Movies about Troubled teen
Believe it or not, the term “teenager” is a somewhat recent, American invention. First introduced in the 1940s, it didn’t actually take off until the mid-1950s when it became a buzzword for youth within the context of consumerism. Advertisers needed a moniker for those who embodied the youth culture of that era, and began specifically marketing products to that demographic.
For almost as long as the term has existed, Hollywood has provided us with on-screen depictions of teens. But there is a difference between “teen films” and films about teenagers. Nicholas Ray’s 1955 film Rebel bez příčiny is one of the first mainstream depictions of teenage alienation on film and it’s undeniably a classic, but its insistence that teenagers are a social problem to be understood keeps it from being a true “teen movie.” Teen movies approach being a teenager from a uniquely teen perspective, appreciating and validating their lives experiences, rather than exploiting them and portraying them as “the other.”
What’s great is that within this genre framework, there’s actually a lot of flexibility for filmmakers to tell all kinds of different stories. That’s why there are so many sub genres within the “teen movie” genre: teen sports drama (Friday Night Lights), teen noir (Cihla), teen slasher (Křičet), teen Shakespeare (10 Things I Hate About You), and the list goes on. Personally, I’ve always gravitated towards the darker stuff.
On Wednesday, August 30 I’m leading a Film Talk at SIFF to discuss Hollywood’s continuing fascination with, and representational strategies around, teenagers on screen. To help prepare, here are five troubled teen movies that were essential in the formation of this subgenre:
Přes okraj (1979) — Fourteen year-old Matt Dillon makes a blistering screen debut in this cult classic following a group of disaffected teenagers living in the planned community of New Grenada. Ignored and invalidated by the adults in their lives, the kids turn to drugs, booze, and sex for fulfillment. Tensions between the adults and kids boil over, building up to a corker of a finale that I won’t spoil here. Directed by Jonathan Kaplan (The Accused) and shot by Andrew Davis (The Fugitive), this lesser known film is bona-fide classic of the genre and features an anthemic soundtrack by Van Halen, Cheap Trick, The Ramones, and more!
Hranice řeky (1986) — This intense morality play features a killer ensemble cast including Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover, Ione Skye, and Dennis Hopper. The film follows a group of high school friends who are disturbingly unaffected when one of their own commits a brutal murder. One of the lesser known and most-bleak films from this era, the film’s powerhouse ensemble, effectively stark and muted cinematography and thrash metal soundtrack all come together in one of the very best 80’s films of all time.
Heathers (1988) — There’s not a lot about this movie that hasn’t already been said so I’ll keep it brief — without Heathers, the troubled teen movie (and teen movies in general) as we know them would not exist. This cult-classic not only ushered in a darker, more experimental era for the genre but it also turned the genre on its head and set the standard for just about everything that’s come since.
Donnie Darko (2001) — This was my personal introduction to the world of troubled teen and it’s still the one that resonates the most. It wasn’t just one thing. It was all the things. Not only did it provide Jake Gyllenhaal with his big breakout role, it also featured glorious supporting performances from the likes of Jake’s sister Maggie, Jenna Malone, Noah Wyle, and 80s icons Patrick Swayze and Drew Barrymore. The film’s blurring of the lines between the real world and the supernatural one results in some truly mind bending twists and the film’s indelible use of 80’s rock classics resulted in a classic soundtrack (one of my all-time favorites!). In my mind, while a lot of film’s mimicked the ways high schoolers in the 80s spoke, this may be the one that actually captured that voice in the most authentic way. A masterpiece.
Mean Girls (2004) — I’ll admit that I was not a big fan of this the first time I saw Mean Girls but time and multiple rewatches has changed my view on it that helped me realize how off my initial read of it truly was. Feels like one of the last big “teen” movie phenomenons to be released in theaters, as the teen media monoculture that helped produce it was phased out by the 2010s. So fetch!
Check out Jeremy’s complete Troubled Teens on Screen Letterboxd list.
Tickets are now available for Jeremy Cropf’s film talk, The Kids Aren’t Alright, happening August 30 at SIFF Film Center and virtually on Zoom. This Film Talk is associated with BACK2SCHOOL —a 10-film series at SIFF Cinema Egyptian August 25–31—including Heathers a Mean Girls .
- Datum: srpen 21, 2023
- Sdílet:
The Troubled Teen Industry in Film, Documentaries, AND Television
20/20 ABC: A Boy Named Lucas – A 16-year-old gay teen whose mother sent him to a series of Christian-run youth camps that practice so-called “gay conversion therapy” talks about his experience.
Jenny Magill 2021-08-02T11:20:57-07:00
Aaron Bacon – AARON BACON (starring Stephen Michael Kane) is inspired by the book “Help at Any Cost” by Maia Szalavitz, based on the true story of a 16 year-old kid who dies at the hands of malpractice and abuse in the tough-love, wilderness drug-treatment facility.
Jenny Magill 2021-08-02T08:53:34-07:00
Boot Camp – A group of at-risk teens are sent to what they think is a rehabilitation program in Fiji, but it’s really a prison-like camp where kids are abused and brainwashed.
Jenny Magill 2021-08-02T11:32:34-07:00
Chlapec vymazán – Jared Eamons, the son of a small-town Baptist pastor, must overcome the fallout after being outed as gay to his parents. His father and mother struggle to reconcile their love for their son with their beliefs. Fearing a loss of family, friends and community, Jared is pressured into attending a conversion therapy program. While there, Jared comes into conflict with its leader and begins his journey to finding his own voice and accepting his true self.
Jenny Magill 2021-08-02T11:54:07-07:00
Studená voda – A teenage boy is sent to a juvenile reform facility in the wilderness. As we learn about the tragic events that sent him there, his struggle becomes one for survival with the inmates, counselors, and the retired war colonel in charge.
Jenny Magill 2021-08-02T08:58:25-07:00
Congressional “Hearing on “Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens”” – This is the second House Committee on Education and Labor “Hearing on “Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens”. The hearing was held on April 24th, 2008. The history here is that Rep. George Miller (D-CA) requested an investigation into this industry and sent the request to then Attorney General John Ashcroft who refused to investigate dating back to 2004 and earlier. Miller then requested a Government Accountability Office (GAO )investigation. These hearings provided an opportunity for the GAO and others to testify regarding their experiences and findings in regards to false advertising, fraud, and institutional child abuse.
Jenny Magill 2021-08-02T10:34:31-07:00
Krutý návod – Inspired by actual events. The story of 16-year-old Kayla Adams (Kelcey Mawema) whose mother, Karen (Cynthia Bailey) is advised by the school’s counselor to send Kayla to get treatment at a youth residential treatment center after she gets expelled from school. Kayla arrives at the Utah facility on the same day as her roommate Amanda (Morgan Taylor Campbell), a treatment program veteran who knows exactly what the girls were in for. Led by headmistress Miss Connie (Camryn Manheim), the staff uses draconian methods including force-feeding medications, arbitrary punishments, solitary confinement, verbal and physical abuse to keep the students in line. After being pushed to their limits and stripped of their lifelines, including any ability to freely communicate with the outside world, the two young women must band together to survive and fight to expose the abuse before it’s too late. (2022)
The best troubled teen drama movies of the ’80s and ’90s
Teen dramata are as essential to pop culture as action thrillers or horror films; while they might not have the same hyper-focus in entertainment — they certainly have their place. This was a unique time in our nation’s history, with the first generation of latchkey kids. Studios were stepping up to warn the public of the hazards of leaving our youth unattended. There was definitely a concentration of the “lost boys” genre playing out in our cinemas at this time.
If you add the layer of making the teens troubled, angry, and otherwise on the fringes of society — you have a group of films that will undeniably evoke an array of emotions in their viewers.
The 80s and 90s were full of movies that shed light on teens who were everything from romantic and wistful to troubled and murderous. From films like Heathers na Red Dawn — the stories are multidimensional, the characters are multifaceted, and the plot can make viewers feel everything from joy to pain and anger.
While we could have kept going with the list — as the 80s and 90s were ripe with troubled teen dramas, we’ve narrowed it down to a list of 11 solid movies for you to add to your watch list this week.
Vojáčci (1991)
Sean Astin and Wil Wheaton star in this multi-layered story about drug lords, hostage situations, and prep school kids who are just trying to make it to their next class. What they can’t realize when they set off to school for the day is that a next-level terrorist will soon take them hostage, and they must band together to save not just themselves but all of their peers.
Will the boys come together to take on evil, or will they watch it succeed? You can see Vojáčci on Amazon Prime Video to find out.
Ztracení andělé (1989)
In Ztracení andělé, Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys plays a teen named Tim Doolan, who makes a habit of getting into trouble. Acting like a rebellious teen, Doolan is almost begging for his parent’s attention, and the more he acts out, the less they seem to care. Doolan eventually ends up digging a hole more profound than he could have imagined, and he’s thrust into a world of high-level and devious criminals.
What Doolan needs more than anything is someone to take a chance on him, and he might find that in the most unlikely place.
Můžete sledovat Ztracení andělé na Amazon Prime Video.
Red Dawn (1984)
Red Dawn sees Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen as Jed and Matt, respectively, brothers who are forced to stand together against the Soviet soldiers. They must work together with a group of friends to take on the army that stands against them, and it won’t be an easy feat.
Will the boys power through with one another and their new leader, or will they fall victim to the Soviets? You can watch Red Dawn na Amazon Prime Video.
Válečné hry (1983)
When a student sets out to hack into a school computer and change a grade, he soon winds up in over his head, dealing with more than he ever could have bargained for.
Like, way more than he could have bargained for. He soon realizes that it’s now up to him to stop the outbreak of World War III, and all he was trying to do was help a friend pass a class. Talk about a crazy turn of events.
Můžete sledovat Válečné hry na Amazon Prime Video.
Kohouty (1981)
Tom Cruise, Timothy Hutton, and Sean Penn star in Kohouty, a film about the possibility of a military academy being demolished and the fight to secure it.
The cadets see history in the academy, not just for themselves but in those who served before them. The area tells a story; it deserves better. The fight to continue the story is an emotional one, a beautiful one, and a real one. There’s a lot at stake for the Bunker Hill Military Academy, and they’re not going to risk losing it without engaging in the fight of their lives.
Můžete sledovat Kohouty na Amazon Prime Video.
The Outsiders (1983)
The Outsiders is as classic a tale as any other, full of brotherhood, coming-of-age storylines, and loss that breaks your heart. The ensemble cast of Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, and Emilio Estevez was reputedly put through their paces in the casting room. And they were actual teenagers playing teenagers. It’s the kind of movie that almost everyone has seen and holds a different emotional connection to.
The story follows each of the ‘outsiders’ as they deal with emotions higher than ever across personal tragedy and triumph. You find yourselves rooting for each character, seeing a bit of yourself in them, and hoping for a happy ending — even when you know it’s not likely.
Můžete sledovat The Outsiders na Amazon Prime Video.
Vision Quest (1985)
Feeling the pressure of “becoming an adult”, Louden Swain wants to do something meaningful and special — he wants to leave a mark. He soon embarks on a quest to win a title in wrestling, but his opponent happens to wrestle in a weight class 20 lbs below him.
Swain must drop weight very quickly if he hopes to wrestle the defending champion, but he is also on another type of quest involving love and romance. He learns much about life and love in the quest to make his dreams come true.
Můžete sledovat Vision Quest on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Všechny správné pohyby (1983)
Tom Cruise has played some intense characters in his time as an actor, and one of the most emotional and multifaceted is that of Stefan Djordjevic, a high school football star.
Djordjevic is hoping to escape his small town in Všechny správné pohyby, and his big dream is to make it as a football star and is soon put to rest by the one person who should be helping him grow.
Můžete sledovat Všechny správné pohyby on Hulu and see if he can survive the betrayal from his mentor or if he’ll be doomed to his hometown forever.
Hranice řeky (1986)
Hranice řeky is a story highlighting the ultimate test of keeping a secret — and feeling the weight of a serious moral dilemma. When a teenager named Samson tells his closest confidants that he’s killed his girlfriend, he invites them into a powerful downward spiral.
Oh, and did we say he tells them? Well, that was putting it mildly. Samson actually brings his pals to look at his girlfriend’s dead body, and they’re immediately torn between keeping it a secret or turning in the man responsible for the murder. What will be the final straw for Samson’s friends? Will any of them maintain his secret for good? Starring Daniel Roebuck, Crispin Glover, and Keanu Reeves, the infinitely quotable River’s Edge is indeed a heavy film and an emotional watch.
Můžete sledovat Hranice řeky na Amazon Prime Video.
Heathers (1988)
Relationships, gossip, and murder are on the menu in Heathers, the 1988 film that made you think twice about mean girl cliques and vengeful actions. When a student begins questioning her friends’ behavior, she plans to stop the action — but what happens next is a waterfall of consequences and terrible choices, which soon has Veronica in over her head.
Heathers is a coming-of-age movie that most viewers have seen as a cautionary high school tale, while others looked on hoping to be part of a group just like the “Heathers” at their school. Despite all of the, well — less than stellar choices, they were the most popular girls in school.
Můžete sledovat Heathers na Amazon Prime Video.
předměstí (1984)
When a young adult named Evan feels like the world is moving on without him, pushing forward while he gets left behind, he finds solace in an unlikely place. The premise of this movie starts off as something relatable to teens who have felt like they were living on the outskirts of their peer groups, the shadows of society.
As the movie proceeds, things get more intense, and Evan finds himself face to face with issues far beyond the stresses he had before. While his new group of friends gave him a sense of community, it also came with a heavy weight for him to bare.
Můžete sledovat předměstí now on Amazon Prime Video.
O autorovi
Ashley-Marie
Ashley Marie je spisovatelka, vedoucí beatů, fanatička Disney a expertka na Yellowstone. Když své přátele neinformuje o všech novinkách ze zábavy, které zvládnou, pije svou objednávku ze Starbucks – karamelové macchiato, děkuji – a přeje si, aby byla v Disney Worldu nebo trávila čas na Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. Se zaměřením na pozitivitu a laskavost v žurnalistice Ashley píše již deset let a doufá, že vám bude přinášet články i po desetiletí.
We collect Movies about Troubled teen rating based on ratings and reviews on popular services. To collect Movies about Troubled teen we analyze rendition, popular services, comments, people reviews, forum comments and make our own rating. If you think there is a movie missing in the selection, you can leave a comment with the name of the movie that should be included in the selection. Let’s make a rating Movies about Troubled teen together!
