Movies Like Borstal Boy (2001)

Borstal Boy is a 2001 drama film from Peter Sheridan with a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Hidden Kisses and Giant Little Ones.

Drama

Hidden Kisses

2016

Nathan, 16, lives alone with his father Stephane. A newcomer in high school, he is invited to a party and falls in love with Louis, a boy in his class. They find themselves out of sight and kiss each other, but someone takes a picture of them. Soon, the photo is published on Facebook and a storm overtakes their lives as they face bullying and rejection.

7.5

MagicScore

Giant Little Ones

2019

Two popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.

7.1

MagicScore

Young Hearts

2024

14-year-old Elias increasingly feels like an outsider in his village. When he meets his new neighbour of the same age, Alexander, Elias is confronted with his burgeoning sexuality.

8.6

MagicScore

The Naked Civil Servant

1975

Story of the life of Quentin Crisp, an Englishman who was brave enough to live his life according to his own style even in the hostile days of WW2.

6.6

MagicScore

Billy Elliot

2000

County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.

7.6

MagicScore

Boy Erased

2018

Jared, the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, is outed to his parents at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a gay conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith.

7.0

MagicScore

Beautiful Beings

2022

A teenage boy, raised by a mother who considers herself psychic, takes a bullied kid into his group of violent misfits. As the group’s troubles escalate toward life-threatening situations, an inner voice awakens in the boy and, with the help of his mother and his new friend, he manages to find his own path.

7.1

MagicScore

Moonlight

2016

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

7.4

MagicScore

Paranoid Park

2007

A teenage skateboarder becomes suspected of being connected with a security guard who suffered a brutal death in a skate park called "Paranoid Park".

6.5

MagicScore

#10

Slash

2016

Freshman Neil's Vanguard stories are all he cares about...until he meets the older Julia, who pushes him to put his own fan fic online. When the website's moderator takes a special interest in Neil's work, it opens up a whole new universe.

5.8

MagicScore

#11

Moffie

2020

A young man in 1981 South Africa must complete his brutal and racist two years of compulsory military service while desperately maintaining the secrecy of his homosexuality.

6.6

MagicScore

#12

Close

2022

Two 13-year-old boys spend an idyllic summer together, but their connection is put to the test when they become the subject of speculation at school.

7.8

MagicScore

#13

The Fabelmans

2022

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.

7.6

MagicScore

#14

Any Day Now

2012

In the late 1970s, when a mentally handicapped teenager is abandoned, a gay couple takes him in and becomes the family he's never had. But once the unconventional living arrangement is discovered by authorities, the men must fight the legal system to adopt the child.

7.0

MagicScore

#15

Patrik, Age 1.5

2008

Göran and Sven have been cleared for adoption and they have a possibility to adopt a swedish orphan, Patrik 1,5. But when Patrik arrives he turns out to be someone else, not the little boy they were expecting. A comma had been misplaced, and in comes a 15-year-old homophobic with a criminal past.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

I Am Jonas

2018

When Jonas was 14 he met the charismatic but mysterious Nathan. In addition to guiding him in grappling with his sexuality, Jonas soon confronts something dark and even dangerous about his new friend. Now an attractive, sexually assured adult, memories from this time still haunt Jonas.

6.7

MagicScore

#17

Legendary

2010

A book-smart teenager joins his school's wrestling team as a way to reunite his surviving family members, who split apart after the death of his father, a college wrestling legend, 10 years ago.

6.5

MagicScore

#18

Measure of a Man

2018

A bullied teen experiences a turning point summer in which he learns to stand up for himself.

6.5

MagicScore

#19

Reinventing Marvin

2017

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.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

To the Stars

2019

Under small-town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer’s daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.

5.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Borstal Boy?

The top films similar to Borstal Boy by MovieMagicScore are Hidden Kisses (7.5), Giant Little Ones (7.1), Young Hearts (8.6). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Borstal Boy worth watching?

Borstal Boy holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.1/10 from 49 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Borstal Boy?

Borstal Boy (2001) is a drama film directed by Peter Sheridan, starring Shawn Hatosy, Danny Dyer, Robin Laing.

Where can I find more recommendations like Borstal Boy?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Hidden Kisses Movies like Giant Little Ones Movies like Young Hearts Movies like The Naked Civil Servant Movies like Billy Elliot Movies like Boy Erased

About movies like Borstal Boy

This ranked list pairs Borstal Boy (2001), a drama film from Peter Sheridan, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Shawn Hatosy take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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