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.

Underground

1971. Underground

Comedy Drama War
8.0

19952h 50min

Serbia, Czechia

Director: Emir Kusturica

A group of Serbian socialists prepares for the war in a surreal underground filled by parties, tragedies, love and hate.


Wicker Park

1972. Wicker Park

Drama Mystery Romance Thriller Relationship Drama
6.9

20041h 55min

United States

Director: Paul McGuigan

Matthew, a young advertising executive in Chicago, puts his life and a business trip to China on hold when he thinks he sees Lisa, the love of his life who left him without a word two years earlier, walking out of a restaurant one day.

Themes

Deception and misdirection, Memory and loss, Appearance versus reality, Romantic obsession under pressure, Urban suspense mood, Choices and consequences

Available on

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

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

1973. The Assassination of Richard Nixon

Drama History Thriller Crime Psychological Drama
6.9

20041h 35min

United States, Australia

Director: Niels Mueller

It’s 1974 and Sam Bicke has lost everything. His wife leaves him with his three kids, his boss fires him, his brother turns away from him, and the bank won’t give him any money to start anew. He tries to find someone to blame for his misfortunes and comes up with the President of the United States who he plans to murder.

Themes

Economic precarity, Disillusion with institutions, Fragile masculinity, Family fragmentation, Desperation and violence, Mental breakdown under strain

Available on

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

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

1974. The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Drama Comedy Romance Entertainment Industry Drama Parody
6.9

20042h 2min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Stephen Hopkins

The turbulent personal and professional life of actor Peter Sellers (1925-1980), from his beginnings as a comic performer on BBC Radio to his huge success as one of the greatest film comedians of all time; an obsessive artist so dedicated to his work that neglected his loved ones and sacrificed part of his own personality to convincingly create that of his many memorable characters.

Themes

Deception in relationships, Artist life vs family, Family relationships under strain, Public persona vs private life, Coworker dynamics, Ambition and personal cost

Available on

Apple TV
BBC iPlayer
Timvision
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Eyes Wide Shut

1975. Eyes Wide Shut

Drama Thriller Mystery
7.5

19992h 39min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Stanley Kubrick

After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.


Boys Don't Cry

1976. Boys Don't Cry

Crime Drama
7.5

19991h 58min

United States

Director: Kimberly Peirce

A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.


Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

1977. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

Crime Drama
7.5

19991h 56min

France, Germany

Director: Jim Jarmusch

A Black hitman who models after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.


The Girl on the Bridge

1978. The Girl on the Bridge

Drama Comedy Romance
7.5

19991h 30min

France

Director: Patrice Leconte

It's night on a Paris bridge. A girl leans over Seine River with tears in her eyes and a violent yearning to drown her sorrows. Out of nowhere someone takes an interest in her. He is Gabor, a knife thrower who needs a human target for his show. The girl, Adele, has never been lucky and nowhere else to go. So she follows him. They travel along the northern bank of the Mediterranean to perform.


Ratcatcher

1979. Ratcatcher

Drama
7.5

19991h 34min

United Kingdom, France

Director: Lynne Ramsay

James Gillespie is 12 years old. The world he knew is changing. Haunted by a secret, he has become a stranger in his own family. He is drawn to the canal where he creates a world of his own. He finds an awkward tenderness with Margaret Anne, a vulnerable 14 year old expressing a need for love in all the wrong ways, and befriends Kenny, who possesses an unusual innocence in spite of the harsh surroundings.


Three Colors: Red

1980. Three Colors: Red

Drama Mystery Romance
8.1

19941h 40min

France, Poland

Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski

Part-time model Valentine unexpectedly befriends a retired judge after she runs over his dog. At first, the grumpy man shows no concern about the dog, and Valentine decides to keep it. But the two form a bond when she returns to his house and catches him listening to his neighbors’ phone calls.