Movies Like Streetwise (1984)

Streetwise is a 1984 documentary film from Martin Bell with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Children Underground and Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer.

Documentary

Children Underground

2001

Children Underground follows the story of five street children, aged eight to sixteen who live in a subway station in Bucharest, Romania. The street kids are encountered daily by commuting adults, who pass them by in the station as they starve, swindle, and steal, all while searching desperately for a fresh can of paint to get high with.

7.4

MagicScore

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

2003

British documentarian Nick Broomfield creates a follow-up piece to his 1992 documentary of the serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a highway prostitute who was convicted of killing six men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Interviewing an increasingly mentally unstable Wuornos, Broomfield captures the distorted mind of a murderer whom the state of Florida deems of sound mind -- and therefore fit to execute. Throughout the film, Broomfield includes footage of his testimony at Wuornos' trial.

6.7

MagicScore

The Children of Leningradsky

2005

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain an estimated four million children have found themselves living on the streets in the former countries of the Soviet Union. In the streets of Moscow alone there are over 30,000 surviving in this manner at the present time. The makers of the documentary film concentrated on a community of homeless children living hand to mouth in the Moscow train station Leningradsky. Eight-year-old Sasha, eleven-year-old Kristina, thirteen-year-old Misha and ten-year-old Andrej all dream of living in a communal home. They spend winter nights trying to stay warm by huddling together on hot water pipes and most of their days are spent begging. Andrej has found himself here because of disagreements with his family. Kristina was driven into this way of life by the hatred of her stepmother and twelve-year-old Roma by the regular beatings he received from his constantly drunk father. "When it is worst, we try to make money for food by prostitution," admits ...

7.4

MagicScore

Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets

2001

Ali, Kwita, Omar and Boubker are street kids. The daily dose of glue sniffing represents their only escape from reality. Since they left Dib and his gang, they have been living on the portside of Casablanca. They live in constant fear of Dib's revenge. Ali wants to become a sailor - when he was living with his mother, a prostitute, he used to listen to a fairy tale about the sailor who discovered the miracle island with two suns. Instead of finding his island in the dream, Ali and his friends are confronted with Dib's gang. Matters are getting serious.

6.5

MagicScore

Beyond the Blackboard

2011

Inspired by a true story, “Beyond the Blackboard” is about a 24-year-old first-time teacher who makes a difference in the lives of the homeless children she teaches in a shelter’s makeshift classroom. Set in 1987 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this movie tells the story a brand-new teacher and Mom who is given a tougher than expected teaching job and winds up teaching homeless children in a school that is housed in a room and called, literally, The School with No Name. She has some personal prejudicial hurdles to cross before she is able to be a true teacher for these children and of course there are hurdles like the lack of books and supplies.

7.6

MagicScore

Darwin's Nightmare

2005

Africa in the sixties. The Nile perch, a ravenous predator, is introduced into Lake Victoria as a scientific experiment, causing the extinction of many native species. Its meat is exported everywhere in exchange for weapons, creating a globalized evil alliance on the lake shores. An infernal nightmare in the real world that wipes out Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

6.8

MagicScore

Bus 174

2002

Documentary depicts what happened in Rio de Janeiro on June 12th 2000, when bus 174 was taken by an armed young man, threatening to shoot all the passengers. Transmitted live on all Brazilian TV networks, this shocking and tragic-ending event became one of violence's most shocking portraits, and one of the scariest examples of police incompetence and abuse in recent years.

7.3

MagicScore

Perro callejero

1980

An abandoned child steals to survive and has problems when he decides to steal from the priest who helps him.

7.9

MagicScore

Bekas

2012

Two shoeshiner homeless brothers named Zana and Dana live on the edge of survival. They catch a glimpse of Superman through a hole in the wall at the local cinema and decide that they want to go to America in order to meet Superman.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Body Without Soul

1996

A stark documentary about young male prostitutes in Prague, aged 15 to 18, who work the streets, train stations, and clubs. Through candid interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of gay porn shoots, the film explores their lives, struggles, and dreams, touching on themes of exploitation, identity, AIDS, and survival.

6.5

MagicScore

#11

Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story

2003

Based on a true story. Liz Murray is a young girl who is taken care of by her loving, but drug-addicted parents. Liz becomes homeless at 15 and after a tragedy comes upon her, she begins her work to finish high school.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

Himizu

2011

After two teenagers from abusive households befriend each other, their lives take a dark adventure into existentialism, despair, and human frailty.

7.0

MagicScore

#13

Somers Town

2008

Two teenagers, both newcomers to London, forge an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer. Tomo is a runaway from Nottingham; Marek lives in the district of Somers Town, between King's Cross and Euston stations, where his dad is working on a new rail link.

6.8

MagicScore

#14

Young Adult Matters

2021

Se-jin, a high school student, becomes pregnant and gets ostracized by her family and school. While wandering the streets, she meets Joo-yeong, an experienced runaway, and tries to get an abortion with Joo-yeong's help.

6.7

MagicScore

#15

Brave the Dark

2025

When Mr. Deen discovers one of his students has been living out of his car and thrown into jail, he decides to bail him out. Determined to curb Nate’s self-destructive behavior, Deen quickly discovers a host of dark secrets slowly tearing Nate apart. What began as a good deed becomes a desperate fight to save Nate from his own demons. As Nate spirals deeper into despair, Deen must decide how far he’s willing to go to save a kid on the brink of losing everything—even himself.

6.5

MagicScore

#16

Mammal

2016

After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage.

6.2

MagicScore

#17

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.

6.1

MagicScore

#18

The Equalizer

2014

McCall believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when he meets Teri, a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

7.3

MagicScore

#19

Transamerica

2005

A transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

The Whistleblower

2010

Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac discovers a deadly sex trafficking ring while serving as a U.N. peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Risking her own life to save the lives of others, she uncovers an international conspiracy that is determined to stop her, no matter the cost.

6.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Streetwise?

The top films similar to Streetwise by MovieMagicScore are Children Underground (7.4), Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (6.7), The Children of Leningradsky (7.4). Each shares documentary themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Streetwise worth watching?

Streetwise holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 62 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Streetwise?

Streetwise (1984) is a documentary film directed by Martin Bell, starring Erin Blackwell, Dewayne Pomeroy, Roberta Joseph Hayes.

Where can I find more recommendations like Streetwise?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Children Underground Movies like Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer Movies like The Children of Leningradsky Movies like Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets Movies like Beyond the Blackboard Movies like Darwin's Nightmare

About movies like Streetwise

This ranked list pairs Streetwise (1984), a documentary film from Martin Bell, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Erin Blackwell 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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