Poverty movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant poverty movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, emotional, thought provoking, serious, bleak and dramatic films and TV shows about / with poverty, society, childhood, death, runaway, life is a bitch, storytelling, redemption, friendship and mentor plots mostly in Drama, Crime and Romance genres shot in USA, UK, France and other countries.
poverty
TOP 10 movies tagged as poverty: Capernaum (2018), Winter's Bone (2010), Children of Heaven (1997), Frozen River (2008), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Shoplifters (2018), Angela's Ashes (1999), Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), Lilya 4-Ever (2002), Hate (1995).
Best films
List of poverty movies
93K
Genre: Drama
Country: Lebanon, France, Cyprus, Qatar, UK
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
Zain, a 12-year-old boy scrambling to survive on the streets of Beirut, sues his parents for having brought him into such an unjust world, where being a refugee with no documents means that your rights can easily be denied.
Style:
social, sad, thought provoking, rough, cynical ...
Plot:
poverty, traumatic childhood, slum, misery, child abuse, refugee, neglected child, child protagonist, child labor, low lives, life is a bitch, child neglect ...
Time:
2010s, future
Place:
lebanon, beirut lebanon
Is relevant ?
145K
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
17 year-old Ree Dolly sets out to track down her father, who put their house up for his bail bond and then disappeared. If she fails, Ree and her family will be turned out into the Ozark woods. Challenging her outlaw kin's code of silence and ...
Style:
dark, atmospheric, gloomy, depressing, bleak ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
poverty, missing person, small town, family in crisis, female protagonist, girl, dysfunctional family, realism, down on your luck, bail, life is a bitch, coming of age ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
missouri, california, usa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama, Family, Sport
Country: Iran
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Zohre's shoes are gone; her older brother Ali lost them. They are poor, there are no shoes for Zohre until they come up with an idea: they will share one pair of shoes, Ali's. School awaits...
Style:
realistic, touching, sincere, emotional, sentimental ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, teens
Plot:
childhood, children, poverty, school, life, unemployment, running, siblings relations, coming of age, financial problem, young heroes, secrets ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
iran, tehran iran, middle east, tokyo
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Ray Eddy, an upstate New York trailer mom, is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling. Broke after her husband takes off with the down payment for their new doublewide, Ray reluctantly teams up with Lila, a smuggler, and the two begin ...
Style:
melancholic, emotional, thought provoking, bleak, suspenseful ...
Plot:
poverty, single parent, native american reservation, winter, snow, native americans, native american, working class, survival, christmas, courage, parenthood ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
new york, canada, california, new york state, usa ...
Is relevant ?
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Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Jamal Malik is an impoverished Indian teen who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ but, after he wins, he is suspected of cheating.
Style:
touching, realistic, motivational, feel good, uplifting ...
Audience:
date night, teens, chick flick, teen drama
Plot:
poverty, love, childhood, destiny, orphan, rags to riches, against the odds, society, life is a bitch, street life, cheating, ambition ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 2005, 2000s, year 2006 ...
Place:
india, mumbai india, asia, taj mahal
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces. Although the ...
Style:
sexual, art house, art film, thought provoking, compassionate ...
Audience:
date night, teens
Plot:
poverty, shoplifting, poor family, father son relationship, social realism, secret, theft, child abduction, beach, husband wife relationship, shoplifter, orphan ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
tokyo, japan, india
Is relevant ?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 145 min.
Story:
Based on the best selling autobiography by Irish expat Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes follows the experiences of young Frankie and his family as they try against all odds to escape the poverty endemic in the slums of pre-war Limerick. The film ...
Style:
emotional, touching, compassionate, sad, serious ...
Plot:
poverty, life is a bitch, ira, injustice, family relations, irish, youth, parents and children, depression, children, society, human nature ...
Time:
1940s, 1930s, 20th century, year 1935
Place:
ireland, new york, brooklyn new york city, england, boston ...
Is relevant ?
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink in 'the Bathtub', a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe – for a time when he’s no ...
Style:
sad, surreal, touching, emotional, thought provoking ...
Audience:
kids, family outing
Plot:
poverty, magic realism, climate change, children, global warming, father daughter relationship, childhood, community, child protagonist, coming of age, flood, single father ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
louisiana, usa, southern usa, tokyo
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: Sweden, Denmark
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Lilya lives in poverty and dreams of a better life. Her mother moves to the United States and abandons her to her aunt, who neglects her. Lilya hangs out with her friends, Natasha and Volodya, who is suicidal. Desperate for money, she starts working ...
Style:
bleak, depressing, sad, bad ending, brutal ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens, teen drama, adult
Plot:
prostitution, human trafficking, poverty, suicide, sexual abuse, prostitute, life is a bitch, friendship, russian, teenage prostitution, youth, rape ...
Place:
sweden, europe, denmark, russia, eastern europe ...
Is relevant ?
178K
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Aimlessly whiling away their days in the concrete environs of their dead-end suburbia, Vinz, Hubert, and Said -- a Jew, African, and an Arab -- give human faces to France's immigrant populations, their bristling resentment at their social ...
Style:
bleak, art house, disturbing, thought provoking, rough ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens
Plot:
poverty, racism, drugs, skinhead, rebel, ghetto, youth, police brutality, police, friendship, rebellion, gangsters ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
paris france, france, europe
Is relevant ?
113K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Set in Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother, ...
Style:
bleak, emotional, depressing, rough, sad ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
rape, sexual abuse, dysfunctional family, domestic violence, child abuse, teacher, poverty, illiteracy, social misfits, aids, african american, life is a bitch ...
Time:
20th century, year 1987, 80s
Place:
new york, harlem, new york city, usa, manhattan new york city, harlem
Is relevant ?
12K
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Country: Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
It’s 1847 and Ireland is in the grip of the Great Famine that has ravaged the country for two long years. Feeney, a hardened Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, abandons his post to return home and reunite with his ...
Style:
suspenseful, bleak, exciting, intense
Plot:
poverty, deserter, british colonialism, starvation, manhunt, revenge, hunger, firing squad, oppression, injustice, brutality, death ...
Time:
19th century, 1840s, victorian era
Place:
ireland
Is relevant ?
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Genre: Drama
Country: UK, France, Belgium
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
A story exploring the issue of hardship in modern-day Britain through a young couple scraping to get by in a casual jobs market. A hard-up delivery driver and his carer wife are pushed to breaking point as they struggle to keep their family afloat ...
Style:
psychological, sincere, disturbing, realistic, inspirational ...
Plot:
poverty, working class, father daughter relationship, social realism, teenage boy, father son relationship, bus, job interview, couples, adaptation, life is a bitch, dishonesty ...
Time:
2010s, year 2008, year 1984, year 1996
Place:
united kingdom
Is relevant ?
831K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
Style:
exciting, captivating, tragic ending, psychological, disturbing ...
Plot:
wealthy family, social satire, poverty, basement, scam, class differences, scheme, plot twist, suspense, tutor, poor family, wealth ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
south korea, india, seoul, asia
Is relevant ?
22K
Genre: Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Brazil, Germany
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Set in Brazil, three kids who make a discovery in a garbage dump soon find themselves running from the cops and trying to right a terrible wrong.
Style:
emotional, captivating, intense, touching, road movie ...
Audience:
kids
Plot:
poverty, children, slum, police corruption, mischievous children, friends, coming of age, young heroes, corruption, garbage, teenager, youth ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
rio de janeiro, latin america, brazil
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, France, Belgium
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
A middle aged carpenter, who requires state welfare after injuring himself, is joined by a single mother in a similar scenario.
Style:
disturbing, touching, emotional, realistic, compassionate ...
Plot:
poverty, working class, carpenter, bureaucracy, single mother, homeless, friendship, heart attack, self discovery, immigrants, social services, prostitution ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
england, united kingdom, britain, northern england
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
Style:
depressing, touching, serious, gloomy, atmospheric ...
Audience:
kids, teens
Plot:
childhood, poverty, dysfunctional family, innocence lost, young kid, children, child abandonment, boy, tragedy, coming of age, family relations, greed ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
japan, tokyo, india, asia, california
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama
Country: Hungary, France, Germany, Switzerland
Duration: 155 min.
Story:
A monumental windstorm and an abused horse's refusal to work or eat signals the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.
Style:
bleak, atmospheric, thought provoking, serious, art house ...
Plot:
horse, poverty, survival, nihilism, desperation, family relations, destiny, everyday life, human nature, farm, encounter, isolation ...
Time:
19th century
Place:
turin italy, europe
Is relevant ?
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Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
A young girl overcomes her disadvantaged upbringing in the slums of Uganda to become a Chess master.
Style:
inspirational, thought provoking, captivating, sincere, feel good ...
Audience:
teens, kids, family outing
Plot:
chess, poverty, sport, child protagonist, widow, rise to the top, small town, mother daughter relationship, contests and competitions, team, african american, disney ...
Time:
future, 80s, 50s
Place:
africa, uganda
Is relevant ?
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
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Boyz n the Hood is the popular and successful film and social criticism from John Singleton about the conditions in South Central Los Angeles where teenagers are involved in gun fights and drug dealing on a daily basis.
Style:
thought provoking, disturbing, tense, brutal, bleak ...
Audience:
teens, teen drama
Plot:
hip hop, african american, ghetto, poverty, gang, urban ghetto life, juvenile delinquency, street gang, coming of age, gangsters, rapper, rap ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, 90s, year 1991, year 1984
Place:
los angeles, california, cuba, usa, south central los angeles ...
Is relevant ?
59K
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
Peace in 17th-century Japan causes the Shogunate's breakup of warrior clans, throwing thousands of samurai out of work and into poverty. An honorable end to such fate under the samurai code is ritual suicide, or hara-kiri.
Style:
tense, disturbing, bleak, melancholic, enigmatic ...
Plot:
samurai, suicide, poverty, revenge, vengeance, seppuku, sword fight, courage, tragedy, life & death, rivalry, society ...
Time:
17th century
Place:
japan, asia, tokyo
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 420 min.
TV show
Story:
The series tells the story of Amy Dorrit, who spends her days earning money for the family and looking after her proud father, who is a long term inmate of Marshalsea debtors' prison in London. Amy and her family's world is transformed ...
Style:
captivating, sincere, fairy tale, atmospheric, serious ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
poverty, young woman, life is a bitch, uncover truth, society, secret, rich and poor, money problems, social problems, financial problem, co worker co worker relationship, dysfunctional family ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, regency period, georgian era
Place:
england, europe, london
Is relevant ?
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33K
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
Britain is in the grip of a chilling recession... falling wages, rising prices, civil unrest - only the bankers are smiling. It's 1783 and Ross Poldark returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall to find his world in ...
Style:
captivating, family saga, realistic, saga, serious ...
Plot:
countryside, society, estate, love affair, poverty, love and romance, rich and poor, master and servant, social differences, couple relations, family relations, english countryside ...
Time:
18th century, 1780s, 1790s, victorian era, 19th century ...
Place:
england, cornwall
Is relevant ?
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
A pimp with no other means to provide for himself finds his life spiralling out of control when his prostitute is sent to prison.
Style:
neorealism, realistic, serious, disturbing, talky ...
Plot:
poverty, unemployment, prostitution, prostitute, robbery, family relations, life is a bitch, criminal heroes, couple relations, dishonesty, downfall, father son relationship ...
Time:
20th century, 60s, post world war two, 50s, 70s
Place:
italy, rome italy, tokyo, japan, europe
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Ireland
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
When Agnes Browne's husband died, she discovered something amazing... Herself.
Style:
emotional, sentimental, humorous, melancholic, touching ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
poverty, working class, children, terminal illness, friendship, death, justice, best friend, irish, happy ending, single father, childhood ...
Time:
20th century, 60s
Place:
ireland, dublin ireland, europe, boston
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: France, UK, Czech Republic
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
Oliver Twist the modern filmed version of Charles Dickens bestseller, a Roman Polanski adaptation. The classic Dickens tale, where an orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to ...
Style:
emotional, atmospheric, serious, sentimental, touching ...
Audience:
family outing, teens
Plot:
orphan, thief, poverty, boy, child abuse, corporal punishment, childhood, children, orphanage, child, kidnapping, friendship ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century, middle ages, 1930s, 1830s ...
Place:
england, london, europe
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
Style:
funny, feel good, light, humorous, thought provoking ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
prostitute, stock market, fish out of water, switching roles, manipulation, beggar, social satire, wrongful arrest, wager, millionaire, class differences, investor ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
pennsylvania, philadelphia, usa, manhattan new york city, new york
Is relevant ?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected ...
Style:
touching, enigmatic, compassionate, sentimental, thought provoking ...
Audience:
family outing, manly, chick flick
Plot:
racism, lawyer, courtroom, small town, courtroom drama, single father, legal, rape, childhood, poverty, court, prejudice ...
Time:
1930s, year 1932, 20th century
Place:
alabama, usa, africa
Is relevant ?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Finland, Germany, France
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
The second part of Aki Kaurismäki's "Finland" trilogy, the film follows a man who arrives in Helsinki and gets beaten up so severely he develops amnesia. Unable to remember his name or anything from his past life, he cannot get a job ...
Style:
bleak, satirical, semi serious, humorous, touching ...
Plot:
memory loss, amnesia, generosity, poverty, friendship, robbery, eccentricity, couple relations, starting over, financial problem, haunted by the past, family relations ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
finland, europe, north korea, helsinki finland, estonia
Is relevant ?
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