20 Best Movies About Troubled Youth That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Interested in watching a film about a young person going through a crisis? To your benefit, you’ve found your way here. Some of the best films about disobedient teens are collected here for your education and entertainment.

It’s difficult to find Netflix or Amazon movies on problematic adolescents that are suitable and good. In light of this, we’ve put together a list of the best delinquent-themed films. Interested in watching one of the best movies about disturbed teens? Here are the top five choices.

20. Thirteen

 

This is the narrative of Tracy Freeland, a thirteen-year-old high school student. It wasn’t long before Tracy’s life spiraled out of control after she met Evie Zamora. By separating the two, Melanie Freeland tries to stop Tracy’s way of life from continuing.

Catherine Hardwicke is the director of this picture. The cast includes Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Nikki Reed, Jeremy Sisto, Brady Corbet, Deborah Kara Unger, and more. In my opinion, it’s one of the best films about disturbed teens.

19. Cruel Story of Youth

For easy money, young college couples Kiyoshi Fujii and Makoto Shinjo go for middle-aged men who are easily seduced by Makoto’s charms and then blackmail them into giving them something they don’t want. They become increasingly callous as their dissatisfaction with the constrained reality around them grows. This Japanese film about delinquent teenagers is quite good.

In its original title, Seishun Zankoku Monogatari, Nagisa shima directed the picture. Starring Ysuke Kawazu, Miyuki Kuwano, Yoshiko Kuga, Fumio Watanabe, and other actors and actresses It’s one of the best movies about adolescent delinquency ever made.

18. The Outsiders – Movies About Rebellious Youth

This is a narrative about a working-class, low-income Oklahoma teen gang and a rival gang. When a gang member from one side kills a member of the other, tensions between the poor Greasers and the wealthy Socs heat up. One of the “coming of age” movies portraying gang violence and teen delinquency.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and based on the novel by S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Leif Garrett, and others appear in this film. I think it’s an excellent film about a group of teenagers who are in difficulty.

17. River’s Edge

Samson, a young man from Northern California, kills his lover, Jamie, and leaves her naked body on the bank of a nearby river. No, he doesn’t run away; instead, he drags his friends up to where they can see her lifeless body. To protect their friend, Layne tries to frighten the kids into silence. The others, in particular Matt and Clarissa, are baffled by the heart’s actions, and a police officer should be consulted.

This is one of Tim Hunter’s best crime films concerning dysfunctional children. Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Roxana Zal, Daniel Roebuck, Ione Skye Leitch, Joshua Miller, Dennis Hopper, and others star. Delinquent teenagers will enjoy this film. Definitely worth seeing.

16. Brick

Brendan Frye, a desolate adolescent, is the focus of the film. To make a long tale short, he finds the body of his ex-girlfriend Emily Kostich in a tunnel and then recalls their phone conversation from two days prior, during which she expressed concern about her current condition. Despite the fact that he no longer loves her, Brendan hides Emily’s corpse in the tunnel. He travels into the criminal underbelly of a high school crime group to find out what’s going on. It’s a film about adolescence and mystery.

Rian Johnson is behind the camera. A cast that includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matt O’Leary, Nora Zehetner, Emilie de Ravin and others. In terms of films about troubled young criminals, it’s up there with the very best.

15. Carrie

Carrie White, a 16-year-old girl, is the protagonist of the novel. A pious mother shields her from the outside world, making her a reclusive, introverted individual. After being humiliated by her peers during her senior prank, Carrie unleashes her superhuman abilities.

Brian De Palma, the director, adapted Stephen King’s novel Carrie for the screen. This film features a cast that includes Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, Piper Laurie, and Amy Irving. For a film about a troubled teen, it’s one of the best supernatural horror films.

14. Blackboard Jungle

Rick Dadier, a new English instructor, is the subject of the story. One of three new teachers hired by North Manual High School this school year. A few days later, he realizes that the allegations regarding the school’s student-discipline problems are accurate. The students in Dadier’s class react violently when he tries to enforce discipline. Either he must go or he must teach at the school. Whoever Dadier decides to stay with must determine who is truly disruptive.

Richard Brooks, the director, adapted Evan Hunter’s novel The Blackboard Jungle for the screen. Many well-known actors appear in this film, including Glenn Ford and Sidney Poitier. I think it’s one of the best movies about adolescent angst.

13. Rumble Fish

Rusty James is the protagonist of the film. He’s the town’s top thug. His mother has abandoned him and his father is a heavy drinker; school is of no interest to him, and he has few friends. James is haunted by the loss of his older brother, “The Motorcycle Boy,” who has gone missing. His life is forever changed by the events that follow one more gang fight. Delinquent youth are the subject of a Hollywood film.

Based on S. E. Hinton’s Rumble Fish and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the film is an adaptation of the novel. The cast includes Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Vincent Spano, Diana Scarwid, Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, and others. In terms of films about troubled teens, this is one of the greatest.

12. Heathers – Movies About Troubled Teens

Veronica Sawyer, a freshmen in high school, is the protagonist of the tale. She clings to the three most popular girls at school, all of whom are named Heather, in an attempt to keep her sanity amid the social desert of high school. Veronica’s life spirals out of control as she meets Jason Dean, a sociopath who seeks vengeance on her adversaries, whom she refers to as “her closest buddies.”

Michael Lehmann is the director of this picture. Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, and more are among the film’s stellar cast of characters. It’s a dark comedy about a gang of dysfunctional teenagers.

11. Heavenly Creatures

In this tale, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme play major roles in the plot. They first met in 1950 while attending the same Christchurch, New Zealand, high school. They were the closest of friends for the rest of their lives, spending every waking moment together. Families from both sides are becoming increasingly concerned about the young lady’s friendships and relationships. Attempting to end the young daughters’ intense and obsessional love with one of their mothers, they murder the mother.

Peter Jackson, who directed the film, based it on a true story. Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent, and Simon O’Connor join Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, and Clive Merrison among the cast. It’s one of the best films ever made about problematic young people and criminality.

10. Scum

This is the story of a young child named Carlin, who is forced to fight for his life in a British juvenile detention center. Carlin, who has taken responsibility for his brother’s theft of scrap metal, Angel, who stole a car, and Davis, who escaped from an open institution, all turn up in a borstal in a jail van. They’re battling for their lives in the infamous Borstal Reformatory in the United Kingdom.

Alan Clarke is responsible for the film’s direction. Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, Julian Firth, John Blundell, Phil Daniels, Ray Burdis, and many more are among the cast members. You can’t go wrong with this film about a troubled teen’s life. Definitely worth seeing.

9. Elephant – Movies About Delinquent Youth

The plot revolves around two best friends, Alex and Eric, who get obsessed with Nazi symbolism and violent video games. Eric and Alex are preparing for an armed ambush as they go about their everyday routines at high school. It’s a film about teenage crime that deals with psychological issues.

Gus Van Sant is behind the camera. Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson, Matt Malloy, and Elias McConnell are among the film’s many more stars.. Movies about damaged teenagers like this one are some of the best.

8. Over the Edge

The plot revolves around a small gang of misfits. Richie, Johnny, and Claude all choose to remain in the town of New Granada. For the sake of killing their ennui, the kids turn to substances like alcohol and drugs, as well as acts of vandalism and sex crimes. The youths savagely rebel after one of the minors (Richie) is shot dead while being pursued by a cop. Coming of age crime drama with a focus on dysfunctional teens.

Jonathan Kaplan is the director of this picture. The cast includes Michael Kramer, Pamela Ludwig, Matt Dillon, Vincent Spano, Harry Northup, Tom Fergus, and more. It’s one of the best films about teenage crime that I’ve seen.

7. If….

Mick Travis, a rebellious teenager, is the focus of the plot. He goes back to the British public school he attended as a child. In a series of outrages and occasional mistreatment, Mick and his buddies, who are often younger, lose any fondness for these schools. During Mick’s and his pals’ ferocious rebellion, the question, “Which side would you be on?” becomes clearly straightforward. Youth criminality is the subject of this film.

Lindsay Anderson is behind the camera. The cast includes Malcolm McDowell, Richard Warwick, Christine Noonan, Robert Swann, David Wood, Peter Jeffrey, and others. It’s a British crime film about adolescent delinquency.

6. We Need to Talk About Kevin

Kevin Khatchadourian, the film’s protagonist, is a teenager. A high school tragedy landed him in prison. It is not uncommon for Kevin’s mother, Eva, a well-known travel writer, to visit her son in prison, where she works in a travel agency near where she lives. Eva has a hard time feeling affection for her eccentric son. Kevin, on the other hand, is just getting started, and his last performance will blow everyone away. Delinquent teenagers are the focus of this thriller.

Lynne Ramsay is responsible for the film’s direction. This movie has the likes of Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly, and more. Teenage delinquents are the focus of this psychological thriller.

5. Wild Boys of the Road

The plot revolves around two depressed teenagers named Tommy Gordon and Eddie Smith. As a way of helping out their financially strapped parents, they drop out of high school and head to Chicago, where they look for work. Because there are so many other kids just like them everywhere they go, Tom, Ed, and now Sally are always together. They learn that life on the road is more difficult than they had anticipated and they have catastrophes. However, they are able to overcome all of the obstacles and eventually land a job of their own. An all-time great film about dysfunctional kids.

William Wellman is behind the camera. Frankie Darro, Edwin Phillips, Rochelle Hudson, Dorothy Coonan, and Grant Mitchell are among the many celebrities who appear in this film. It’s one of the best movies about adolescent delinquency.

4. Christiane F. – Movies About Troubled Youth

Christiane Felscherinow, a 13-year-old girl from Berlin’s west side, is the subject of this tale. There, she meets 12-year-old Detlev, who is part of an underground drug-experimentation group. It doesn’t take Christiane long to become dependent on heroin. As she befriends a small group of addicts and develops feelings for a drug-dealing male whore, everything in her life begins to fall apart. Adapted from the memoir We Children of the Zoo, this German biopic follows a group of unhappy kids.

Uli Edel is behind the camera. Some of the film’s many notable actors include Natja Brunckhorst, Thomas Haustein, Jens Kuphal, and Rainer Wölk. It’s a film about a troubled adolescent in German. The film’s original working title was We Children from the Zoo at the Railroad Station.

3. Boyz n the Hood

Tre and Ricky are three boyhood pals who reunite in the film. These young people are constantly confronted with the challenges and risks of growing up in an impoverished Los Angeles neighborhood.

John Singleton is in charge of the direction of the film. Some of the film’s notable actors include: Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr. It’s a film about a troubled adolescent coming of age. Definitely worth seeing.

2. Rebel Without a Cause

The plot revolves around Jim Stark, a disturbed adolescent who moves to a new town in search of both friends and foes. With the help of Plato and Judy, Stark establishes a friendship and falls in love with a local young woman. Despite this, Buzz Gunderson considers Judy to be his sweetheart. When Buzz brutally confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the real problems for the new kid begin. Troubled youth is the subject matter of this romance film.

Nicholas Ray is behind the camera. Actors like Natalie Wood and Corey Allen and Sal Mineo and Ann Doran and William Hopper are among the many stars who have graced the screen. Rebellious youth in Hollywood movies has never been more depicted than in this film.

1. The Young and the Damned

The plot of the film revolves around a gang of violently behaving children living in a Mexico City slum. El Jaibo makes his way out of a juvenile detention facility and rejoins his gang. The others gradually corrupt and destroy Pedro as he grows up. A good film about dysfunctional gangs of young people.

Luis Buuel is the director of this film. More than a dozen stars, including Alfonso Meja, Stella Inda and Miguel Inclán among others. Los olvidados, a Spanish-language film with the original title Los olvidados. Youth criminality is the subject of this film.