Movies Similar to Up Against the System

Chief Rabbi's Emergency Council(1947)

Poignant postwar appeal for Britain’s Jewry to support orphaned Jewish children rescued from Europe.

Where to Invade Next(2015)

To understand firsthand what the United States of America can learn from other nations, Michael Moore playfully “invades” some to see what they have to offer.

Religion and the People(1940)

Documentary by Andrew Buchanan illustrating a time when faith lay at the heart of the British Experience.

138 Pounds in My Pocket: The Story of Hind Al-Husseini - Women, War and Welfare in Jerusalem(2009)

The Whip(2024)

A full-time carer plots a daring heist from the Houses of Parliament, in a bid to thwart devastating welfare reforms known as Independence Credit.

Vaselinetjie(2017)

At the age of 8, Vaselinetjie is taken away by the Welfare and send to the orphanage. It's a strange, hard, dangerous world of rebel children, fierce house mothers,friends, first loves and where she finally finds true self-acceptance.

Death of a Salesman(2000)

Willy Loman is an over-the-hill salesman who faces a personal turning point when he loses his job and attempts to make peace with his family: Willy's long-suffering wife Linda, and Biff and Happy, his troubled sons and his life.

Me and Veronica(1993)

Two sisters share a disturbing family secret.

Benefits(2017)

In a not-so-distant future, Adeel must comply with the machines to survive.

Poetical Refugee(2001)

Like a Candide dreaming of Eldorado, Jallel lands in France, hoping to try his luck. From encounter to encounter, hostel to social welfare group, Jallel will make his way through a Paris of outcasts. Although failing to achieve his hopes, he discovers and shares in the solidarity felt by the destitute. –uniFrance

Strong Women, Weak Men(1968)

After the closure of a coal mine leaves her husband unemployed, Fumiko travels from Kyushu to Kyoto with her daughter Kimiko, and they become hostesses at a cabaret.

The Delinquents(1989)

A small town in Australia, in the late 1950s: Brownie and Lola are deeply in love. But because they are under-age, their parents are against their relationship and try to separate them.

Chafed Elbows(1966)

A day in the life of a young Manhattanite who is in love with his mother, gives birth to $1890 from his hip, and kills indiscriminately.

I, Daniel Blake(2016)

A middle aged carpenter, who requires state welfare after injuring himself, is joined by a single mother in a similar scenario.

Trash(1970)

The movie follows Joe, a heroin addict, throughout his quest to score more drugs. The episodic plot occurs over a single day and centers on Joe's problematic relationship with his on-off, sexually frustrated girlfriend. During the course of the day, Joe overdoses in front of an upper-class couple, attempts to fool Welfare into approving his methadone treatment by having Holly fake a pregnancy, and frustrates the women in his life with his drug-induced impotence.

The Whisperers(1967)

Margaret Ross is an impoverished old woman who lives alone in a seedy apartment and enjoys a rich fantasy life as an heiress. One day she discovers stolen money hidden by her son and believes her fantasy has come true.

Hotel E(1992)

A confrontation of two worlds-- Two rooms, one of which is full of light and colors, the other a monotonous gray.

One Mile from Heaven(1937)

A female journalist travels to a new neighborhood after getting a (false) lead and is surprised by what she finds.

Pennies from Heaven(1936)

Larry Poole, in prison on a false charge, promises an inmate that when he gets out he will look up and help out a family. The family turns out to be a young girl, Patsy Smith, and her elderly grandfather who need lots of help. This delays Larry from following his dream and going to Venice and becoming a gondolier. Instead, he becomes a street singer and, while singing in the street, meets a pretty welfare worker, Susan Sprague. She takes a dim view of Patsy's welfare under the guardianship of Larry and her grandfather and starts proceedings to have Patsy placed in an orphanage.

Cotton Wool(2017)

A single mother suffers a devastating stroke leaving her teenage daughter and 7-year-old son to care for her, testing the family's strength to hold things together as their roles are reversed.