Movies like Lightning Bug
If you like "Lightning Bug" you are looking for psychological, tense and serious movies about / with alcohol abuse, family problems, social relations, youth, hollywood, life is a bitch and dysfunctional family themes of 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.
Lightning Bug (2004)
1K
Where to Watch
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
In this drama thriller set in the South, a young boy named Green (Bret Harrison) longs to escape his unhappy life but feels trapped in his hometown. A gifted special-effects makeup artist, Green has big dreams of working in Hollywood. But the boy's personal demons -- a drunken, abusive stepfather, a group of religious zealots out to destroy his work and the love of a girl who prefers small-town life -- may stand in the way of his dreams.
Style:
psychological, tense, serious, realistic, biting
Plot:
alcohol abuse, family problems, social relations, youth, hollywood, life is a bitch, dysfunctional family, small town, small town life, suspense, religion, abuse, exploitation, makeup artist, family in crisis, halloween, alcoholic, abortion, mask, overalls
Time:
contemporary
Place:
usa
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Lightning Bug
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, serious, psychological and gloomy films with plots about family problems, family relations, dysfunctional family, youth, life is a bitch, small town and parents and children mostly in Drama and Romance genres. Some movies like Lightning Bug: The Slap (2015), The Third Side of the River (2014), Swimmers (2005), Bluebird (2013), Future Weather (2012). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
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Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min.
TV show
Story:
A family drama that explodes from one small incident where a man slaps another couple's misbehaving child. This seemingly minor domestic dispute pulls the family apart, exposes long-held secrets, and ignites a lawsuit that challenges the core ...
Style:
tense, serious, realistic, psychological, captivating
Plot:
family problems, couples, family relations, infidelity, friendship, suburbs, parents and children, society, courtroom, friends, couple relations, dishonesty ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Tensions rise when a doctor (Daniel Veronese) pressures his teenage son to follow in his footsteps.
Style:
realistic, emotional, psychological, serious, tense
Plot:
coming of age, family problems, family relations, parents and children, teenage life, under the surface, dysfunctional family, small town, father son relationship, double life, father, favoritism ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
argentina, latin america
⇓ similarity ⇓
48%
445
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
After an accident in a small Maryland fishing town, 11-year-old Emma begins to question the nature of the adults around her.
Style:
sincere, emotional, serious, touching, gloomy ...
Plot:
youth, small town, introspection, friendship, human nature, family problems, family relations, family in crisis, swimming, sex crime, dysfunctional family, innocence lost ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
maryland, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
48%
961
Genre: Drama
Country: Sweden, USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
On a freezing January evening, school bus driver Lesley completes her route, but her final inspection abruptly ends when a bluebird comes into view. What happens next shakes her small Maine logging town, proving that even the slightest actions have ...
Style:
touching, sincere, serious, realistic, bleak ...
Plot:
isolation, winter, family problems, family in crisis, single parent, youth, teenage life, drug abuse, parents and children, dysfunctional family, working class, small town ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
maine, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
46%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Abandoned by her dreamer single mom, a teenage loner becomes obsessed with ecological disaster, forcing her and her grandmother, a functioning alcoholic, to rethink their futures.
Style:
realistic, touching, captivating, psychological, sexy ...
Plot:
family relations, environmentalism, society, family problems, dysfunctional family, gain trust, teenage life, life is a bitch, youth, bittersweet, coming of age, teenager ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Also search:
The Preacher's Daughter related movies
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
From the once thriving tobacco warehouses, to the current run-down and closed shops of Five Points, a diverse group of residents and their respective life changes when outsider Gus Leroy brings something new and potentially dangerous into their ...
Style:
psychological, serious, tense, atmospheric, realistic ...
Plot:
estrangement, introspection, mysterious character, small town life, hopes, dishonesty, small town, social relations, intrigue, city, high school sweetheart, loss of job ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
north carolina, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
37%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Italy, France, West Germany
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Carla Zachanassian had a child by Serge Miller as a teenager. When Serge refused to marry her, she was driven out of town. By her own wit and cunning, she has returned as a multi-millionaire for a visit. The town lays out the red carpet expecting ...
Style:
biting, tense, serious, psychological, realistic ...
Plot:
revenge, wealth, small town, small town life, teenage life, vengeance, social relations, couples, suspense, death, murder, seduction ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Based on the novel by the same name, We Were the Mulvaneys is a sensitive portrayal of one family's journey as they face conflict, fear, tragedy and ultimately, themselves.
Style:
realistic, serious, emotional, touching, gloomy ...
Plot:
family relations, family life, life is a bitch, love and romance, family problems, couples, family in crisis, alcohol abuse, brother brother relationship, loneliness, fear, innocence lost ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa, new york
⇓ similarity ⇓
33%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
After the death of her parents, a young woman assumes primary guardianship of her special needs brother. But as she attempts to balance her new life with her brother and her own blossoming romance, it becomes painfully clear that life will only make ...
Style:
realistic, serious, touching
Plot:
family relations, dysfunctional family, family in crisis, life is a bitch, youth, family problems, brother sister relationship, autism, guardian, sibling relationship, child care, siblings relations ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
32%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
It's 1963 in rural Massachusetts, and Nora James has the usual worries of an eleven year-old girl:lipstick, first crushes, staying out of trouble at school...not easy when your teacher is the elderly Sister Concilia. And even harder when your ...
Style:
serious, psychological, realistic
Plot:
youth, family relations, assassination, clergy, nanny, society, life is a bitch, hopes, contests and competitions, unfulfillment, single parent, love affair ...
Time:
90s
Place:
massachusetts, boston
⇓ similarity ⇓
30%
Also search:
Movies like Suspect
650
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy, Belgium, USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
A 12 year old boy and his single mother live separate lives. The boy spends his days alone while his mother works and goes out with her friends. The boy’s solitude is both a source of freedom and a cause for grief. His explorations slowly bring to ...
Style:
realistic, atmospheric, serious, psychological, sincere ...
Plot:
coming of age, working class, small town, family problems, parents and children, mother son relationship, youth, single parent, society, dysfunctional family, realism, life is a bitch ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
texas, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
30%
1K
Genre: Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
There are two of them: a mother and a girl. They have no names. And they are in a constant run. The mother runs away from the daughter in an attempt to start new life, and the girl runs after her mother as she has no idea how to live without her. ...
Style:
rough, realistic, serious, tense, neorealism ...
Plot:
life is a bitch, family problems, alcohol abuse, little girl, parents and children, dysfunctional family, mother daughter relationship, negligence, loneliness, family relations, ex convict, werewolf ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
russia
⇓ similarity ⇓
29%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Edward's father walked out on his family years ago. In the years since, his mother has become a fundamentalist Christian and fallen for the school's self-righteous principal, Henry Howland. When Howland begins to mistreat Edward's ...
Style:
realistic, serious, contemplative
Plot:
dysfunctional family, arson, sibling relationship, vengeance, betrayal, society, coming of age, single parent, youth, school, small town life, small town ...
Time:
90s
Place:
usa, wisconsin
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Shay is a young African-American college student whom is forced to take a year off from school to return to her hometown where she struggles with her anger and insecurity when she's forced to confront her alcoholic mother, Nona, whom is ...
Style:
realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, touching ...
Plot:
college, dysfunctional family, homecoming, family relations, family problems, estrangement, parents and children, single parent, life is a bitch, alcohol abuse, mother daughter relationship, african american ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
africa, washington d.c.
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
Friends and family of Cory, a young man who has died of an overdose, gather at a Baltimore-area karaoke bar for his wake and compare stories about him. Gradually, as it becomes clear that there are many holes in their recollections about Cory, they ...
Style:
sincere, emotional, serious, realistic, touching ...
Plot:
family problems, drug abuse, death in the family, dysfunctional family, estrangement, social relations, hopes, life is a bitch, introspection, family in crisis, father daughter relationship, overdose ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa, maryland, baltimore
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Also search:
Angela related movies
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
A disillusioned filmmaker has an encounter with a young girl who has a ritual of repeating "Tomorrow is my birthday" everyday. He tries to communicate with her through his video camera.
Style:
psychological, emotional, serious, inspirational, biting ...
Plot:
dysfunctional family, family problems, family in crisis, family life, parents and children, city, mental disorder, alienation, asian prostitute, birthday, videotaping, suspense ...
Time:
60s, 20th century
Place:
usa, bahamas
⇓ similarity ⇓
28%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Having lived his entire life under the watchful eye of his overbearing mother, Albert must fend for himself when an unidentified automobile suddenly kills her. Free for the first time, Albert quickly responds to the bait dangling in front of him, ...
Style:
serious, realistic, offbeat
Plot:
family relations, mentally challenged, social misfits, misfit, dysfunctional family, parents and children, small town, death of mother, suspense, con artists, mental illness, inheritance ...
Place:
wisconsin, milwaukee wisconsin, minnesota, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min.
Story:
On the day of his college graduation, Preston Plummer cannot think of a single thing he really loves. Adrift, Preston follows a beautiful but troubled young woman to a small island town where he begins to fall for her, but it all threatens to fall ...
Style:
emotional, captivating, realistic, touching, romantic ...
Plot:
love affair, haunted by the past, family relations, college graduate, young lovers, social relations, family problems, small town, fall in love, island, love, happy ending ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Life, love, and the fear of failing... Lilli Black, battling her painful memories and the secrets surrounding her dying father, collides into the complicated and obsessive life of Morrison Wiley on the streets of New York City. This peculiar love ...
Style:
realistic, serious, psychological, gloomy
Plot:
introspection, family life, haunted by the past, mental illness, human nature, dysfunctional family, family relations, family problems, life is a bitch, couples, estrangement, addiction ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
new york, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
After a stint in prison, Sonny returns to his home in East Texas, determined to repair his relationship with his son. Standing in his way is his brother, who has turned the home into a crumbling meth lab (IMDb.com)
Style:
realistic, captivating, serious, psychological, atmospheric ...
Plot:
meth lab, family relations, redemption, estrangement, family problems, addiction, drug abuse, parents and children, homecoming, small town, adolescence vs adulthood, released from prison ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
texas, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
27%
Also search:
Films like The Slap
Genre: Drama
Country: Ireland
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld.
Style:
serious, disturbing, realistic, rough, emotional ...
Plot:
addiction, dysfunctional family, moral dilemma, unlikely criminals, family relations, life is a bitch, family problems, family in crisis, youth, society, teenager, oedipus complex ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
ireland, dublin ireland
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 78 min.
Story:
A young man drops out of college to fix his family when he senses something is terribly wrong at home.
Style:
psychological, disturbing, serious, controversial, cynical ...
Plot:
dysfunctional family, estrangement, family problems, redemption, crumbling marriage, life is a bitch, youth, domestic disturbance, curses spells and rituals, family life, social decay, parents and children ...
Time:
90s
Place:
bahamas, malibu california
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
584
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
When a teenager finds herself pregnant, with no memory of having had sex, she determines that she is carrying the child of God.
Style:
realistic, touching, captivating, psychological, erotic ...
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
pregnancy, coming of age, family relations, clergy, society, youth, parents and children, small town, teenage life, sexual abuse, teenage girl, pastor ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
This is a film about a troubled teen, Sean Randall, who is falsely accused of planning a Columbine shooting scenario. It all begins when an unlikely bond forms between Sean (Connor Jessup) and a preppy teenage girl named Deanna Roy (Alexia Fast). ...
Style:
psychological, realistic, tense, serious, captivating ...
Plot:
false accusation, coming of age, society, injustice, social relations, small town, school shooting, bullying, perjury, school massacre, high school, killings ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
canada
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
The estranged daughter of a small town minister is forced to return to the strict, religious home of her youth where she must confront the troubled relationships that caused her to leave four years before
Style:
realistic, touching, psychological, captivating, serious
Plot:
clergy, estrangement, family relations, parents and children, dysfunctional family, society, religions or cults, small town, homecoming, family problems, teen social issues, christian ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
Also search:
Movies like Fireflies in the Garden
692
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
In "America," Dr. Maureen Brennan, a psychiatrist at a youth treatment center, encounters her newest patient, a bi-racial boy named America. Through their sessions, Dr. Brennan helps America come to terms with his roller-coaster life, ...
Style:
uplifting, realistic, psychological, serious, sincere
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
adoption, youth, human spirit, teenage life, custody, family problems, life is a bitch, society, hopes, family in crisis, sexual abuse, mental illness ...
Time:
21st century
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
In 1923, the young Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island (South Korea), to Osaka (Japan). Through the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent man and builds a factory of kamaboko (processed seafood products) in his poor Korean-Japanese ...
Style:
serious, psychological, realistic, rough, bleak
Plot:
family relations, ambition, dysfunctional family, family problems, obsession, life is a bitch, gang, loan, alcohol abuse, family in crisis, violence, abusive relationship ...
Time:
80s, 50s
Place:
japan, asia
⇓ similarity ⇓
25%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A story of a young boy who becomes an elective mute after witnessing what he believes to be the killing by his older brother of a teenage boy. The young boy's brother then tells him not to say anything because of the trouble it would cause in ...
Style:
realistic, serious, psychological, gloomy, disturbing
Plot:
children, youth, dysfunctional family, life is a bitch, mute or deaf, unfulfillment, misfit, power relations, family problems, family in crisis, teenage life, siblings relations ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
The engagment between a struggling photographer and an assistant professor is marred by an act of violence.
Style:
psychological, serious, realistic, sincere
Plot:
rape, dysfunctional family, introspection, family problems, couples, couple relations, crumbling marriage, dishonesty, haunted by the past, female nudity, family in crisis, vegetarian ...
Place:
los angeles, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
751
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
An aspiring young photographer finds himself caught up in a heady world of money, sex, and privilege when he moves to wealthy Long Island in the summer of 2008.
Style:
realistic, serious, disturbing, tense, biting
Audience:
teens
Plot:
coming of age, suspense, youth, human nature, social decay, society, rich, suburban life, suburbs, teenager, summer, international crisis ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
new york, usa, long island
⇓ similarity ⇓
24%
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