Mentally challenged movies and TV shows

The list contains the best, new and most relevant mentally challenged movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, touching, serious, sincere, emotional and sentimental films and TV shows about / with mentally challenged, misfit, family relations, disability, parents and children, mental disorder, society, mental illness, family problems and couples plots mostly in Drama, Romance and Comedy genres shot in USA, Germany, Canada and other countries.
mentally challenged
 337
mentally challenged movies
TOP 10 movies tagged as mentally challenged: The Other Sister (1999), Bambina (1974), Requiem for a Maiden (1992), Carry Me Home (2004), The Devils (2002), The Idiots (1998), Sling Blade (1996), Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Next to Her (2014).

List of mentally challenged movies

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The Other Sister (1999)
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: touching, sentimental, inspirational, emotional, compassionate ...
Audience: date night
Plot: mentally challenged, wedding, women, disability, family relations, justice, female protagonist, father daughter relationship, parents and children, fall in love, mental retardation, looking for love ...
Time: 90s, year 1999
Place: california, usa, san francisco
Is relevant ?
 5.5
 402
Bambina (1974)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Italy
Duration: 107 min.
Story: In order to convince Raimonda, a wealthy noble woman, to finance his project for a holiday resort, Saverio gets engaged to Clotilde, her mentally-disturbed and sex-obsessed adolescent daughter. He plans to have her kidnapped and raped by an ...
Style: depressing, erotic
Audience: teens
Plot: nymphet, maid, nymphomaniac, erotica, affair, mentally challenged, kidnapping, virginity, sex, sex with teenager, disability, girl man relationship ...
Place: southern italy
Is relevant ?
Requiem for a Maiden (1992)
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Czechoslovakia
Duration: 99 min.
Story: A fourteen-year-old girl isplaced in an institution for mentally ill instead of a foster-home due to an official mistake. Here she gets a most cruel treatment which is governed by high-handedness of the spineless and perverse nurses. The girl ...
Plot: rape victim, torture, humiliation, incest rape, psychiatric patient, doctor, teenage girl, teenage protagonist, father daughter incest, mental institution, mentally challenged, incest ...
Time: 80s, year 1984
Place: czechoslovakia, central europe
Is relevant ?
 5.2
 231
Carry Me Home (2004)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story: A widow named Harriet and her two children Carrie and Brian are living in rural New York in 1947 and are still recovering from the death of Harriet's husband killed in World War II. Carrie is a tomboy and hangs around with boys and they have ...
Style: serious, touching, emotional, sentimental, realistic
Plot: youth, mentally challenged, wooing, self discovery, prank, dysfunctional family, hopes, couples, family problems, single parent, love and romance, society ...
Time: 20th century
Place: new york
Is relevant ?
Related movie lists
 7.1
 1K
The Devils (2002)
Genre: Drama
Country: France, Spain
Duration: 105 min.
Story: Les Diables (The Devils) chronicles the struggle of an autistic girl and her brother trying to survive without their parents.
Style: disturbing, captivating, emotional, realistic, bleak ...
Plot: autism, coming of age, brother sister incest, on the run, mentally challenged, incest, trauma, children's home, orphan, teenage girl, pursuit, life is a bitch ...
Time: 21st century
Place: marseille, france
Is relevant ?
 6.7
 34K
The Idiots (1998)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Denmark, France, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Italy
Duration: 117 min.
Story: With his first Dogma-95 film director Lars von Trier opens up a completely new film platform. With a mix of home-video and documentary styles the film tells the story of a group of young people who have decided to get to know their ...
Style: art house, disturbing, surreal, controversial, experimental ...
Audience: adult
Plot: male nudity, dogme 95, sex orgy, commune, mental illness, sex scene, community, public nudity, stupidity, strong sexual content, sex, orgy ...
Time: year 1998, 90s, 20th century
Place: denmark
Is relevant ?
 8.0
 98K
Sling Blade (1996)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min.
Story: Karl Childers is a mentally disabled man who has been in the custody of the state mental hospital since the age of 12 for killing his mother and her lover. Although thoroughly institutionalized, Karl is deemed fit to be released into the outside ...
Style: independent film, southern gothic, neo noir, serious, bleak ...
Audience: manly, date night, teen drama, adult
Plot: small town, dysfunctional family, friendship, murder, mental institution, redneck, redemption, death threat, father figure, disability, mental illness, domestic violence ...
Time: 20th century, 90s, year 1996
Place: arkansas, usa
Is relevant ?
Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2019)
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 132 min.
Story: Separated from his daughter, a father with an intellectual disability must prove his innocence when he is jailed for the death of a commander's child.
Style: sentimental, psychological, tense, disturbing, captivating ...
Audience: teens
Plot: mentally challenged, prison, innocent, mental patient, parent child relationship, prison sentence, father daughter relationship, arrest, jail, mental illness, murder, love ...
Time: 2010s, year 1983, year 2004
Place: turkey
Is relevant ?
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
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, touching, emotional, depressing, sad ...
Audience: teens, chick flick, teen drama
Plot: dysfunctional family, disability, self discovery, mental illness, small town, mentally challenged, responsibility, life philosophy, brothers, coming of age, family drama, family problems ...
Time: 90s, 20th century, year 1993, 60s, 70s
Place: iowa, texas, usa
Is relevant ?
 7.1
 573
Next to Her (2014)
Genre: Drama
Country: Israel
Duration: 89 min.
Story: Rachel, 27, is raising her mentally retarded sister Gabby, 24, all by herself. When the social worker finds out she leaves her sister alone in the house while at work, she is forced to place her in a day-care center. For the first time in her life ...
Style: realistic, serious, emotional, gloomy, weird
Plot: mentally challenged, destructive relationship, fall in love, love and romance, family relations, family problems, sister sister relationship, love, threesome, israeli, illness, misfit ...
Time: 21st century
Place: middle east, israel
Is relevant ?
Dora or The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents (2015)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Switzerland, Germany
Duration: 88 min.
Story: After her mother decided that the eighteen-year-old mentally disabled Dora no longer has to take psychotherapeutic drugs, the young woman begins to blossom. The sedated teenager was never a problem for her surroundings – but new challenges arise ...
Style: touching, realistic, serious, sentimental, eros ...
Plot: pregnant teenager, mentally challenged, family relations, life turned upside down, family problems, pregnancy, parents and children, unlikely couple, couple relations, disorder, sexual relations, family in crisis ...
Time: 21st century
Place: switzerland
Is relevant ?
 7.6
 155K
I Am Sam (2001)
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: inspirational, touching, emotional, tear jerker, sad ...
Audience: adult
Plot: lawyer, father daughter relationship, mentally challenged, disability, single father, social services, custody, custody battle, child custody, parents and children, parenthood, mental illness ...
Time: year 2001, 21st century
Place: california, los angeles, usa
Is relevant ?
Where Hope Grows (2014)
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story: Calvin Campbell is a former professional baseball player sent to an early retirement due to his panic attacks at the plate. Even though he had all the talent for the big leagues, he struggles with the curveballs life has thrown him. Today, he ...
Style: touching, uplifting, sentimental, sincere, inspirational ...
Audience: family outing
Plot: mentally challenged, friendship, human spirit, human nature, misfit, redemption, optimism, parents and children, family problems, hopes, cause and meaning, small town ...
Time: 21st century
Place: usa, kentucky
Is relevant ?
 6.4
 545
An Adolescent (2001)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 132 min.
Story: Tomokawa is a tough guy turned bored cop who spends much of his time sating lonely housewives and looking after retarded teen Sukemasa. One day while hanging out at a bar, he is approached by a 15-year-old enjo kosai named Yoko, offering a round of ...
Style: psychological, serious, rough, realistic
Plot: teenage girl, tattoo, mentally challenged, introspection, life is a bitch, tough heroes, teenage life, youth, prostitute, society, social misfits, love and romance ...
Time: 21st century
Place: japan
Is relevant ?
 6.1
 10K
Pumpkin (2002)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story: When perfect, perky Carolyn (Christina Ricci) and her Alpha Omega Pi sisters decide to coach mentally challenged athletes for the regional Challenged Games, Carolyn's assigned to coach Pumpkin (Hank Harris), a young disabled man who touches her ...
Style: humorous, sweet, romantic, witty, teen ...
Audience: teens, girls' night, chick flick
Plot: college, friendship, physical disability, fall in love, couples, love and romance, social misfits, misfit, mentally challenged, women, love story, happy ending ...
Time: year 2002, 2000s, 21st century
Place: california, usa, los angeles
Is relevant ?
The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971)
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story: Dr. Roger Girard is a rich scientist conducting experiments on head transplantation. His caretaker has a son, Danny, who, although fully grown, has the mind of child. One day an escaped psycho-killer invades Girard's home, killing Danny's ...
Style: scary, disturbing, tense, absurd, grindhouse ...
Plot: mutant, experiment gone awry, disorder, psychopath, misfit, danger, mentally challenged, mental illness, rivalry, countryside, murder, chase ...
Time: year 1971, 70s
Is relevant ?
 7.2
 3K
Me Too (2009)
Genre: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 103 min.
Story: Daniel - a recent university graduate with Down's Syndrome - falls in love on his first day at work in the Department of Social Services. Laura is an outsider who spends her nights in the city's crowded clubs and singles' bars, ...
Style: serious, touching, sincere, realistic, captivating ...
Plot: mentally challenged, disability, love, fall in love, love and romance, looking for love, friends, unfulfilled love, hopes, society, college graduate, friendship ...
Time: year 2009, 21st century
Place: spain, iberian peninsula
Is relevant ?
Flowers for Algernon (2000)
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Canada
Duration: 120 min.
Story: No overview found.
Style: sincere, serious, thought provoking, touching, contemplative ...
Plot: mentally challenged, prodigy, laboratory, experiment, genius, social misfits, misfit, hopes, blind ambition, human spirit, fall in love, doctors and patients ...
Time: 90s
Place: usa
Is relevant ?
Related movie lists
 5.7
 197
Suspect (2005)
Genre: Drama
Country: Belgium
Duration: 95 min.
Story: Teacher Rob Dekoster is a good man, albeit a bit too frivolous and liberal with funds the local arts center's interim director. His wife Nelle, who sometimes abuses drugs, spoils his ingrate teenage stepdaughter Sandy, who is kind only to her ...
Style: serious, realistic, tense, captivating, thought provoking
Plot: false accusation, family relations, manipulation, life is a bitch, rivalry, youth, vengeance, legal, couple relations, dishonesty, family problems, teenage life ...
Time: 21st century
Place: belgium, europe
Is relevant ?
My Brother the Vampire (2001)
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Country: Germany
Duration: 94 min.
Story: Josh is about to turn 30; he's mentally retarded, and likes to play at being a vampire. His sister Nicole is 15, and dealing with her impending womanhood; middle brother Mike is the "normal" one, but in some ways the most childish - ...
Style: touching, semi serious, humorous, realistic, captivating ...
Plot: mentally challenged, obsession, love and romance, teenage life, dysfunctional family, misfit, youth, lifestyle, sexual relations, siblings relations, couples, family problems ...
Time: 21st century
Is relevant ?
 8.8
 2.2M
Forrest Gump (1994)
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: date night, kids, chick flick, girls' night, family outing ...
Plot: life & death, philosophy, life philosophy, mentally challenged, destiny, love, rise to the top, human spirit, selflessness, storytelling, life, journey ...
Time: 20th century, 60s, 70s, 50s, 1950s ...
Place: usa, washington d.c., vietnam, china, alabama ...
Is relevant ?
 6.8
 1K
Dawn Anna (2005)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 88 min.
Story: The true story of a single mom who overcomes many of life's obstacles.
Style: realistic, sentimental, sincere, serious, emotional ...
Audience: family outing
Plot: high school, family problems, against the odds, terminal illness, child illness, human spirit, family relations, disability, relationship vs career, school, family in crisis, parents and children ...
Is relevant ?
 7.0
 2K
Gabrielle (2013)
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 104 min.
Story: Gabrielle is a young woman with Williams syndrome who has a contagious joie de vivre and an exceptional musical gift. Since she met her boyfriend Martin, at the recreation centre where they are choir members, they have been inseparable. However, ...
Style: touching, realistic, semi serious
Audience: date night
Plot: disability, human spirit, mentally challenged, love and romance, music band, society, couple relations, bittersweet, music, social misfits, women, feminism ...
Time: 21st century
Place: canada
Is relevant ?
Related movie lists
 6.8
 611
Little Chenier (2006)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min.
Story: LITTLE CHENIER: A CAJUN STORY is the story of a young man who lives a simple life on a houseboat in the Louisiana bayou with his mentally handicapped brother until one is accused of a crime in the small town.
Style: realistic, serious, suspenseful
Plot: mentally challenged, mental illness, against the odds, uneducated, disability, family problems, family relations, dishonesty, brother brother relationship, mental retardation, alligator, small town sheriff ...
Time: 21st century
Place: louisiana, usa
Is relevant ?
The Importance of Tying Your Own Shoes (2011)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: Sweden
Duration: 101 min.
Story: Alex's high opinion of himself isn't backed up by reality as he is unemployed and having trouble with his girlfriend. When he finally gets a job with the local council/municipality of Hudiksvall his life is about to change. Suddenly Alex ...
Style: serious, realistic, touching, sincere
Plot: down syndrome, chance, against the odds, disability, misfit, mentally challenged, self confidence, personal growth, theatre group, group of friends, loss of friend, european ...
Time: 21st century
Place: eastern europe
Is relevant ?
 7.0
 2K
Wildflower (1991)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min.
Story: One day Sammy and his younger sister Ellie happen upon a cabin where Alice, a young, partially deaf girl with epilepsy is being kept by her abusive stepfather. The three soon become friends and hope to get Alice an education and help her escape from ...
Style: romantic, touching, realistic, serious, inspirational
Plot: deaf, dysfunctional family, friendship, mentally challenged, rescue, youth, deafness, great depression, child abuse, happy ending, disability, family relations ...
Time: 1930s, year 1938
Place: georgia
Is relevant ?
 8.2
 32K
Temple Grandin (2010)
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, emotional ...
Audience: kids
Plot: autism, human spirit, teacher, disability, genius, female protagonist, scientist, against the odds, biopic, inventor, asperger's syndrome, ambition ...
Time: 20th century, y2k, 60s, 70s, year 1951 ...
Place: arizona, new hampshire, boston, texas, usa ...
Is relevant ?
A Child Is Waiting (1963)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story: Dr. Matthew Clark is the head of a state institution for mentally retarded children. Jean Hansen, a former music teacher anxious to give her life some meaning, joins the staff of the hospital. Jean, who tries to shelter the children with her love, ...
Style: uplifting, serious, realistic, emotional, sincere ...
Plot: teaching, school, teachers and students, mentally challenged, human spirit, hopes, dedicated educator, youth, medical, orphan, psychopath, christmas ...
Time: 20th century, year 1963, 60s, year 1959
Place: usa, new jersey
Is relevant ?
 6.8
 10K
House of D (2004)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story: In the present, artist Tom Warshaw recalls his traumatic coming of age. As a 13-year-old growing up in New York City in 1973, Tom hangs out with Pappass, a mentally disabled man. With Tom's mother battling depression after the death of her ...
Style: sentimental, light, emotional, intense, period piece ...
Audience: date night
Plot: friendship, coming of age, self discovery, troublemaker, storytelling, haunted by the past, parents and children, teenage life, love and romance, mentally challenged, misfit, youth ...
Time: 70s, year 2004, 20th century, year 1973
Place: new york, paris france, europe, france, usa ...
Is relevant ?
 7.3
 3K
Left Luggage (1998)
Genre: Drama
Country: Netherlands, UK, Belgium, USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story: While escaping from Nazis during the WWII, a Jewish man dug suitcases full of things dear to his heart in the ground two. The war deprived him of his family, and afterwards he endlessly turns over the soil of Antwerp to find the suitcases, which ...
Style: sentimental, touching, emotional, inspirational, compassionate ...
Plot: judaism, holocaust survivor, racism, life, nazi, tragedy, justice, mentor, depression, dysfunctional family, friendship, culture clash ...
Time: 20th century, year 1998, year 1972
Place: europe, israel, antwerp, belgium
Is relevant ?
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