Movies Like Small Beginnings

If you liked Small Beginnings, a movie directed by Michael Irwin, 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
I Am David (2003)
★ 6.8/10
A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a…
2
Dalíland (2022)
★ 5.9/10
In 1973, a young gallery assistant goes on a wild adventure behind the scenes as he helps aging genius Salvador Dali prepare for a big show in New York.
3
Art School Confidential (2006)
★ 6.1/10
Starting from childhood attempts at illustration, the protagonist pursues his true obsession to art school. But as he learns how the art world really works, he finds that he must adapt his vision to the reality that…
4
The Art of Getting By (2011)
★ 6.6/10
George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who's made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred…
5
David Lynch: The Art Life (2017)
★ 7/10
An intimate journey through the formative years of David Lynch's life. From his idyllic upbringing in small town America to the dark streets of Philadelphia, we follow Lynch as he traces the events that have helped to…
6
All Eyez on Me (2017)
★ 6.7/10
All Eyez on Me chronicles the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist, actor, poet and activist, as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row…
7
I Am Heath Ledger (2017)
★ 7.4/10
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
8
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026)
★ 7.2/10
An inside look at the years of effort and craft that went into the final installment of the Duffer Brothers' generation-defining series.
9
Made in Italy (2020)
★ 6/10
A bohemian artist travels from London to Italy with his estranged son to sell the house they inherited from his late wife.
10
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)
★ 7.5/10
Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.
11
Jobs (2013)
★ 6.1/10
The story of Steve Jobs' ascension from college dropout into one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century.
12
The Fabelmans (2022)
★ 7.5/10
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him…
13
Killing Bono (2011)
★ 6.2/10
The true story of Neil and Ivan McCormick, two Irish brothers who attempt to become rock stars but can only look on as their high school friends U2 become the biggest band in the world.
14
The Children Act (2018)
★ 6.6/10
In the midst of a marital crisis, a High Court judge must decide if she should order a life-saving blood transfusion for a teen with cancer despite his family's refusal to accept medical treatment for religious reasons.
15
Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy (2011)
★ 6.2/10
Broadly considered a brand that inspires fervour and defines cool consumerism, Apple has become one of the biggest corporations in the world, fuelled by game-changing products that tap into modern desires. Its leader…
16
Paperhouse (1988)
★ 6.5/10
A young girl lost in the loneliness and boredom of reality finds solace in an ill boy, whom she can visit in a surreal dream world that she drew in her school composition book.
17
56 Up (2012)
★ 7.2/10
When a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their attitudes towards life. While the upper class children were confident…
18
The Longest Ride (2015)
★ 7.6/10
The lives of a young couple intertwine with a much older man as he reflects back on a lost love while he's trapped in an automobile crash.
19
Richard Jewell (2019)
★ 7.4/10
Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime…
20
All the Empty Rooms (2025)
★ 7.2/10
A journalist and a photographer set out to memorialize the bedrooms left behind by children killed in school shootings.