No one knew what to anticipate when Euphoria launched in 2019. Teenage melodrama combined with achingly honest descriptions of abuse, drug use, and the reality of being a trans kid set Euphoria apart and propelled it to become HBO's second-most viewed show of all time.
After the second season, fans are clamoring for more. While you wait for Season 3, satiate your appetite for gritty teen drama with these 15 films similar to Euphoria.
Euphoria was not the first program to combine serious subjects with the accessible backdrop of high school turmoil – numerous nostalgic and contemporary TV dramas and movies do the same.
Plenty of programs have Euphoria vibes, but following Season 2's emotionalyou that "Euphoria Sunday" sensation without having to get totally immersed in a new series.
If you want to return to Euphoria High School but don't want to spend more than two hours, consider these 15 movies.
However, many of these films, like Euphoria, require a content warning for violence, drug use, and abuse.
1. The Outsiders
This 1983 picture, like Euphoria, included a slew of fresh performers who went on to become household names, including Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, and Tom Cruise.
The Outsiders, which depicts a young group dealing with the consequences of their aggression, complements Euphoria's occasionally violent intensity.
2. The Spectacular Now
Like euphoria , this classic 2013 adolescent romance is a dramedy about a popular boy who refuses to grow up and a timid girl who has already done so.
It brilliantly depicts the essence of high school, like Euphoria, in how everything, good and terrible, feels like it will stay forever.
Plus, Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley's chemistry will transport you back to Rue and Jules' love story.
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is ideal for sluggish teen melodrama with a sinister undercurrent. Based on the same-named novel, this unexpectedly serious picture follows Logan Lerman's character Charlie as he finds new friends and learns to be more confident.
The ending twist solidifies this picture as an adolescent drama with a lot to say.
4. Speak
Some of Euphoria's most revolutionary moments depict the range of characters' encounters with sexual assault, from objectification to rape. Speak, a 2004 film featuring a teenage Kristen Stewart, was among the first to do so.
As Stewart's character works through her sorrow and embarrassment after being attacked at a party, the film confronts the largely disregarded reality of sexual abuse in middle and high school. Other mainstream entertainment lacks the honesty of Euphoria, but Speak is an excellent place to start.
5. Beautiful Boy
Chalamet is no stranger to bringing to life stories about the devastation of drugs. He portrays Nic, the main character of Beautiful Boy, who develops a substance addiction issue and attempts to hide it from his family.
The film is also about his father, played by Steve Carell, who tries to support his son.
Only Rue and her mother on Euphoria equal Carell and Chalamet's representation of this heartbreaking journey, from substance misuse to treatment to relapse and back again.
6. Thirteen
Thirteen has an early 2000s vibe to it, but the acting and narrative remain very Euphoria. It does not avoid the intricacies of adolescent drug use and mother-daughter relationships in the midst of trauma.
7. Dope
Two pals become entangled in the high-stakes drama of a local drug dealer in this action-packed adolescent comedy. Although Dope is more funnier, both the film and Euphoria depict the conflict between youth and rebellion when surrounded by a drug culture.
Furthermore, Dope contains several pleasant bike sequences reminiscent of Rue and Jules' brief moments of serenity in Euphoria.
8. Jezebel
If you, like many Euphoria fans, wished for more Kat scenes in Season 2, check out the 2019 film Jezebel, which follows Tiffany, a young lady who begins working as a cam girl.
Tiffany, like Kat, attempts to reconcile her conflicting sentiments about her new employment, but Jezebel is also about Tiffany's experience as a Black sex worker.
The video beautifully visualizes topics of objectification and sex politics that Euphoria is just now beginning to explore.
9. Pariah
In this charming, introspective film, the main heroine Alike, like Rue, explores her sexuality and attempts to navigate difficult familial relationships.
Alike not only deals with her love for a new buddy, but she also tries with expressing her individuality via clothing, which is a fan-favorite aspect of Euphoria.
10. Selah and the Spades
Like euphoria , the attention each episode devotes to the difficulties of female friendship, especially in a high school context, is one of the most underappreciated aspects of this one .
The most popular girl at a boarding school seeks to transmit the torch of authority to a younger student in Selah and the Spades.
What follows is a dark, at times amusing, and terribly honest look at modern high school, which is also maybe the best way to characterize Euphoria.
BONUS
The Way He Looks
Watch The Way He Looks if you're missing the swoon-worthy Fezco and Lexi moments of Euphoria and need a break from the high-intensity sequences.
This Brazilian film portrays Leonardo, a blind adolescent who has a new perspective on life after meeting Gabriel and falling in love. The Way He Looks, like Euphoria, skillfully mixes coming-of-age themes and LGBTQ+ relationships for a powerful effect.
Euphoria may be the first exhibition of its sort, but there are luckily both nostalgic and contemporary films that equal its dark, coming-of-age spirit.