Year: 2009
Language: English
Director: Jonathan Glatzer
In 1986, a cynical New York journalist is sent to cover a local hero’s welcome. He unexpectedly becomes drawn into the lives of a group of students grieving the loss of their unique and inspiring teacher. Immersing himself in their world, he finds himself caught in a complex situation involving hidden truths and intense emotions. The students look to him as a potential replacement for their mentor, leading him down a path of unexpected challenges and personal transformation.
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Explore the full timeline and setting of What Goes Up (2009). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.
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Meet the key characters of What Goes Up (2009), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.
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Explore the central themes of What Goes Up (2009), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.
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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Broken adults find purpose by helping troubled youths through shared grief.Discover movies like What Goes Up where troubled adults form unexpected bonds with grieving youths. If you enjoyed the complex dynamic between the cynical reporter and the students, you'll find similar stories of reluctant guides and vulnerable protégés navigating shared pain and personal transformation.
The narrative pattern involves a flawed protagonist, often avoiding their own problems, being thrust into a situation where they are looked up to by younger individuals dealing with a significant loss or crisis. The journey forces the adult to become responsible and engage with their own unresolved issues, leading to mutual growth amid emotional turmoil.
These films are grouped by their central character dynamic—the intersection of adult disillusionment and youthful vulnerability. They share a focus on grief, moral ambiguity, and the transformative power of an unlikely, often uncomfortable, mentorship born from difficult circumstances.
An outsider unravels the complicated secrets of a grieving community.Explore films similar to What Goes Up, where a journalist or outsider discovers hidden scandals within a grieving community. If you liked the theme of a cynical reporter uncovering the truth behind a local hero, these stories of secrets, moral conflict, and uncomfortable revelations will resonate.
The narrative follows an investigator or journalist figure who immerses themselves in a tight-knit community, often united by a recent tragedy or a revered figure. The initial purpose of observation turns into a deeper, more personal investigation as layers of deception, moral failings, and complex relationships are slowly revealed, challenging the community's public facade.
Movies in this thread share a core investigative structure and a melancholic mood centered on the dissonance between public perception and private reality. They are united by themes of grief, hidden truths, and the ethical dilemmas faced by those who expose them.
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Discover movies like What Goes Up that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
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