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Movies like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway (1976)

The best movies like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway (1976) are The Christmas Shoes (2002), Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006) and Sound of Christmas (2016). If Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway hooked you with its drama and tv movie, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. The Christmas Shoes (2002)

    Two separate stories mesh - in the first, a young music teacher, Maggie Andrews, begins dying of a heart condition and her son Nathan tries to get a pair of Christmas shoes for her before she dies. In the second, lawyer Robert Layton and his wife Kate are slowly drifting apart and the matter comes to a head during Christmas when Kate takes over for Maggie for the school choir.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  2. Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006)

    A college student must take care of her 7-year-old half sister after the death of their parents.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  3. Sound of Christmas (2016)

    Lizzie is a young piano teacher working at a music school while trying to save enough money for a Steinway piano. The school is gearing up for their major Christmas fundraiser and she has committed much of her time to plan the event. One afternoon, she meets Brad who takes an interest in her playing and asks if she will teach his uninterested teenage daughter. She begins to break through to the young girl, and sparks begin to fly with Brad, but she is shocked to find out that his interest is not solely in her playing, but in the property that houses the music school. She sets out to save the school and the event, but can she work things out with Brad?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  4. Flowers in the Attic (2014)

    After the sudden death of their father, four children face cruel treatment from their ruthless grandmother.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  5. Christmas in Angel Falls (2017)

    Gabby Messinger, a Guardian Angel who has trouble following the rules and is known for meddling in the love live’s of others, is tasked by the Angel Michael to help the town of Angel Falls find its Christmas spirit again.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  6. Death of a Salesman (1985)

    Willy Loman, an aging, failing salesman, struggles to accept reality and his failure to achieve the American Dream.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  7. How Sarah Got Her Wings (2015)

    Good Samaritan Sarah Fitzpatrick has a fatal accident just before Christmas, and finds herself in the lobby before the gates of Heaven. Certain that she will be let in, she is shocked to find that her name is not on the reservation list. However, she is granted the chance to return to Earth as an "angel in training" with the requirement to help a soul in need. Sarah has the 12 days before Christmas to secure her place on the list leaving her in the race for her after-life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

  8. Girl Fight (2011)

    Inspired by a true story, Girl Fight recounts the harrowing story of a 16-year-old, stellar high school student whose life spirals downward when her former friends conspire to upload onto the Internet a shocking video of them beating her up.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  9. Jet Boy (2001)

    A coming-of-age story of a reluctant 13-year-old hustler named Nathan who will do whatever it takes to feel loved.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  10. Where the Day Takes You (1992)

    King 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 Greg. When Heather, a beautiful girl from Chicago, starts hanging out with King and his crew, it changes the dynamic of the gang. However, it seems as though nothing will alter their dangerous lifestyle.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  11. Outrage (1950)

    A young woman who has just become engaged has her life completely shattered when she is raped while on her way home from work.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  12. The Deep End of the Ocean (1999)

    A three-year-old boy disappears during his mother's high school reunion. Nine years later, by chance, he turns up in the town in which the family has just relocated.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  13. Woman of Straw (1964)

    Anthony Richmond schemes to get the fortune of his tyrannical, wheelchair-using tycoon uncle Charles Richmond by persuading Maria, a nurse he employs, to marry him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  14. Each Dawn I Die (1939)

    A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  15. Pitfall (1948)

    An insurance man wishing for a more exciting life becomes wrapped up in the affairs of an imprisoned embezzler, his model girlfriend, and a violent private investigator.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  16. The Reckless Moment (1949)

    After discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  17. White Heat (1949)

    A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. It Always Rains on Sunday (1947)

    During a rainy Sunday afternoon, an escaped prisoner tries to hide out at the home of his ex-fiance.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  19. Flicka (2006)

    Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  20. Johnny Eager (1941)

    A charming racketeer seduces the DA's stepdaughter for revenge, then falls in love.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama

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  21. Mysterious Skin (2005)

    A teenage hustler and a young man obsessed with alien abductions cross paths, together discovering a horrible, liberating truth.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  22. Rosetta (1999)

    Young, impulsive Rosetta lives a hard and stressful life as she struggles to support herself and her alcoholic mother. Refusing all charity, she is desperate to maintain a dignified job.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  23. The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)

    Young Jeremiah lives in a stable environment with loving foster parents until the day his troubled mother, Sarah, returns to claim him. Jeremiah becomes swept up in his mother's dangerous world of drugs, seedy hotels, strip joints and revolving lovers. Salvation comes in the form of the boy's ultrareligious grandparents, but soon Jeremiah's mother returns. Maternal love binds the pair together on the road until Sarah's desperate and depraved lifestyle finally consumes her.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  24. Tilt (1979)

    Tilt is the story of a precocious young girl who is a pinball wizard. Because she does not get on with her parents, Tilt is contemplating running away from home. Skipping school one day, she decides to go to to Mickey's Bar. Mickey, who is Tilt's good friend, helps her set up a gambler for a pinball game. Because the gambler is unaware of Tilt's pinball wizardry, he is easily hustled out of his money. While watching the confrontation, a young man named Neil Gallagher, who is an aspiring musician, is impressed with Tilt's ability, congratulating her after the win. Neil invites Tilt to watch him sing at a rock concert, and after his performance she believes he can become a great singer. Because Neil needs money for a demo tape of his songs, he has an idea of taking Tilt with him and having her hustle would-be gamblers.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. The Pleasure Is Mine (2024)

    Antonio wanders the streets of Buenos Aires in search of money and sex. The magnetism he exerts on the people who cross his path allows him to steal and cheat them. Only his mother, with whom he has a confictual relationship, will get over his feeling of impunity and will push him to leave for a trip to the south of Argentina.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Veronika Decides to Die (2009)

    After a frantic suicide attempt, Veronika awakens inside a mysterious mental asylum. Under the supervision of an unorthodox psychiatrist who specializes in controversial treatment, Veronika learns that she has only weeks to live.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  27. 15 (2003)

    Five troubled teens, abandoned by society and family, form a bond in a world of violence, drugs, and self-destruction, facing harsh realities of modern Singapore.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  28. Tazza: The Hidden Card (2014)

    Dae-gil has been skilled with his hands and has shown a strong desire for winning ever since he was a child. He will succeed his uncle and jump into the world of Tazza, risking his life in competition.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  29. Sigai (2019)

    A pimp must investigate the sudden disappearance of his network’s most demanded prostitute.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. Mardaani (2014)

    A Mumbai police officer's search for a missing teenage girl leads her to the depraved world of child trafficking. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between the officer and a ruthless mafia kingpin.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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Like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway and something else?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway?

The closest matches to Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway are The Christmas Shoes (2002), Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006) and Sound of Christmas (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway?

Start with The Christmas Shoes (2002), the closest match to Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway.

What is the highest-rated movie like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway?

White Heat (1949), rated 7.7/10 by 571 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway?

The Pleasure Is Mine (2024) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway?

Yes: The Christmas Shoes (2002), Hello Sister, Goodbye Life (2006) and Sound of Christmas (2016).

How are movies similar to Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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