Drama backdrop

Drama movies

Emotional and character-driven narratives that explore the complexities of the human condition and relationships.

Subgenres include: Psychological Drama, Professional Drama, Entertainment Industry Drama.

Adam's Apples

1381. Adam's Apples

Drama Comedy Crime Satire Organized Crime
7.7

20051h 35min

Denmark, Germany

Director: Anders Thomas Jensen

A neo-nazi sentenced to community service at a church clashes with the blindly devotional priest.

Themes

Outsiders in religious spaces, Faith vs cynicism, Rehabilitation under conflict, Violence and accountability, Ideology vs humanity, Authority and belief

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Inherent Vice

1382. Inherent Vice

Drama Mystery Comedy Investigation Mystery Satire
6.6

20142h 29min

United States

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Money as motive, Drug trade networks, Counterculture disillusionment, Militia intrigue and power, Frame and deception

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

This Is Where I Leave You

1383. This Is Where I Leave You

Drama Comedy Family Drama Ensemble Comedy
6.6

20141h 43min

United States

Director: Shawn Levy

When their father passes away, four grown, world-weary siblings return to their childhood home and are requested -- with an admonition -- to stay there together for a week, along with their free-speaking mother and a collection of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. As the brothers and sisters re-examine their shared history and the status of each tattered relationship among those who know and love them best, they reconnect in hysterically funny and emotionally significant ways.

Themes

Dysfunctional family dynamics, Affair shadow over marriage, Sit shiva tradition, Funeral and mourning, Pregnant status tension

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Wish I Was Here

1384. Wish I Was Here

Drama Comedy Family Drama Awkward Comedy
6.6

20141h 47min

France, United States

Director: Zach Braff

Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, is 35 years old and still trying to find a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he'd always dreamed he'd be as a little kid. When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn't find.

Themes

Homeschooling versus private schooling, Economic pressures on education, Faith and practical ethics, Pursuit of uncertain career, Family obligations under stress, Caregiving across generations

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Homesman

1385. The Homesman

Western Drama Revisionist Western Historical Drama
6.6

20142h 2min

United States, France

Director: Tommy Lee Jones

When three women living on the edge of the American frontier are driven mad by harsh pioneer life, the task of saving them falls to the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy. Transporting the women by covered wagon to Iowa, she soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be, and employs a low-life drifter, George Briggs, to join her. The unlikely pair and the three women head east, where a waiting minister and his wife have offered to take the women in. But the group first must traverse the harsh Nebraska Territories marked by stark beauty, psychological peril and constant threat.

Themes

Trauma and resilience, Violence and survival, Authority and betrayal, Gendered duty, Prairie isolation, Frontier independence

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Men, Women & Children

1386. Men, Women & Children

Drama Comedy Coming-of-Age Drama Awkward Comedy
6.6

20141h 56min

United States

Director: Jason Reitman

Follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.

Themes

Parental surveillance and control, Online self-image pressure, Public performance and fame, Tech mediated relationships, Digital temptation and infidelity, Privacy erosion and exposure

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

What would you do on the last day on Earth? With the end of the world only hours away, the self-absorbed James heads to the ultimate party-to-end-all-parties. On his way there, he saves the life of a young girl named Rose who is searching desperately for her missing father. This simple act sets James on a path to redemption.

Themes

Group dynamics under stress, Survival under apocalypse, Crisis-driven decisions, Search for connection amid chaos, Moral ambiguity in emergencies, Illusion of safety

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

When the Game Stands Tall

1388. When the Game Stands Tall

Drama Sports Competition
6.6

20141h 55min

United States

Director: Thomas Carter

A young coach turns a losing high school football program around to go undefeated for 12 consecutive seasons.

Themes

Trauma and resilience, Ethics in recruitment, Work family balance, Legacy versus rivalry, Coaching under pressure, Discipline and brotherhood

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

1389. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

Drama Everyday Life Drama
6.6

20141h 44min

United States

Director: David Zellner

Frustrated with her mundane life, a Tokyo office worker becomes obsessed with a fictional movie that she mistakes for a documentary. Fixating on a scene where stolen cash is buried in North Dakota, she travels to America to find it.

Themes

Alienation in modern life, Pursuit of illusory wealth, Language barrier and miscommunication, Cross-cultural displacement, Obsession with media, Solitary quest and resilience

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Words and Pictures

1390. Words and Pictures

Comedy Drama Romance Romantic Comedy Relationship Drama
6.6

20141h 51min

Australia, Canada

Director: Fred Schepisi

An art instructor and an English teacher form a rivalry that ends up with a competition at their school in which students decide whether words or pictures are more important.

Themes

Words versus images, Artistic restraint vs impulsivity, Education under reputation pressure, Creativity under criticism, Disability and artistic production, Public scrutiny and school politics

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.