Naked Childhood

I Am Sam

December 2001 •English

Sam, a neurodivergent man, has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations as a parent start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. Sam convinces high-priced lawyer Rita to take his case pro bono and in turn teaches her the value of love and family.

Reinventing Marvin

November 2017 •French

Telling the true story of Marvin Bijou, a young boy from a working-class family in a small village, who suffers constant bullying at school and home for being ‘different’ – too sensitive and too feminine. A chance encounter with a drama teacher opens the doors to a world that offers him the chance to escape his situation.

Kes

April 1970 •English

Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence.

Hearts in Atlantis

September 2001 •English

A widowed mother and her son change when a mysterious stranger enters their lives.

White Oleander

October 2002 •English

A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.

Gieselmann

April 2021 •German

How do you become who you are? Through the slights one experiences, believes freelance journalist and author Dirk Gieselmann. One late evening, he is alone in his apartment. His camera is set up in front of him, with which he records himself. In doing so, he first introduces himself personally and announces that he will call three people. In the telephone calls that follow, he confronts his interlocutors with long-ago encounters, experienced ruthlessness and the accusation that they drove him out of the paradise of childhood. That evening, he wants to know what the reasons were for the slights and hopes to be able to make sense of them. He realizes that his childhood has finally come to an end and remembers the world of thoughts that surrounded him when he was a little boy. Then he receives an unexpected call from his family.

The Tree of Life

May 2011 •English

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.

The Song of Names

December 2019 •English

A man searching for his childhood best friend — a Polish violin prodigy orphaned in the Holocaust — who vanished decades before on the night of his first public performance.

Dreamcatcher

March 2003 •English

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.

Here Is Your Life

December 1966 •Swedish

A working class teenager comes of age in 1910s rural Sweden, moving through a series of jobs and romances that gradually shape his future.

The Fabelmans

November 2022 •English

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 see the truth.

Like Stars on Earth

December 2007 •Hindi

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.

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

September 2006 •English

Dito Montiel, a successful author, receives a call from his long-suffering mother, asking him to return home and visit his ailing father. Dito recalls his childhood growing up in a violent neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., with friends Antonio, Giuseppe, Nerf and Mike.

Boy A

October 2007 •English

Freed after a lengthy term in a juvenile detention center, convicted child killer Jack Burridge finds work as a deliveryman and begins dating co-worker Michelle. While out on the road one day, Jack notices a distressed child, and, after reuniting the girl with her family, becomes a local celebrity. But when a local newspaper unearths his past, Jack must cope with the anger of citizens who fear for the safety of their children.

Christmas on Cherry Lane

December 2023 •English

Three couples at different parts of life navigate big turning points in their lives over the holidays.

The Red Balloon

August 1956 •French

A young boy discovers a stray balloon, which seems to have a mind of its own, on the streets of Paris. The two become inseparable, yet the world’s harsh realities finally interfere.

Goodbye to Our Kindergarten

March 2011 •Japanese

One day, five kindergarten children suddenly disappear from a kindergarten in Tokyo, sending their teachers and parents into a panic. The five of them are connecting on trains and headed to an unfamiliar place for some purpose. Before their journey, they had made a promise to each other “not to cry no matter what happens”

The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis

November 2021 •English

A journey through C.S. Lewis’ early life and his dramatic conversion story about his inner conflict.

L'uomo dai calzoni corti

June 1958 •Italian

Salvatore, known as "bread loaf", escapes from Caltanissetta's brewery to find his mother he never met. Before arriving in Venice, he stays in a small sea village where he meets people of various kinds.

Una tarde en la vida de dos niños kelpers

September 2014 •Spanish