1. The Home Song Stories
Tom, now in his 40s, begins to write the memoirs of his 1960s childhood, as the little boy whose mother Rose was a glamorous Shanghai nightclub singer. When Rose meets Aussie sailor Bill, they are quickly married, and she packs up Tom and his older sister May to head for Melbourne. The marriage just as quickly breaks up and Rose moves with the kids to Sydney. After a succession of male friends and little success, in 1971 Rose moves back to Melbourne, in an uncomfortable arrangement living again with Bill – and his mother. With Bill called away to sea, Rose takes up with young Chinese cook Joe, but despair and conflicts over May's relationship with Joe tear the family further apart. Little Tom is deeply hurt, but May's ongoing conflict with her mother takes a respite when Rose tells her daughter about her traumatic teenage years.
It has an average vote of 6.1 on TMDB.
2. Loser Leaves Town
Jose, an eleven-year-old luchador, retreats into a fantasy world until it is infiltrated by a tough 12-year-old girl. He uses his vivid imagination to make it through the toughest weekend of his life.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
3. A Quiet Death (Ήταν ένας ήσυχος θάνατος)
Martha is unhappy with her life as it is at the moment, and among other issues, she has decided to give up her writing career. Along with that decision comes a need to get away from her husband and from her psychiatrist, with whom she has had more than just a doctor-patient relationship. As Martha travels through a deserted city landscape in a storm, the external world reflects something of her inner turmoil. Flashbacks are interspersed throughout the film to enhance the suspense of Martha's inner and outer journey.
It has an average vote of 2 on TMDB.
4. .270
Two childhood friends take a rifle into the mountains, and return with a secret.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
5. Teddy Bear Motel
A young woman travels to the Teddy Bear Motel after seeing it in her dreams. Between the allure of the motel’s portal into childhood and the realities of adulthood, she inevitably needs to make her choice.
6. I'm Really Good (わたしは元気)
A normal day for little Riko at home and at school. A vivid snapshot pervaded by the calm flow of reality that creates an authentic sense of wonder.
It has an average vote of 6.75 on TMDB.
7. I Was Born, But... (大人の見る繪本 生れてはみたけれど)
Two young brothers become the leaders of a gang of kids in their neighborhood. Ozu's charming film is a social satire that draws from the antics of childhood as well as the tragedy of maturity.
It has an average vote of 7.48 on TMDB.
8. The Curse of the Cat People
Amy, the young, friendless daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed, befriends her father's late first wife and an aging, reclusive actress.
It has an average vote of 6.3 on TMDB.
9. Dreamcatcher
Four boyhood pals perform a heroic act and are changed by the powers they gain in return. Years later, on a hunting trip in the Maine woods, they're overtaken by a vicious blizzard that harbors an ominous presence. Challenged to stop an alien force, the friends must first prevent the slaughter of innocent civilians by a military vigilante ... and then overcome a threat to the bond that unites the four of them.
It has an average vote of 5.617 on TMDB.
10. One For My Baby
A romance is played in reverse, revealed through memories brought on by improvisational music.
11. Lost Creek
As they approach the end of childhood, three elementary school kids must brave the woods on Halloween to face a monster born from their nightmares.
It has an average vote of 4.9 on TMDB.
12. Arman & Elisa
An Iranian boy moves to Luxembourg and forms a friendship with a girl with whom he has no language in common.
13. The Tree of Life
The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.
It has an average vote of 6.743 on TMDB.
14. Like Stars on Earth (तारे ज़मीन पर)
Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate. Colours, fish, dogs, and kites don't seem important to the adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks, and neatness. Ishaan cannot seem to get anything right in class; he is then sent to boarding school, where his life changes forever.
It has an average vote of 7.988 on TMDB.
15. The Silence (Il silenzio)
Fatma and her mother are Kurdish refugees living in Italy. One day at the hospital, Fatma learns her mother has breast cancer.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
16. Hearts in Atlantis
A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.
It has an average vote of 6.761 on TMDB.
17. July (Шильде)
One hot summer afternoon, two boys try to earn the cash for a movie in this beautiful evocation of the landscape of childhood.
It has an average vote of 4.4 on TMDB.
18. Tibbits Hill (Tibbits Hill)
If the wind spoke the language of children, what would its voice be? The film tells the story of migrating children that have found refuge from war in an abandoned school, protected from the horrifying whistling of the wind. When one of them disappears, they decide to break the silence and reunite to commemorate the loss.
19. Where Is Dead?
In this quiet, naturalistic dramatic short, six-year old Sarah grapples with understanding mortality after the sudden death of her older brother, David. With the help of her family, she gradually learns how to process his passing and cope with her grief. Written, produced, and directed by Jackie Rivet-River, this short film for Encyclopaedia Britannica Films was awarded the Silver Hugo prize at the Chicago International Film Festival, as well as 12 additional awards internationally.
20. Bobby Beauty Parlour (Bobby Beauty Parlour)
Childhood best friends Eelu and Manu waste their last afternoon together trapped in the local beauty parlour, drinking, napping and fighting.
