Movies like Sanctuary 2015
If you like "Sanctuary" you are looking for sad movies about / with stepfather, boy, violence, coming of age, gay, lgbt and nationalism themes of Drama genre shot in Germany.
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1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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Sanctuary (2015)
2K
Original name: Freistatt
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Summer 1968. 14-year-old Wolfgang is deported from his family in the secluded Church Welfare Institution sanctuary. One thing is clear for Wolfgang: His yearning for freedom, he will not soon buried in the bog.
Style:
sad
Plot:
stepfather, boy, violence, coming of age, gay, lgbt, nationalism, boyhood, distopia, childhood, traumatic childhood, little boy, parent child relationship, escape, death, betrayal, bullying, power, rebel, boarding school, buried alive, troublemaker, lgbt teen, incest overtones, mother son relationship
Time:
60s, year 1968, 1960s
Place:
germany
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Most similar movies to Sanctuary
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, psychological, disturbing and captivating films with plots about coming of age, boy, little boy, gay, youth, boyhood and teenage boy mostly in Drama genres. Some movies like Sanctuary: The Chosen Ones (2014), Backdoor (2000), The Day Will Come (2016), The Demons (2015), Crossing the Lighthouse (1999). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Set in Sicily in the 1930's, Aurelio Grimaldi's feature debut chronicles the harsh story of twelve-year-old boy, Aclà, sold into slavery by his destitute parents to work in the underground Floristella sulfur mines. Overworked and ...
Style:
political, gay cinema
Plot:
boy, pedophilia, child abuse, child molester, little boy, childhood, youth, social injustice, sex scene, boyhood, sex crime, traumatic childhood ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
sicily, italy
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
In the late 70s, young Petra Grust begins teaching at the progressive Odenwald School. She is flattered by the trust placed in her by its widely respected headmaster Simon Pistorius. But gradually certain incidents at the boarding school begin to ...
Style:
dark, bleak, tense, realistic, historical drama ...
Plot:
child abuse, boarding school, suicide attempt, childhood trauma, trauma, child sexual abuse, whistleblower, betrayal, haunting, moral dilemma, gay, guilt ...
Time:
70s, 80s
Place:
germany
Similarity:
100%
576
Genre: Drama
Country: Greece, France, Romania
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Athens 1966. Dimitris, 13, unexpectedly loses his father. Seeing his pampered mother collapse, the boy gets carried away and decides to skip childhood in order to stand by her. When he feels ready, he has to claim his mother back from an ...
Style:
disturbing, captivating, suspense
Plot:
stepfather, coming of age, second marriage, revenge, teenager, coup d'etat, friendship, dictatorship, death of father, prostitute, mother son relationship, erotica ...
Time:
60s
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
Set in the blooming 1960s, the film centres around two young brothers who are instantly robbed of their lives when they are placed in a boy's home forgotten by time. Armed only with a vivid imagination and a fickle hope, the boys engage in the ...
Style:
touching, realistic, suspense, captivating, suspenseful ...
Plot:
abuse, orphanage, bully, brother brother relationship, sexualized violence, violence, brother, mockery, corporal punishment, humiliation, escape, male nudity ...
Time:
60s
Place:
denmark
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
A ten year old boy, prone to excessive worry, begins to succumb to his anxiety as a string of child abductions plague his town.
Style:
stylized, weird
Plot:
boy, sexual exploration, sexual curiosity, bullying, coming of age, female nudity, precocious child, homosexuality, precociousness, mental disorder, childhood, child ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Two kids about ten years old meet within a very peculiar framework: both come from broken families and are in care of foster homes...
Style:
realistic, inspirational, melancholic
Plot:
coming of age, friendship, orphan, children, childhood trauma, bonding, healing, foster home, lie, empathy, secrets, identity ...
Time:
90s
Similarity:
100%
302
Genre: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Recently released from jail, Andrés experiences an emotional rupture from his 12-year-old son, José Ramón, following a dark family tragedy that nobody is bold enough to confront.
Style:
erotic, independent film, hispanic, f word
Plot:
boy, coming of age, father son relationship, boyhood, nude boy, children, dream, school, english class, soccer, black cat, language learning ...
Place:
spain
Similarity:
50%
1K
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Although he is only ten years old, Jack is responsible for himself and his little brother Manuel and this fills him with pride. Their single mother works during the day and often goes out at night. There’s no father in sight. One day, Manuel burns ...
Style:
realistic, atmospheric, touching, serious, captivating ...
Plot:
boy, young heroes, teenage life, youth, self discovery, brother brother relationship, child as adult, child care, coming of age, family relations, life turned upside down, parents and children ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
germany
Similarity:
32%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Ten-year-old Johnny stands out from his family and his tough neighborhood in Eastern France. He's sensitive, intelligent and interested in all kinds of things way beyond his years. With curiosity, he observes the ups and downs of his young ...
Style:
social
Plot:
lgbt child, teacher student relationship, coming of age, boyhood, mother son conflict, boy, gay, lgbt, gay crush, little boy, blond boy, museum ...
Place:
france
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Dave Schultz' feature debut Jet Boy is a drama about a boy attempting to figure out his future. Nathan (Branden Nadon) goes on a search to find his father after his mother dies of a drug overdose. Nathan has been prostituting himself in order ...
Style:
independent film, sexy, touching, realistic, serious ...
Plot:
kids in trouble, man boy relationship, gay, boyhood, orphan, child neglect, boy, teenage boy, teenager, teenage prostitution, lgbt teen, youth ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
canada
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Manny, Joel and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. As Manny and Joel grow into versions of their father and Ma dreams of escape, Jonah, the youngest, embraces an imagined world all his own.
Style:
captivating, psychological, touching, sentimental, indie film ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
coming of age, lgbt, family relations, gay, father son relationship, teenage boy, theft, husband wife relationship, marriage, birthday, fired from the job, domestic violence ...
Place:
new york state, brooklyn new york city, spain, philadelphia, new york
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 83 min.
Story:
Handed over to foster care by his mother—who's unwilling to give up permanent custody—the now-adolescent François understands that nothing in life is permanent, and his increasingly erratic actions reflect this knowledge.
Style:
anthology, pretentious, cinema verite
Plot:
childhood, children, adoption, coming of age, boy, foundling, troublemaker, prank, foster parent, little boy, youth, swing ...
Time:
year 1968, 60s
Place:
france
Similarity:
31%
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Amiro is a young boy who has lost his home during the war. He spends his days by working odd jobs, until he realizes that the only way that he can realize his dreams is by enrolling in school. In school, he has conflict with other students. Finally ...
Plot:
boy, coming of age, iranian, child, minimal dialogue, winning, competition, student, school, innocence, ice, running ...
Place:
iran, persia
Similarity:
30%
529
Genre: Drama
Country: Portugal, France
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Day breaks on the eighth floor in a suburban neighbourhood of Lisbon and 14-year-old David’s grandfather is still in hospital. Doctors give him only a few days to live. The imminence of death and the void that it will leave force David to become ...
Style:
unusual plot structure, sincere, touching, contemplative, light
Plot:
boy, family relations, school, best friend, girl, teenage boy, half sister, mother son relationship, boyhood, little boy, hospital, stepfather ...
Similarity:
30%
Genre: Drama
Country: West Germany, France
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
At a boarding school in the pre-war Austro-Hungarian Empire, a pair of students torture one of their fellow classmates, Basini, who has been caught stealing money from one of the two. The two decide that rather than turn Basini in to the school ...
Style:
disturbing, controversial, black and white, thought provoking, serious ...
Plot:
bullying, coming of age, lgbt, torture, fascism, boarding school life, gay, boarding school, philosophy, thief, boxing, prostitute ...
Time:
year 1966, 20th century, 1910s, pre world war one, turn of the century ...
Place:
germany, europe, vienna
Similarity:
30%
542
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina, Chile
Duration: 79 min.
Story:
Marcos and his family work as ranch hands. While his father and brother handle the heavier tasks, Marcos stays home, close to his mother. Each one has their future laid out before them, yet Marcos bides his time waiting for Carnival, the one moment ...
Style:
sexy, psychological, contemplative, tense, sincere ...
Plot:
gay, gay interest, gay lead character, gay friend, gay love, homosexual rape, abuse, lgbtq, gay teenager, lgbt, gay relationship, male rape ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
argentina
Similarity:
30%
44K
Genre: Drama
Country: Sweden, Denmark
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
Stockholm, the fifties. Though academically bright, violent pupil Erik Ponti is expelled from his state school with the headmaster’s words “there’s only one word for people like you – evil… what you need is a good thrashing, and more”. ...
Style:
touching, emotional, rough, disturbing, psychological ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
private school, coming of age, violence, rebelliousness, rebellion, bullying, humiliation, bully, corporal punishment, friendship, abuse, high school ...
Time:
1950s, year 2003, 20th century, 50s
Place:
europe, stockholm sweden, eastern europe, scandinavia
Similarity:
30%
351
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
It’s summer and the beginning of the long vacation period for eleven-year-old Martin, who lives on a farm, and, at a loss, observes his family’s disintegration : his mother lives locked-up in her room ; his older brother, who he adores, drowns ...
Style:
suspense, disturbing, captivating, psychological, melancholic ...
Plot:
coming of age, family drama, gay, kids and family, unhappy marriage, family problems, family relations, crumbling marriage, social problems, parents and children, father son relationship, dysfunctional marriage ...
Time:
2000s
Similarity:
30%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
In the 19th century, children -- particularly the children of the poor -- were considered to be an exploitable resource of docile and cheap labor. Anyone who had the effrontery to steal so much as a portion of a loaf of bread for any reason would ...
Plot:
boy, nudity, coming of age, child, violence, male nudity, teenage boy, children, convict, social justice, soldier, female journalist ...
Time:
1840s
Similarity:
30%
1K
Genre: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
"I am" tells the story of Kundel, a boy searching for his place in life, his identity. After running away from an orphanage where he is treated as an outcast among outcasts by both his peers and the adults in charge, and being rejected a ...
Style:
realistic, poignant, emotional, melancholic, independent film
Plot:
coming of age, children, childhood, child protagonist, youth, friendship, self discovery, orphanage, adolescence, boy, survival, intimate ...
Place:
poland
Similarity:
30%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
There is nothing that keeps passionate social worker Wolski in Germany. On an uninhabited island in the Kingdom of Tonga he wants to give criminal teenagers a second chance. His first candidate is Marcel, 16, and no stranger to drugs, violence and ...
Style:
sincere, psychological, contemplative, unusual plot structure, tense ...
Plot:
father figure, bully, punishment, vandalism, chores, boy, trial, friends, youth, social worker, juvenile delinquent, teenager ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
germany
Similarity:
30%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Markus is a handsome and respectable architect who has a secret: he is a pedophile. Despite feeling disgust of himself, Markus can't help but feel attracted to young boys. When he thinks he won't be able to suppress his deepest feelings, ...
Style:
ambiguous ending, tense, psychological, suspense, crying ...
Plot:
pedophile, gay lead character, lgbt teen, little boy, pedophilia, sexual attraction, boy, psychotherapy, co worker co worker relationship, identity crisis, depression, architect ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
central europe
Similarity:
30%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
Andreas Dresen's adaptation of Clemens Meyer's novel about a group of East German friends right after the fall of the Wall.
Style:
realistic, serious, captivating, disturbing, sincere ...
Plot:
friends, unfulfillment, teenage boy, nightlife, lifestyle, freedom, coming of age, little boy, subculture, techno, stasi, berlin wall ...
Time:
80s, 90s, 20th century
Place:
germany, east germany
Similarity:
29%
Movie in collections
428
Genre: Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
The coming of age story of a boy that after a traumatic event is taken to beautiful Cuernavaca, where he has to find his father while trying to adapt to life with his grandmother, who has problems of her own.
Style:
suspense, captivating, disturbing, psychological, queer cinema
Plot:
grandmother grandson relationship, gay, coming of age, boy, father son relationship, family problems, dysfunctional family, boyhood, kids and family, family relations, grownups, lifestyle ...
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
No overview found.
Style:
bleak, controversial
Plot:
male prostitution, exploitation, sexploitation, youth, coming of age, street kid, sex work, street life, adolescence, survival, alcoholism, romantic relationship ...
Time:
90s
Place:
germany
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
A reunion of family and friends becomes an unforgettable vacation when two teenage boys discover their secret feelings toward one another. The relationship is eventually exposed to their families - leading to denial and a questioning of self-worth ...
Style:
melancholic, tense, exciting, sentimental, touching ...
Plot:
gay teenager, gay, teenage boy, gay relationship, homosexuality, lgbt, love, gossip, teen angst, bigotry, confusion, glbt ...
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Gene and Finny are two boys who are best friends living in 1943, at the height of World War II. The idea that the boys will most likely be drafted when they turn eighteen is surrounding them, and they are practically forced to live their lives to ...
Style:
serious, realistic, sexual, touching, emotional ...
Plot:
coming of age, world war two, preparatory school, gay interest, high school friend, schoolboy, buddy, teenage boy, roommate, little boy, boy, gay ...
Time:
1940s, year 1972
Place:
new england
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Drama
Country: Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Czech Republic
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A teenage boy, raised by a mother who considers herself psychic, takes a bullied kid into his group of violent misfits. As the group’s troubles escalate toward life-threatening situations, an inner voice awakens in the boy and, with the help of ...
Style:
crying, tripping
Plot:
abuse, dysfunctional family, male nudity, male rape, friendship between boys, coming of age, violence, bullying, teenage boy, gay, friendship, swimming pool ...
Place:
iceland
Similarity:
29%
1K
Genre: Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 79 min.
Story:
Duct tape, electrical cables, trigger, explosives. Sebbe never planned to build a bomb. It just happened. Sebbe is 15 years old and lives with his mother in an apartment that is too narrow. He does his best. He never strikes back. Sebbe loves his ...
Style:
realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, contemplative ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens
Plot:
losing-it hero, single parent, coming of age, teenage boy, introspection, teenage life, bullying, youth, society, life is a bitch, juvenile delinquency, parents and children ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
europe, eastern europe
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany, Serbia
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Nenad, ten years Christian boy from a Serbian enclave, determined to create a proper community burial for his late grandfather, crosses enemy lines and makes friends among the Muslim majority in deeply divided, war-torn Kosovo.
Style:
psychological, captivating, disturbing
Plot:
boy, political conflict, ethnic conflict, little boy, child, post war, teenager, muslim, life is a bitch, military, coming of age, children in wartime ...
Time:
year 2004, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
kosovo, eastern europe, balkan, serbia
Similarity:
29%
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