Movies Like Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants
If you liked Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants (2025), a drama movie directed by Bryce Hodgson, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.
- 1
The Short History of the Long Road (2019)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaNola grew up living in a van with her father, Clint—two nomads against the world. When tragedy strikes, Nola must confront the reality of life on the road alone, learning to own her grief, her past, and her new…
- 2
Kids (1995)
★ 6.9/10Also dramaA group of bored, disaffected New York City teenagers spend a day skating, smoking, drinking, partying, deflowering virgins, and getting into fights.
- 3
Thirteen (2003)
★ 6.7/10Also dramaWhen 13-year-old Tracy befriends Evie, the most popular girl in school, her life is turned upside down as Evie introduces her to a world of sex, drugs, and money. But it isn’t long before Tracy’s new lifestyle begins…
- 4
Beautiful Boy (2018)
★ 7.6/10Also dramaAfter he and his first wife separate, journalist David Sheff struggles to help their teenage son, who goes from experimenting with drugs to becoming devastatingly addicted to methamphetamine.
- 5
Closet Monster (2016)
★ 7/10Also dramaA creative and driven teenager is desperate to escape his hometown and the haunting memories of his turbulent childhood.
- 6
Farming (2018)
★ 6.2/10Also dramaBased on the writer/director's childhood, FARMING tells the story of a young Nigerian boy, 'farmed out' by his parents to a white British family in the hope of a better future. Instead, he becomes the feared leader of…
- 7
Where the Day Takes You (1992)
★ 6.1/10Also dramaKing is a young man, but he's already a veteran of life on the streets of Los Angeles. The de facto leader of a group of teenage runaways, King acts as a mentor to troubled kids such as gay hustler Little J and junkie…
- 8
Heaven Knows What (2015)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaA young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.
- 9
Imperial Dreams (2014)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaA 21-year-old reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles.
- 10
The Giver (2014)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaIn a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.
- 11
Magazine Dreams (2025)
★ 7/10Also dramaAspiring bodybuilder Killian Maddox struggles to find human connection in an exploration of celebrity and violence. Nothing deters him from his fiercely protected dream of superstardom, not even the doctors who warn…
- 12
Hounddog (2008)
★ 6.5/10Also dramaA drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
- 13
Pariah (2011)
★ 6.8/10Also dramaA Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.
- 14
Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaBased on a true story. Liz Murray is a young girl who is taken care of by her loving, but drug-addicted parents. Liz becomes homeless at 15 and after a tragedy comes upon her, she begins her work to finish high school.
- 15
Mammal (2016)
★ 6.3/10Also dramaAfter Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the…
- 16
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
★ 7.3/10Also dramaYoung Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American…
- 17
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
★ 7.5/10Also dramaAfter moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a…
- 18
The Good Neighbor (2022)
★ 6.6/10Also dramaA nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and…
- 19
Lady Driver (2020)
★ 6.4/10Also dramaWhen a rebellious teen embarks on a solo summer journey to connect with her roots, she finds herself in a new world, geared up for the ride of her life, and discovers she had the drive in her all along.
- 20
Brick (2006)
★ 6.8/10Also dramaA teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.