Movies like The United States of Leland
If you like "The United States of Leland" you are looking for meditative, psychological and bleak movies about / with prison, murder, teacher, coming of age, dysfunctional family, writers and prison life themes of Drama genre shot in USA.
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The United States of Leland (2003)
24K
Where to Watch
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison, a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie, must contend with their own problems.
Style:
meditative, psychological, bleak, depressing, emotional, rough, serious, realistic, touching, melancholic ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
prison, murder, teacher, coming of age, dysfunctional family, writers, prison life, family relations, theft, unlikely friendships, suburbs, investigation, parents and children, life is a bitch, family problems, confined, introspection, lifestyle, family in crisis, loss of family member, artists and showbiz, couple relations, loss of sibling, teenager, psychology ...
Time:
21st century, contemporary
Place:
italy, new york, paris france, los angeles, california, phoenix arizona
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to The United States of Leland
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, melancholic, serious and emotional films with plots about depression, honest, dialogue, storytelling, catastrophe, redemption and loneliness mostly in Drama and Comedy genres. Some movies like The United States of Leland: Half Nelson (2006), Magnolia (1999), 12 and Holding (2005), Manic (2001), Reign Over Me (2007). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
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Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a ...
Style:
depressing, talky, emotional, serious, melancholic ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
teacher, drugs, teachers and students, student, friendship, addiction, drug addiction, ghetto, loneliness, school, mentor, existentialism ...
Time:
future, 21st century
Place:
new york, california, usa, brooklyn new york city
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
The lives of a lawyer, an actuary, a housecleaner, a professor, and the people around them intersect as they ponder order and happiness in the face of life's cold unpredictability.
Style:
philosophical, psychological, bleak, meditative, depressing ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
philosophy, infidelity, multiple storylines, adultery, destiny, false accusation, love affair, human nature, drug addiction, parents and children, dishonesty, life is a bitch ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
new york, usa, greece
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
317K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 188 min.
Story:
An epic mosaic of many interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
Style:
realistic, philosophical, sincere, depressing, surprise ending ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
depression, human nature, social problems, multiple storylines, child prodigy, introspection, dysfunctional family, loneliness, coincidence, drugs, drug addiction, death ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, 60s, 50s, 1910s
Place:
los angeles, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Three pre-adolescents with virginal and eager-of-signals naivety, hit headlong against monstrous and inhospitable loneliness, in the incandescent fire among the ashes of their own inocence.
Style:
touching, realistic, emotional, heartbreaking, sad ...
Plot:
coming of age, friendship, teenager, childhood, children, vengeance, dysfunctional family, family relations, loss of son, family problems, haunted by the past, family in crisis ...
Place:
new jersey
⇓ similarity ⇓
44%
Movie in collections
10K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Lyle is filled with rage. After badly beating a classmate during a schoolyard fight, Lyle is committed to a juvenile mental institution in lieu of criminal prosecution. Inside the hospital, Lyle encounters a group of adolescents struggling with a ...
Style:
psychological, disturbing, rough, compassionate, depressing ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
mental institution, mental illness, coming of age, depression, addiction, psychiatry, psychology, therapy, dysfunctional family, youth, teenage life, self discovery ...
Place:
new jersey, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
42%
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Thirteen similar movies
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
A man who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City runs into his old college roommate. Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief.
Style:
emotional, touching, sincere, depressing, inspirational ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
grief, friendship, dealing with death, mental illness, tragic event, friends, loss of loved one, alone, buddies, psychology, mental disorder, loss ...
Time:
september 11 2001, 21st century
Place:
new york, usa, manhattan new york city
⇓ similarity ⇓
42%
20K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
A look at a dysfunctional family dominated by the controlling madness of its matriarch, Eve. Her reluctant husband and their three daughters make doomed efforts to cope with Eve's demands, while also trying to get on with their own lives. But, ...
Style:
psychological, realistic, bleak, melancholic, touching ...
Plot:
depression, dysfunctional family, sister sister relationship, mental illness, family relations, divorce, character study, psychology, life philosophy, parenthood, family gatherings, sibling rivalry ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
new york, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
41%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
This movie is a stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts who hang out in Needle Park in New York City. Played against this setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a young addict and small-time hustler, and Helen, a homeless ...
Style:
depressing, disturbing, bleak, serious, rough ...
Plot:
addiction, drug addiction, drug abuse, drug addict, drugs, death of pet, heroin, heroin addict, drug use, loneliness, life philosophy, redemption ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
new york, usa, california, new jersey
⇓ similarity ⇓
41%
Movie in collections
2K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Slam tells the story of Ray Joshua, an original, gifted young MC trapped in a war-zone housing project known as Dodge City. Unable to find a job, Ray copes with the despair and poverty of his neighborhood by using his wits and verbal talent. Written ...
Style:
talky, psychological, sexy, dramatic, heartbreaking ...
Plot:
prison, gang, hip hop, art, bittersweet, life philosophy, justice, marijuana, drug addiction, mental illness, revenge, redemption ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
washington d.c., africa, california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
41%
19K
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Unable to cope with a recent personal tragedy, LA's top celebrity shrink turns into a pothead with no concern for his appearance and a creeping sense of his inability to help his patients.
Style:
realistic, psychological, depressing, emotional, serious ...
Plot:
suicide, mental illness, psychiatrist, hollywood, drugs, therapist, character study, psychology, loneliness, life philosophy, suicide attempt, widower ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
los angeles, california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
41%
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American Beauty related movies
18K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
A young woman witnesses a bus accident, and is caught up in the aftermath, where the question of whether or not it was intentional affects many people's lives.
Style:
psychological, emotional, enigmatic, melancholic, thought provoking ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
bus, high school, mother daughter relationship, life philosophy, redemption, character study, investigation, life is a bitch, youth, teenage life, haunted by the past, teacher student relationship ...
Place:
new york, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
40%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
Style:
thought provoking, melancholic, sexy, sexual, dramatic ...
Audience:
teens, kids, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
existentialism, midlife crisis, dysfunctional family, suburbs, obsession, coming of age, loneliness, age difference, teenager, youth, older man younger woman relationship, older man young girl relationship ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
usa, los angeles
⇓ similarity ⇓
40%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Gifted 18-year-old Meg has been abandoned by her father and neglected by her hardworking mother. Left to care for her emotionally disturbed younger sister, her world begins to unravel. She finds an outlet in writing poetry and support from her ...
Style:
realistic, emotional, harsh, touching, poignant ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
teacher student relationship, family relations, cheerleading, family in crisis, teachers and students, poetry, high school, loneliness, youth, power relations, parents and children, dysfunctional family ...
Place:
ohio, florida
⇓ similarity ⇓
40%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA, Canada
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to ...
Style:
psychological, depressing, philosophical, compassionate, disturbing ...
Plot:
dysfunctional family, mother daughter relationship, guilt, loneliness, family relations, suspense, coma, family life, family problems, crumbling marriage, single parent, couple relations ...
⇓ similarity ⇓
39%
Genre: Drama
Country: Finland
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
When a schoolteacher is sacked, he projects his bad mood at his troubled teenage son. The son, in turn, buys a CD player from a pawnshop with counterfeit money. This starts a chain reaction of misery as every victim projects his problems on to ...
Style:
emotional, bleak, realistic, harsh, intense ...
Plot:
depression, dysfunctional family, drug abuse, alcoholic, drug addiction, character study, family relations, multiple storylines, estrangement, family problems, strong sexual content, life is a bitch ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
finland, scandinavia, europe
⇓ similarity ⇓
39%
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Movies similar to The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, UK, Canada
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss.
Style:
touching, depressing, sincere, gloomy, sad ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
addiction, heroin, life is a bitch, grief, haunted by the past, love and romance, loss of spouse, character study, best friend, childhood, starting over, coping ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
39%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.
Style:
touching, emotional, inspirational, motivational, sentimental ...
Audience:
chick flick, kids, girls' night
Plot:
teacher, childhood, single parent, life philosophy, teachers and students, single mother, alcoholic, good deed, disfigurement, death, kindness, boy ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
usa, nevada, las vegas
⇓ similarity ⇓
39%
53K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
A young boy has lost his mother and is losing touch with his father and the world around him. Then he meets Hesher who manages to make his life even more chaotic.
Style:
bleak, realistic, serious, touching, dark ...
Plot:
youth, antisocial behavior, loner, depression, arson, life is a bitch, grief, family problems, rebelliousness, coming of age, friendship, dealing with death ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
39%
Movie in collections
38K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
After having visions of a member of her support group who killed herself, a woman who also suffers with chronic pain seeks out the widower of the suicide.
Style:
depressing, psychological, touching, compassionate, bleak ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
loneliness, depression, drug addiction, obsession, suicide, friendship, suicide attempt, support group, drugs, mental illness, tragedy, character study ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa, los angeles, california, tijuana mexico, mexico
⇓ similarity ⇓
39%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Justin, a teenager boy, throws himself and everyone around him into chaos when he attempts to break free from his addiction to his thumb.
Style:
emotional, humorous, witty, sentimental, realistic ...
Audience:
teens, date night, teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, high school, youth, addiction, teenager, depression, psychologist, self discovery, lifestyle, teenage life, drugs, mental illness ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
oregon, new york, manhattan new york city
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
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Films like Requiem for a Dream
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Laurel Canyon focuses on Sam and Alex, a pair of upper-middle class lovebirds from the East Coast who relocate to Los Angeles. Enter Jane, Sam's estranged mother, a successful record producer, who's more than willing to put the couple up ...
Style:
psychological, sexy, serious, sentimental, erotic ...
Plot:
infidelity, culture clash, intern, music business, psychiatry, music, relationships, lesbian, fish out of water, couples, disorder, love and romance ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
los angeles, usa, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada, USA, Sweden
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
An emotionally-beaten man with his young daughter moves to his ancestral home in Newfoundland to reclaim his life.
Style:
melancholic, stylized, emotional, captivating, serious ...
Plot:
small town, adultery, single parent, isolation, depression, reporter, survival, kidnapping, starting over, haunted by the past, loneliness, adaptation ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
canada, new jersey, atlantic ocean, newfoundland
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.
Style:
emotional, intense, touching, disturbing, serious ...
Audience:
girls' night, teens, chick flick, teen drama
Plot:
mother daughter relationship, coming of age, bad mother, dysfunctional family, women's prison, manipulation, teenage life, murder, loneliness, mental illness, women, family relations ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
california, usa, los angeles, nova scotia, mexico
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.
Style:
emotional, sentimental, touching, sincere, sad ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
relationships, terminal illness, dying, reconciliation, house, divorce, father son relationship, suburbs, redemption, illness, dysfunctional family, family relations ...
Place:
california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.
Style:
emotional, talky, intense, serious, sincere ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
dysfunctional family, pregnancy, friendship, women, abortion, family relations, multiple storylines, couples, family problems, couple relations, human nature, love and romance ...
Place:
new jersey, los angeles
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Also search:
Films like Ken Park
17K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Kate and Charlie like to have a good time. Their marriage thrives on a shared fondness for music, laughter… and getting smashed. When Kate’s partying spirals into hard-core asocial behavior, compromising her job as an elementary schoolteacher, ...
Style:
sincere, depressing, touching, realistic, sentimental ...
Plot:
addiction, alcoholic, alcohol abuse, rehabilitation, support group, drugs, teacher, depression, psychology, twists and turns, introspection, irresponsible ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
248K
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran, France, Australia
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.
Style:
heartbreaking, emotional, realistic, talky, tense ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
divorce, poverty, muslim, alzheimer's disease, marriage, court, justice, religion, parenthood, dysfunctional family, marital problem, family problems ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
iran, tehran iran, tehran, middle east
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
After fifteen years of marriage, an affluent couple divorce and take up with new partners.
Style:
realistic, emotional, sexy, enigmatic, stylized ...
Plot:
divorce, dysfunctional family, marital crisis, family relations, writers, marriage, infidelity, adultery, violence, character study, catastrophe, brutality ...
Time:
70s, 80s
Place:
san francisco, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
A career woman reassesses her parents' lives after she is forced to care for her cancer-stricken mother.
Style:
touching, melancholic, emotional, realistic, thought provoking ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
terminal illness, cancer, dysfunctional family, tragedy, relationships, women, life, parenthood, honest, parents and children, unfulfillment, family problems ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
new jersey, usa, new york
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
At the beginning of a nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim seems particularly troubled. His sponsor encourages him to talk that night, the first time in seven months, so he does - and leaves the meeting right after. As Jim wanders the night, ...
Style:
realistic, talky, splatter, disturbing, stylized ...
Plot:
alcoholic, alcohol abuse, drug addiction, drugs, self discovery, redemption, drug abuse, addiction, support group, heroin, drug addict, death ...
Time:
90s
Place:
new jersey, new york, los angeles
⇓ similarity ⇓
37%
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