7 Must-Watch Films About Generational Trauma

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The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) - Apple Tv+

The film explores how the actions of fathers (a motorcycle stunt rider and a cop) impact their sons' lives, highlighting the transmission of trauma and unresolved issues across generations.

Atsushi Nishijima

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) - SonyLiv

This film depicts generational trauma through a multiverse lens, showing how unaddressed familial expectations and regrets affect relationships between a mother, daughter, and grandfather.

Magnolia (1999) - Prime Video Rent

Multiple interconnected stories reveal how past abuses and neglect by parents manifest in the lives of their adult children, underscoring the persistent nature of generational trauma.

The Godfather Part II (1974) - Prime Video

The film illustrates the legacy of crime and violence within the Corleone family, demonstrating how Vito's choices influence Michael's descent into moral ambiguity and further trauma.

The Iron Claw (2023) - N/A

Based on the tragic true story of the Von Erich wrestling family, it examines how the pressures and tragedies faced by the patriarch deeply affect his sons, leading to further turmoil.

Aftersun (2022) - Prime Video

Through a daughter's memories of a vacation with her father, the film subtly explores the impact of his hidden struggles and emotional pain on her understanding of him and herself.

The Glass Castle (2017) - Prime Video Rent

Adapted from Jeannette Walls' memoir, it depicts the lasting effects of a dysfunctional upbringing with a mentally unstable father and neglectful mother on the author's adult life and relationships.

Jake Giles Netter

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