Most similar movies to One Penny
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out emotional, realistic, independent film and melancholic films with plots about poverty, resilience, survival, coming of age, social realism, hopes and friendship mostly in Drama, Adventure and Sport genres. Some movies like One Penny: Shadow Fighter (2017), Tow (2025), Downtown: A Street Tale (2004), Los jornaleros (2003), Flying Colors (2016). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
A homeless ex-boxer and an inner-city kid's unlikely bond, helps them face their future, while fighting the tragedy from their past!
Style:
thrilling, captivating, suspenseful, psychological, emotional ...
Plot:
ex boxer, tragedy, boxer, boxing, redemption, homeless man, confronting the past, life is a bitch, troubled past, homeless, social problems, tragic past ...
Similarity:
95%
65
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
After her car is towed and she is left with a shocking $21,634 tow bill, an unhoused woman wages a relentless fight to reclaim her car—and her life—exposing a broken system and redefining what it means to persevere against all odds.
Style:
inspirational, realistic, emotional, tension, independent film
Plot:
homelessness, legal battle, female protagonist, resilience, perseverance, economic inequality, social justice, empowerment, survival, class conflict, poverty, human rights ...
Time:
2020s, 2010s
Place:
seattle
Similarity:
72%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
A group of street kids find that the only way to make it through the day is to hold onto their dreams while their reality is eating out of dumpsters, turning tricks and squatting in abandoned buildings.
Style:
captivating, thrilling, psychological, emotional, independent film ...
Plot:
street life, homelessness, survival, urban setting, urban ghetto life, life is a bitch, city life, orphan, hopes, friendship, poverty, social issues ...
Place:
new york
Similarity:
66%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Los Jornaleros presents the interwoven stories of three young Hispanic men who come to this country to pursue te American dream and instead end up struggling as day-laborers.
Style:
hispanic, realistic, independent film, bilingual
Plot:
gay, immigrant, american dream, working class, poverty, survival, frustration, social commentary, struggle, social realism, identity, exploitation ...
Time:
2000s
Similarity:
64%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 84 min.
Story:
A 15 year old mute village girl runs away from home due to problems, lands in Mumbai city. Initially she struggles to cope up with the big city, but fights her way forward to survive and achieve freedom overcoming obstacles.
Style:
emotional, realistic, heartfelt
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
empowerment, coming of age, teenager, female empowerment, female protagonist, struggle, independence, perseverance, determination, survival, resilience, disability ...
Place:
mumbai india
Similarity:
62%
Genre: Drama
Country: Nepal
Duration: 143 min.
Story:
In the heart of a remote village, Purna Bahadur Ko Sarangi weaves a poignant drama about the unbreakable bond between a struggling father and his son. Purna Bahadur, a humble and impoverished musician, clings to the hope of a better life through his ...
Style:
emotional, heartfelt, melancholic, inspirational, atmospheric
Plot:
family bonds, family drama, father son relationship, hopes, struggle, sacrifice, poverty, single father, resilience, intimate, longing, bittersweet ...
Similarity:
62%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
The Woman with the Issue of Blood, or as we call her in our film, Maria. She was arguably the most well-known, nameless figure in the bible. A woman who suffered for 12 years with an incurable disease. 12 years of doctors telling her that they can ...
Style:
religious drama, serious, inspirational, emotional, reflective ...
Plot:
faith, miraculous event, hopes, faith healing, faith based, redemption, spiritual journey, compassion, sacrifice, forgiveness, urban, perseverance ...
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
feature film written, produced by, and starring Ralph Waite (best known as John Walton, Sr., on the long-running CBS television series, "The Waltons"). The film tells the story of Sam (Donald Moffat), a recovering alcoholic who feels ...
Style:
independent film, melancholic, emotional, art house, existential ...
Plot:
slum, homelessness, street life, alcoholism, friendship, character study, urban, male protagonist, identity crisis, social realism, poverty, survival ...
Time:
year 1980
Place:
los angeles
Similarity:
60%
Movie in collections
272
Genre: Drama
Country: South Africa
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
A 10-year-old South African orphan leaves his Zulu village to make his own life in the city... only to find no one will help him, except a formidable Indian woman.
Style:
realistic, heartfelt, emotional, independent film
Plot:
orphan, resilience, coming of age, poverty, child protagonist, struggle, empathy, social realism, hopes, migration, street life, survival ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
africa, south africa
Similarity:
56%
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
In the immediate post-war period, amidst the rubble of a poverty-ridden Naples, two kids, Carmine and Celestina, try to survive as best they can by helping each other out. One night, they secretly board a ship bound for New York to reach ...
Style:
realistic, emotional, neorealism, historical drama, period piece ...
Plot:
post war, journey, immigration, struggle, social realism, hopes, resilience, working class, poverty, coming of age, friendship, survival ...
Time:
1950s, 1940s
Place:
new york, naples italy, italy
Similarity:
54%
2K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
This is a story of a young man named Kenny Stanford who had dreams of being an Successful artist in the music industry, but these dreams were cut short due to senseless street violence. His older brother Libaraiers Stanford lived by the laws of ...
Style:
emotional, realistic, independent film
Plot:
urban, hip hop, brotherhood, family tragedy, grief, music industry, mourning, loss, aspiration, identity, trauma, revenge ...
Similarity:
54%
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 134 min.
Story:
A twelve-year-old bright schoolboy, Sivanandhan, his mother, sister, and with his friend Sekhar works during his school holidays carrying banana stalks, a task he dreads. As he navigates life's challenges, poverty, friendship, and the ...
Style:
emotional, melancholic, realistic
Plot:
coming of age, poverty, childhood, social realism, village life, friendship, resilience, sibling relationship, mother son relationship, determination, labor, slice of life ...
Similarity:
53%
153
Genre: Drama
Country: Portugal
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
A young cape-verdean fighter will have to enter a dangerous boxing match to try to save his father.
Style:
realistic, emotional, tension, intense, independent film
Plot:
boxing, boxing match, father son relationship, coming of age, underdog, redemption, poverty, urban, determination, decision, sacrifice, identity ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
portugal
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 131 min.
Story:
Megh is a married person, who works as manager of a tea estate in North Sikkim. In a certain crisis he became jobless and struggles to make ends problems of his life because there are not many options for livelihood around in the hills. He fights to ...
Style:
emotional, realistic, scenic, melancholic
Plot:
struggle, resilience, empathy, poverty, hopes, unemployment, perseverance, family bonds, slice of life, sacrifice, parenting, recovery ...
Place:
kolkata
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
A young girl with a background of urban poverty and juvenile crime, attempts to become a fashion model. The hypocrisy and double standards of society are juxtaposed against the confusion and frustration she feels as she struggles to become part of a ...
Style:
emotional, bleak, period piece, independent film
Plot:
female protagonist, struggle, modeling, poverty, young woman, urban, survival, ambition, street life, coming of age, working class, aspiration ...
Time:
80s, year 1980
Place:
melbourne
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Amidst the chaos of massive budget cuts and school closures, a young female teacher introduces men's rugby to an inner-city North Philadelphia high school.
Style:
emotional, realistic, independent film
Audience:
teens
Plot:
urban, resilience, perseverance, teacher, determination, high school, underdog, teamwork, education, struggle, rugby, friendship ...
Place:
philadelphia
Similarity:
51%
Genre: Drama
Country: Taiwan, Hong Kong
Story:
The plot follows a group of women who struggle in Hong Kong, most of them illegal immigrants from mainland China.
Style:
emotional, melancholic, period piece
Plot:
survival, poverty, struggle, illegal immigration, exploitation, social realism, city life, working class, resilience, hotel, female friendship, class conflict ...
Time:
80s
Place:
hong kong, china
Similarity:
51%
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Max and Lenny is the story of a friendship between two girls fighting for survival in a northern area of Marseille.
Style:
realistic, sincere, touching, serious, multicultural ...
Plot:
friendship, youth, ambition, hopes, teenage life, follow your dream, society, hip hop, family relations, music, urban, female friendship ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
france, marseille, europe
Similarity:
50%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: South Africa
Story:
When a retired police inspector, who suffers from agoraphobia, receives an eviction notice, he befriends a homeless boy and together they come up with a plan to get rid of his phobia.
Style:
heartfelt, psychological, emotional, contemplative, realistic
Plot:
mental health, isolation, agoraphobia, friendship, healing, recovery, bonding, redemption, loneliness, homelessness, personal growth, character study ...
Similarity:
49%
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
In his pursuit of employment, a reformed thief encounters a setback and seeks an elderly man who then becomes the linchpin in his journey toward a fresh start.
Style:
crime drama, realistic, emotional, tense, heartfelt ...
Plot:
second chance, redemption, corruption, bribery, character study, moral dilemma, poverty, desperation, resilience, humanity, hopes, social realism ...
Place:
india
Similarity:
47%
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Broke and homeless Australian teenagers in love.
Style:
independent film, emotional, romantic drama, melancholic, bleak ...
Plot:
teenager, street life, homelessness, youth, coming of age, friendship, urban, poverty, realism, social realism, survival, working class ...
Time:
70s, year 1978
Place:
australia
Similarity:
45%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Story:
Orphaned by A.I.D.S., South African children Ibutho and Umsindisi SIlongo try to make a fresh start in the United States. What they do not know is that their struggles are far from over.
Style:
captivating, emotional, heartfelt, realistic, independent film ...
Audience:
teens, adult
Plot:
orphan, children, adoption, immigration, african, social problems, life is a bitch, society, social issues, social relations, kids in trouble, hopes ...
Place:
new york, usa, south africa
Similarity:
44%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Mother of a 15-month old daughter and would-be dancer, fighting alcoholism and the hardships of living on the streets gets help from a home for women and tries to find the will to live and get her life back on track
Style:
realistic, serious, sincere, touching, inspirational ...
Plot:
addiction, friendship, starting over, adoption, poverty, pregnancy, family relations, hopes, life is a bitch, optimism, couples, babies and infants ...
Time:
21st century
Similarity:
44%
Movie in collections
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
Shyam comes from the remote areas of Purulia to work as a laborer in the coal mines of the Damodar Valley. The story of Mohan and Shyam will proceed with their rise, reckoning of friendship.
Style:
intense, tragic
Plot:
friendship, coal mining, working class, social commentary, social realism, class struggle, survival, resilience, community, solidarity, desperation, poverty ...
Similarity:
43%
14K
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
The film is set in 2015. Sid, is a young doctor who completed his MBBS has been posted to the cut-off of area of Malkangiri district Odisha having 151 villages & infamous for Naxals dominance & no basic facilities. It's journey of a ...
Style:
medical drama, captivating, thrilling, psychological, inspirational ...
Plot:
remote village, public health, doctor, malaria, remote location, disease, doctor patient relationship, adventure hero, social problems, male doctor, perseverance, real life ...
Time:
2020s, 2010s, year 2015
Place:
india, asia
Similarity:
43%
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Country: Hungary
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
A young girl is taken to an orphanage, which she hopes to flee.
Style:
realistic, emotional, dark, intense, tense ...
Plot:
coming of age, human trafficking, orphanage, poverty, journey, social issues, childhood, escape, trauma, abuse, survival, childhood trauma ...
Time:
2000s
Place:
hungary, eastern europe, black sea, romania
Similarity:
43%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
A struggling inner-city mother sacrifices everything to give her son a good education. Unwilling to allow her son to stay in a dangerous school, she launches a movement that could save his future - and that of thousands like him.
Style:
inspirational, emotional, realistic, motivational, political drama
Plot:
poverty, hardship, education, single mother, black, urban, social activism, mother son relationship, determination, biopic, interracial relations, underdog ...
Time:
2010s
Similarity:
42%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
A rapper leaves everything behind and embarks on an odyssey of self discovery, music, and friendship in the heart of Texas.
Style:
emotional, independent film, realistic, soulful, moody
Plot:
self discovery, journey, rap, hip hop, coming of age, identity, aspiration, transformation, friendship, youth, perseverance, underdog ...
Place:
texas
Similarity:
41%
Genre: Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Just out of jail, Fai finds a spot on a street corner where other homeless people welcome him. But he doesn’t get much time to settle in. The police soon chase them away, and their possessions disappear into a garbage truck. Young social worker Ms ...
Style:
melancholic, tense
Plot:
homelessness, poverty, street life, survival, social realism, eviction, inequality, friendship, police chase, compassion, social work, urban decay ...
Similarity:
41%
365
Genre: Drama
Country: Dominican Republic
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
"Yuniol" Perez and Alberto "Junior" Rios come from opposite sides of the tracks in the Dominican Republic. Aloof and detached, Alberto comes from a wealthy family. Driven and focused, Juan is reared by a devoted mother whose ...
Style:
emotional, melancholic, inspirational
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
poverty, social inequality, class conflict, friendship, working class, youth, coming of age, resilience, family relations, social realism, survival, community ...
Place:
dominican republic
Similarity:
40%
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