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.

The History Boys

1901. The History Boys

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
6.8

20061h 49min

United Kingdom

Director: Nicholas Hytner

The story of an unruly class of bright, funny history students at a Yorkshire grammar school in pursuit of an undergraduate place at Oxford or Cambridge. Bounced between their maverick English master, a young and shrewd teacher hired to up their test scores, a grossly out-numbered history teacher, and a headmaster obsessed with results, the boys attempt to pass.

Themes

Academic pressure, Grammar school dynamics, Lgbt themes in adolescence, Teachers and students dynamics, Class ambition and merit, Headmaster authority, History teacher mentorship

Available on

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

Taxidermia

1902. Taxidermia

Drama Horror Comedy Dark Comedy Body Horror
6.8

20061h 34min

Austria, France

Director: György Pálfi

Set over three generations and beginning with a sexually frustrated orderly during WWII who relieves his tensions in the most outlandish, gross ways. The result of his liaison is a glutton who grows up to be a champion speed eater. He produces a child who becomes obsessed with taxidermy.

Themes

Body as spectacle, Obsession with consumption, Father-son dynamic, Satire of sport obsession, Voyeurism and depravity, Absurdist humor

Available on

Here TV
Here TV  Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Nativity Story

1903. The Nativity Story

Drama Historical Drama
6.8

20061h 41min

United States

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Mary and Joseph make the hard journey to Bethlehem for a blessed event in this retelling of the Nativity story. This meticulously researched and visually lush adaptation of the biblical tale follows the pair on their arduous path to their arrival in a small village, where they find shelter in a quiet manger and Jesus is born.

Themes

Family resilience under threat, Migration for shelter, Religion under political pressure, Divine signs and doubt, Hope amid danger, Messianic expectation and mystery

Available on

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

K-PAX

1904. K-PAX

Science Fiction Drama Mystery Alien Contact Sci-Fi Psychological Drama
7.4

20012h

Germany, United Kingdom

Director: Iain Softley

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.

Themes

Perception versus reality, Belief under scrutiny, Trauma and coping mechanisms, Imagination versus evidence, Care under doubt, Duty of care under pressure

Available on

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

The Devil's Backbone

1905. The Devil's Backbone

Fantasy Drama Horror Thriller Supernatural Fantasy
7.4

20011h 48min

Spain, Mexico

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Spain, 1939. In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, the young Carlos arrives at the Santa Lucía orphanage, where he will make friends and enemies as he follows the quiet footsteps of a mysterious presence eager for revenge.

Themes

Trauma and memory, Political repression, Institutional vulnerability, Isolation and danger, Survival within wartime, Loyalty under stress

Available on

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

Life as a House

1906. Life as a House

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.4

20012h 5min

United States

Director: Irwin Winkler

When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.

Themes

Terminal illness catalyst, Building as renewal, Intergenerational responsibility, Neighborhood interference, Parental alienation, Betrayal of trust, Financial strain

Available on

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

In the Bedroom

1907. In the Bedroom

Drama Thriller Family Drama Domestic Thriller
7.4

20012h 11min

United States

Director: Todd Field

Summertime on the coast of Maine, "In the Bedroom" centers on the inner dynamics of a family in transition. Matt Fowler is a doctor practicing in his native Maine and is married to New York born Ruth Fowler, a music teacher. His son is involved in a love affair with a local single mother. As the beauty of Maine's brief and fleeting summer comes to an end, these characters find themselves in the midst of unimaginable tragedy.

Themes

Family fracture, Age difference, Domestic tension, Legal ambiguity, Grief and isolation, Violence and aftermath

Available on

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

Sling Blade

1908. Sling Blade

Drama
8.0

19962h 15min

United States

Director: Billy Bob Thornton

Karl Childers, a mentally disabled man, has been in the custody of the state mental hospital since the age of 12 for killing his mother and her lover. Although thoroughly institutionalized, he is deemed fit to be released into the outside world.


Secrets & Lies

1909. Secrets & Lies

Drama
8.0

19962h 22min

United Kingdom, France

Director: Mike Leigh

After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense, a successful black optometrist, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to Cynthia, a working class white woman.


Syriana

1910. Syriana

Drama Thriller Political Drama Political Thriller
6.9

20052h 8min

United States

Director: Stephen Gaghan

The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman, a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.

Themes

Oil geopolitics, Deception and influence, State power and policy, Diversification vs dependency, Corporate manipulation, Global energy markets

Available on

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