Special needs movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant special needs movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out touching, realistic, emotional, inspirational, feel good and sentimental films and TV shows about / with special needs, disability, hopes, mentor, redemption, autism, bittersweet, family relations, loneliness and friendship plots mostly in Drama, Comedy and Romance genres shot in USA, France, UK and other countries.
130
TOP 10 movies tagged as special needs: How to Ruin the Holidays (2023), Temple Grandin (2010), Marvellous (2014), Hard Sun (2014), Forrest Gump (1994), I Am Sam (2001), The Miracle Worker (1962), Rain Man (1988), Awakenings (1990), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993).
Best films
New films
List of special needs movies
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
When a struggling comedian reluctantly returns home for the holidays, not only must she deal with her eccentric family, but she ultimately faces a life-changing decision about her special-needs brother.
Style:
independent film, family comedy, semi serious, captivating, thrilling ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
special needs, christmas, dysfunctional family, holiday, sibling relationship, relationships, family relations, family life, christmas spirit, changing lives, relationship problems, christmas season ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of top scientists in humane livestock handling.
Style:
touching, inspirational, sincere, compassionate, feel good ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
autism, teacher, female protagonist, human spirit, disability, genius, against the odds, inventor, biopic, asperger's syndrome, slaughterhouse, ambition ...
Time:
20th century, y2k, 60s, year 1951, 70s ...
Place:
arizona, boston, new hampshire, texas, usa ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Dramatisation of the true story of the life of Neil "Nello" Baldwin. Born with a mild learning disability but without the burden of social embarrassment & how his inexhaustible ability to see the good in any situation overcame any ...
Style:
touching, serious, sentimental, feel good, realistic ...
Plot:
human spirit, disability, hopes, society, sport team, clergy, football, soccer, special needs, friendship, clown, death of mother ...
Time:
20th century
Place:
england
Is relevant?
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:
serious, realistic, touching, heartfelt, melancholic ...
Plot:
family relations, special needs, sibling relationship, life is a bitch, youth, dysfunctional family, family in crisis, family problems, brother sister relationship, caregiver, family drama, responsibility ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
Is relevant?
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2.5M
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 142 min.
Story:
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events - in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. Yet, despite all the things he has attained, his one true love eludes ...
Style:
inspirational, touching, feel good, sentimental, uplifting ...
Audience:
girls' night, date night, chick flick, kids, teens ...
Plot:
life philosophy, philosophy, life, mentally challenged, destiny, storytelling, love, rise to the top, human spirit, selflessness, vietnam war, life & death ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, 50s, 60s, 1950s ...
Place:
china, alabama, vietnam, america, savannah georgia ...
Is relevant?
161K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
Sam has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. He has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations start to become a problem and the ...
Style:
touching, inspirational, sad, emotional, sentimental ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, adult
Plot:
lawyer, mentally challenged, father daughter relationship, single father, child custody, social services, custody, custody battle, disability, parents and children, foster child, love ...
Time:
year 2001, 21st century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
The true story of the frightening, lonely world of silence and darkness of 7-year-old Helen Keller who, since infancy, has never seen the sky, heard her mother's voice or expressed her innermost feelings. Then Annie Sullivan, a 20-year-old ...
Style:
inspirational, period piece, emotional, black and white, touching ...
Audience:
kids, girls' night
Plot:
blindness, blind character, teacher, deafness, disability, mute or deaf, tutor, human spirit, deaf, mentor, children, childhood ...
Time:
1880s, 19th century, year 1962, 1800s
Place:
alabama, southern usa, persia, usa, boston ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
While serving time for insanity at a state mental hospital, implacable rabble-rouser, Randle Patrick McMurphy inspires his fellow patients to rebel against the authoritarian rule of head nurse, Mildred Ratched.
Style:
psychological, serious, thought provoking, dramatic, emotional ...
Audience:
family friendly, date night, teen drama, adult
Plot:
mental institution, mental illness, fighting the system, freedom, human spirit, insanity, society, mental patient, mental disorder, nurse, psychiatrist, schizophrenia ...
Time:
60s, 20th century, year 1975, year 1963
Place:
oregon, eastern europe, america, persia
Is relevant?
580K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.
Style:
road movie, inspirational, sincere, uplifting, touching ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
autism, road trip, redemption, disability, mentally challenged, brother brother relationship, siblings relations, runaway, self discovery, mathematics, psychiatry, life changing ...
Time:
20th century, year 1988, 80s
Place:
las vegas, california, ohio, cincinnati ohio, columbus ohio ...
Is relevant?
175K
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a shy research physician, uses an experimental drug to "awaken" the catatonic victims of a rare disease. Leonard is the first patient to receive the controversial treatment. His awakening, filled with awe and enthusiasm, ...
Style:
inspirational, sentimental, cerebral, psychological, touching ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
hospital, mental illness, mental institution, illness, doctors and patients, medical, fighting illness, doctor, medicine, catatonia, disability, patient ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, 1930s, 60s, year 1969
Place:
bronx new york city, new york, america, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Gilbert has to care for his brother Arnie and his obese mother, which gets in the way when love walks into his life.
Style:
melancholic, depressing, touching, sad, emotional ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, teen drama
Plot:
dysfunctional family, disability, small town, mentally challenged, mental illness, self discovery, responsibility, brothers, character study, coming of age, life philosophy, life & death ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1993, 70s, 60s
Place:
iowa, texas, southern usa, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Belgium, France, UK
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Georges has Down syndrome, living at a mental-institution, Harry is a busy businessman, giving lectures for young aspiring salesmen. He is successful in his business life, but his social life is a disaster since his wife left him and took their two ...
Style:
sentimental, road movie, spiritual, touching, psychological ...
Plot:
down syndrome, friendship, disability, intellectual disability, suicide, rain, bittersweet, self discovery, special needs, drinking, love, friendship between men ...
Time:
year 1996, 90s
Place:
france, belgium, mexico, tokyo
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
A mentally challenged girl proves herself to be every bit as capable as her "perfect" sister when she moves into an apartment and begins going to college.
Style:
emotional, inspirational, sentimental, touching, compassionate ...
Audience:
date night, chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
mentally challenged, wedding, mental retardation, women, disability, family relations, female protagonist, father daughter relationship, justice, parents and children, fall in love, love and romance ...
Time:
90s, year 1999
Place:
california, usa, san francisco
Is relevant?
3K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
Molly McKay is a profoundly autistic twenty-something woman who has lived in an institution from a young age following her parents' death in a car accident. When the institution must close due budget cuts, Molly is left in the charge of her ...
Style:
touching, sentimental, humorous, sincere, romantic comedy ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
autism, public nudity, disability, mental patient, advertising executive, siblings relations, human spirit, custody, hopes, doctors and patients, misfit, mentally challenged ...
Time:
year 1999, 90s
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: Spain, France, Italy
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
The Sea Inside is about Spaniard Ramón Sampedro, who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. It is the story of Ramón’s relationships with two women: Julia a lawyer who supports his cause, and Rosa, a local woman ...
Style:
sad, thought provoking, philosophical, emotional, breathtaking ...
Plot:
disability, euthanasia, biopic, death, human spirit, dying, handicapped, existentialism, suicide, depression, lawyer, dignity ...
Time:
year 2004, y2k, 90s, 60s, 20th century
Place:
spain, barcelona, south america, europe, galicia ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
A love story between two savants with Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.
Style:
sweet, emotional, touching, inspirational, romantic ...
Audience:
date night, chick flick
Plot:
asperger's syndrome, autism, mental illness, mathematics, taxi driver, hopes, couple relations, disability, eccentricity, loneliness, bird, support group ...
Time:
year 2005, 2000s, 1950s, 50s
Place:
usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
The true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his ...
Style:
inspirational, psychological, breathtaking, sincere, depressing ...
Plot:
disability, hospital, paralysis, death, coma, stroke, memory, writers, courage, patient, mute or deaf, communication problem ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, 2000s, year 2007, y2k
Place:
france, paris france, europe, hong kong, nepal ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
A year after his father's death, Oskar, a troubled young boy, discovers a mysterious key he believes was left for him by his father and embarks on a scavenger hunt to find the matching lock.
Style:
sentimental, inspirational, touching, poignant, thought provoking ...
Audience:
girls' night, kids
Plot:
childhood, autism, 9/11, asperger's syndrome, boy, child protagonist, orphan, acceptance, disability, coming of age, bereavement, single mother ...
Time:
september 11 2001, year 2001, 2000s, year 2011, 2010s ...
Place:
new york, manhattan new york city, usa
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Thomas is turning 16. His dad's in the army and they've just moved to a town in New South Wales; his mom is pregnant; his older brother, Charlie, who's autistic, has his own adolescent sexual issues. Thomas finds Charlie an ...
Style:
sincere, touching, serious, emotional, dark comedy ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
teenager, coming of age, profanity, autism, mental illness, social services, eccentric family, acceptance, love and romance, human nature, boy, boyfriend girlfriend relationship ...
Time:
future, 90s, 21st century
Place:
australia, sydney australia, new zealand
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
During a blizzard in 1964, Dr. David Henry delivers his son Paul with the help of nurse Caroline. But when Henry realizes his wife is also carrying a girl with Down syndrome, he hands the second child over to Caroline without his wife's ...
Style:
emotional, touching, realistic, sad, gloomy ...
Plot:
down syndrome, haunted by the past, disability, child illness, family problems, parents and children, crumbling marriage, love and romance, obsession, hidden identity, hopes, unfulfillment ...
Time:
60s, 80s, 70s
Place:
kentucky, pittsburgh
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 162 min.
Story:
Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate. Colours, fish, dogs, and kites don't seem important to the adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks, and ...
Style:
touching, motivational, inspirational, captivating, educational ...
Audience:
family outing, kids
Plot:
dyslexia, teacher, teachers and students, childhood, self discovery, coming of age, teaching the ways of the world, dedicated educator, shyness, young heroes, hopes, school ...
Time:
future, year 2007, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
india, middle east, asia, mumbai india, africa
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Sheltered by his grandparents, Luke, a young man with autism, is thrust into a world that doesn't expect anything from him. But Luke is on a quest for a job and true love. And he isn't taking no for an answer.
Style:
semi serious, humorous, touching, realistic, mumblecore ...
Plot:
autism, disability, autistic, job seeking, looking for love, self discovery, family problems, power relations, family relations, workplace situations, dysfunctional family, misfit ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.
Style:
feel good, inspirational, touching, uplifting, sincere ...
Audience:
date night, teens, family friendly, adult
Plot:
friendship, disability, unlikely friendships, life philosophy, friendship between men, disabled person, human relationship, handicapped, interracial friendship, culture clash, caregiver, friends ...
Time:
2010s, year 2011, 21st century
Place:
france, paris france
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 82 min.
Story:
Coming-of-Age drama telling the story of the strong bond between Xavier and his little brother Jacques and their struggle to remain together despite all odds.
Style:
realistic, touching, serious, sentimental, poignant ...
Plot:
coming of age, youth, brother brother relationship, summer, rebelliousness, forceful separation, family relations, life turned upside down, countryside, boy, adolescence, family drama ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
france
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Janice is the subject of the town gossips for four reasons: she wears too much lipstick, her hair is too big, she is a single-mother and her two children are strange. Ray (6) is a hellraiser and Tony (9) is autistic. One day, however, Tony sits down ...
Style:
heartfelt, emotional, dramatic, realistic, sentimental
Plot:
autism, mother son relationship, small town, family drama, single mother, parenting, empathy, children, hopes, special needs, motherhood, piano ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Yellow Day chronicles a young man's life-changing and inspirational journey through the mysterious Yellow Day. To many, the Yellow Day is simply a fun day celebrating outreach at a kid's camp, but to some, God bestows visions and miracles, ...
Style:
feel good, stylized, surreal, inspirational, uplifting ...
Audience:
family outing, family friendly, pre-teens
Plot:
camp, teenage life, looking for love, love and romance, youth, escapades, transformation, faith, hopes, spiritual journey, faith based, young man ...
Time:
21st century
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
For twenty years, Bruno and Malik have lived in a different world—the world of autistic children and teens. In charge of two separate nonprofit organizations (The Hatch & The Shelter), they train young people from underprivileged areas to be ...
Style:
sincere, social, sentimental, touching, disturbing ...
Plot:
autism, social worker, autist, social services, empathy, hospital, society, life philosophy, rescue, hopes, lifestyle, friendship ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
paris france, france
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing ...
Style:
feel good, inspirational, sentimental, philosophical, thought provoking ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night
Plot:
friendship, elderly, terminal illness, road trip, journey, unlikely friendships, human spirit, bucket list, life changing, dying, philosophy, motivation ...
Time:
year 2007, 21st century
Place:
cote d'azur, usa, africa, johannesburg south africa, los angeles ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Mexico, France
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Alejandra and her dad Roberto have just moved to town. She is new at school, he has a new job. Starting over is sometimes complicated when you have left so much behind.
Style:
disturbing, serious, realistic, suspense, teen ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
bullying, society, high school life, missing girl, rape, teenage life, estrangement, social decay, parents and children, social relations, family problems, high school ...
Time:
near future, year 2012, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
mexico, latin america, mexico city
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Having suffered a tragedy, Ben becomes a caregiver to earn money. His first client, Trevor, is a hilarious 18-year-old with muscular dystrophy. One paralyzed emotionally, one paralyzed physically, Ben and Trevor hit the road on a trip into the ...
Style:
road movie, depressing, touching, sentimental, compassionate ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night
Plot:
road trip, disability, abandoned by father, writers, honest, coming of age, friendship, depression, justice, tragedy, drinking, mentor ...
Place:
seattle, salt lake city utah, idaho, utah, montana
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
