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.

JCVD

1621. JCVD

Drama Action Comedy Crime Entertainment Industry Drama
7.0

20081h 36min

Belgium, France

Director: Mabrouk El Mechri

Between his tax problems and his legal battle with his wife for the custody of his daughter, these are hard times for the action movie star who finds that even Steven Seagal has pinched a role from him! This fictionalized version of Jean-Claude Van Damme returns to the country of his birth to seek the peace and tranquility he can no longer enjoy in the United States, but inadvertently gets involved in a bank robbery with hostages.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Family conflict, Career vulnerability, Performative fame, Custody pressures, Media circus

Available on

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

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

1622. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Drama Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Parody
7.0

20081h 32min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Bharat Nalluri

A London governess is fired yet again. With no other option, she lands a job under false pretenses as the personal secretary to an American actress who has come to Britain in search of fame.

Themes

Class inequality, Social climbing, Deception and performance, Gendered expectations, Glamour versus propriety, Love versus ambition

Available on

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

Cadillac Records

1623. Cadillac Records

Drama History Music Historical Drama Music Biopic
7.0

20081h 49min

United States

Director: Darnell Martin

The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

Themes

Racial integration in music, Ambition and exploitation, Gatekeeping in music, Business vs artistry, Opportunity and risk, Urban race relations

Available on

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

Flash of Genius

1624. Flash of Genius

Drama Legal Drama
7.0

20081h 59min

United States

Director: Marc Abraham

In this David vs. Goliath drama based on a true story, college professor Robert Kearns goes up against the giants of the auto industry when they fail to give him credit for inventing intermittent windshield wipers. Kearns doggedly pursues recognition for his invention, as well as the much-deserved financial rewards for the sake of his wife and six kids.

Themes

Pursuit of recognition, Ownership vs credit, Corporate appropriation fear, Patent disputes, Personal sacrifice under pressure, Legal battles

Available on

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

Tokyo!

1625. Tokyo!

Comedy Drama Fantasy Romance Dark Comedy
7.0

20081h 52min

South Korea, Germany

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Three distinct tales unfold in the bustling city of Tokyo. Merde, a bizarre sewer-dweller, emerges from a manhole and begins terrorizing pedestrians. After his arrest, he stands trial and lashes out at a hostile courtroom. A man who has resigned himself to a life of solitude reconsiders after meeting a charming pizza delivery woman. And finally, a happy young couple find themselves undergoing a series of frightening metamorphoses.

Themes

Urban isolation, Media spectacle, Fragile relationships, Creative insecurity, Transformation of body, City anxiety

Available on

Amazon Video
Kanopy
Pluto TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Big Miracle

1626. Big Miracle

Adventure Drama Romance Fantasy Rescue Mission Adventure
6.5

20121h 47min

Canada, United Kingdom

Director: Ken Kwapis

A small-town news reporter and a Greenpeace volunteer enlist the help of rival superpowers to save three majestic gray whales trapped under the ice of the Arctic Circle.

Themes

Public-private tension, Cross-sector collaboration, Wildlife protection under politics, Crisis-driven advocacy, Media-driven mobilization, Resource deployment under pressure

Available on

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

Emperor

1627. Emperor

Drama History War Historical Event World War II
6.5

20121h 45min

Japan, United States

Director: Peter Webber

As the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII, Gen. Fellers is tasked with deciding if Emperor Hirohito will be hanged as a war criminal. Influencing his ruling is his quest to find Aya, an exchange student he met years earlier in the U.S.

Themes

War crimes accountability, Decisions under pressure, Ceremonial power vs governance, Duty under authority, Postwar reconstruction negotiations, Personal loyalty vs public duty

Available on

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

21 Grams

1628. 21 Grams

Drama Crime Thriller Relationship Drama Mind Game Thriller
7.6

20032h 4min

United States

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English émigré; Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife and mother of two girls; and Jack Jordan, a born-again ex-con, are brought together by a terrible accident that changes their lives.

Themes

Class inequality, Family instability, Grief and guilt, Trauma and memory, Bodily integrity, Moral responsibility

Available on

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

The Station Agent

1629. The Station Agent

Drama Comedy Relationship Drama Awkward Comedy
7.6

20031h 28min

United States

Director: Tom McCarthy

When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.

Themes

Loneliness vs connection, Vulnerability and care, Unlikely friendships, Outsider integration, Disruption of solitude, Routine as shelter

Available on

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

Kontroll

1630. Kontroll

Comedy Crime Drama Thriller Serial Killer Crime
7.6

20031h 47min

Hungary

Director: Nimród Antal

A tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, and the fellow ticket inspectors on his team who work aboard the subterranean Budapest Metro. A tale about racing along the tracks, and about a mysterious serial killer. And a tale about love.

Themes

Urban claustrophobic paranoia, Violence and anxiety in daily life, Rivalries and loyalties at work, Routine policing under pressure, Underground pursuit dynamics, Love amid danger

Available on

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