6. Five Feet High and Rising
Like another entry further down the list, this is a film about inner city youth. ‘Film’ might not be the right term, however, as Five Feet High and Rising is actually a thirty minute short and you can watch it in full above. Written and directed by NYU graduate Peter Sollett, it follows a group of teens hanging out in the streets, one of whom is about to enter his first mature relationship.
Sollett later adapted the short into a feature film called Raising Victor Vargas which, while also great, feels slightly more contrived than this earlier, unfiltered version of the story.