The 12 Most Recommended Educational Films For Young People
Cinema, at the same time as an art, is a tool that allows us to create and visualize unimaginable realities of all kinds, but also realities that are close to us and that affect us all. In this article we want to talk to you about education, and link this topic with cinema.
Therefore here you will find 12 educational films for young people who can help us work on different aspects of education with them, whether as teachers, mothers, fathers, therapists, etc.
They are films well valued by critics, that provide a diversity of values and that invite reflection on various aspects of reality, even beyond education.
12 educational films recommended for children and teenagers
This is a selection of several educational films for young people, with an explanation of their plot and some insights into why they are interesting to watch, especially with the young population.
As we will see, they are films that address education from different perspectives, and that They highlight values that can be very educational, such as improvement, struggle and perseverance, among others
1. Unforgettable Lessons (1988)
In this film the protagonist is Jaime Escalante, a mathematics teacher at a high school in Los Angeles.
His students do not have many aspirations in life beyond getting a job that allows them to survive but thanks to Jaime they will begin to overcome a series of challenges and show that they have great potential.
2. Forbidden Education (2012)
“Forbidden Education” is another of the best educational films for young people.
It is a documentary film that analyzes, from a critical perspective, what educational models are currently being carried out It is actually a criticism that highlights the deficiencies of the current system and that proposes a new educational model.
3. The Language of Butterflies (1999)
The film takes place in 1936. Its protagonists are Don Gregorio and Moncho Don Gregorio teaches Moncho everything he knows about nature, literature and women. However, a conflict begins when they attack Don Gregorio for considering himself an enemy of the fascist regime, which causes a rift between both characters.
4. The class (2008)
The original title of this French film is “Entre les murs”. The film tells the story of François, a French teacher from a troubled high school in a marginal neighborhood of a French city
During the film we see François’ relationship with his students, as well as his struggle to stimulate their thinking. However, the different cultures that we find in the classroom, as well as the diverse attitudes of the students, will cause conflicts to arise throughout the film.
5. The Wave (2008)
Another of the best educational films for young people, highly recommended to see, is “The Wave”. The story takes place in Germany, where a high school teacher, Rainer Wenger, decides to carry out an experiment with his class progressively establishing a totalitarian regime that ends up getting out of control.
This is a film that will make us reflect – a lot – about politics, dictatorships, rules, control, abuse of power, fear, etc.
6. Not one less (1999)
With a score of 7.7 on FilmAffinity, “Not One Less” is considered another of the great educational films for young people. It tells the story, set in China, of Wei Minzhi, a 13-year-old girl who lives in the mountains, and who is forced to substitute her teacher for a month
He offers him the “reward” of 10 chalks if he manages to ensure that no student leaves school. Wei must confront Zhang, a student he wants to abandon.
7. The Miracle of Anne Sullivan (1962)
On this occasion we bring you a much older film, which tells a beautiful story that values perseverance, effort and perseverance Explains the story of Ana Sullivan, a woman who is hired to educate Helen, a deafblind girl.
It is a very serious case, but we see how Helen manages to gradually improve Ana’s skills, as well as her quality of life, in addition to breaking the isolation in which she lives.
8. It all starts today (1999)
“Today it all begins”, another of the best educational films for young people by the values that it transmits of improvement and effort Explains the story of Daniel, a nursery school director in a marginal neighborhood in northern France.
One day a mother with problems abandons her children there, and Daniel tries to get the neighbors to help him; However, as a result, he is questioned as a teacher, and we see how he puts himself before the situation.
9. The Four Hundred Blows (1959)
Another educational film for young people, also French, is this one by François Truffaut. It tells the story of Antoine, a 14-year-old boy with a very demanding teacher
The plot becomes more complicated when Antoine sees his mother being unfaithful to his father, and as a result he enters a spiral of lies, deciding to escape with his friend René to see the sea.
10. Shinomi’s School (1955)
In this case we bring you a movie that addresses, among others, the issue of disability Yamamoto is a psychology professor at the university, father of two children. One of his children has cerebral palsy and is bullied at school.
For this reason, Yamamoto and Fumiko, his wife, decide to open a special education school. The film, in addition to giving visibility and normalization to disability, tells us about overcoming and fighting.
11. Dead Poets Society (1989)
Another classic, and also considered one of the best educational films for young people, is “Dead Poets Society” by Peter Weir.
The film shows us the story of Mr. Keating, an eccentric teacher with unconventional methods from a private school in New England. Thanks to Mr. Keating, his students will discover the power of poetry and language, as well as the importance of living in the here and now.
12. The Choir Boys (2004)
Finally, the last of the 12 recommended educational films that we will see here is this one by Christophe Barratier. The film tells us shows the story of Clément, a music teacher who starts working as a guard teacher at a boarding school re-education of minors.
There he observes the very repressive system to which minors are subjected. Clément begins with them a task that will go beyond the purely academic, through music and choir, which will end up changing their lives completely.
