Movies: Social realism

A schoolteacher's reputation is at risk when a video of her speaking up against injustice goes viral on the internet and is misinterpreted....

Using verite conventions, a young couple with a baby and a child are worn away by the monotony of their lives....

This film follows the life of Jacob Kainen, a prolific but often overlooked artist of 20th Century America. From his immigrant upbringing to his rebellious artistic journey in NYC, his leftist ideologies and eventual impact on the D.C. art scene, Kai...

Zoë is a single mother who lives with her four children in Dartford. She is poor and can't afford to buy food. One day her old flame drives by and asks her to go on a date with him. Scared that he doesn't want to go out with her, she lies and tells h...

Speech Day is a bit of a laugh if you are not one of nature's prize-winners. But now that they've finished with school and school with them, what comes next for Ronnie, Wally and Rob?...

At the edge of Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, two women’s lives will intersect – for a brief moment – while trapped in circumstances unforeseen. Between a struggling Icelandic mother and an asylum seeker from Guinea-Bissau, a delicate bond will form ...

In an urban Indian city, A struggling actor battles for his career, but his friend who loses money in a scam deal commits an action that puts both of their lives in danger. The three last days before the incident follows the struggling actor, an ambi...

From the director of Marius et Jeannette, this story of two working-class families is a fable with an optimist streak. A young black man, Francois, is wrongly accused of rape by a racist policeman. The story is told in voiceover by his childhood frie...

As Jordan and his teacher's escalating struggle in their high school class leads to his arrest, the pressures they each bear are revealed....

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Through a haze of smoke, coke, and booze; possible futures, pasts, and presents coalesce chaos inside the mind of a man drifting directionless through life. When your future calls, what will you have to say?...

Claudio is a construction worker living in the outskirts of Rome. He's happily married and his wife is pregnant with their third child. However, a dramatic event comes to upset this simple and happy life....

An arthouse debut feature follows a grizzled ex-con's first day of freedom as he struggles to reconnect with his conflicted son....

After her addicted husband sells their 6-year-old daughter, a mother takes matters into her own hands and sets off on a desperate journey to save her child. Noghreh is a gripping Iranian short film about poverty, addiction, and maternal strength....

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A young immigrant’s life comes crashing down when he gets a distressing phone call from his home country....

In the middle of a Texas summer, plans for a babysitter fall through and six-year-old Caroline is left in charge of her two younger siblings....

Based on real stories, using both actors and non-actors, and filmed on location in Dublin, A Week in the Life of Martin Cluxton (1971) is a rare example of Irish social realism. After years in an industrial school, Martin Cluxton (Derek King) returns...

Under the neon lights of the prostitution area in Ostend's Hazegras district, local residents struggle with their small and big problems. Loneliness overtakes them every now and then. Yet they appear to be more connected then they think....

A headstrong trans teenager is propelled into their hangover when a reckless decision to have sex without a condom triggers an urgent need for the ‘morning after’ pill....