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.

Bad Santa

1981. Bad Santa

Drama Comedy Crime Dark Comedy Con Artist Crime
7.0

20031h 32min

United States, Germany

Director: Terry Zwigoff

You'd better watch out - Santa Claus Willie T. Soke is coming to town, and he doesn't care if you've been naughty or nice. Wille's favorite holiday tradition is to fill his sacks with loot lifted from shopping malls across the country. But this year his plot gets derailed by a wisecracking store detective, a sexy bartender, and a kid who's convinced Willie is the real Santa Claus.

Themes

Deception and disguise, Crime under pressure, Blackmail and extortion, Addiction and self-destruction, Child vulnerability, Protective guardianship

Available on

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

Holes

1982. Holes

Adventure Family Drama Comedy Coming-of-Age Adventure
7.0

20031h 57min

United States

Director: Andrew Davis

After being wrongfully convicted for stealing a pair of shoes, Stanley Yelnats is sent away to Camp Green Lake, a boys detention facility where inmates are forced to dig holes all day in the hot desert sun as a form of character building. But Stanley and the other boys start to unravel a mystery, linked with the camps tough-as-nails warden —and possibly Stanley’s family itself.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Survival under harsh systems, Injustice in punishment, Legacy of misfortune, Authority and accountability, Collective resilience

Available on

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

Pieces of April

1983. Pieces of April

Comedy Drama Family Drama Awkward Comedy
7.0

20031h 21min

United States

Director: Peter Hedges

Quirky and rebellious April Burns lives with her boyfriend in a low-rent New York City apartment miles away from her emotionally distant family. But when she discovers that her mother has a fatal form of breast cancer, she invites the clan to her place for Thanksgiving. While her father struggles to drive her family into the city, April -- an inexperienced cook -- runs into kitchen trouble and must ask a neighbor for help.

Themes

Dysfunctional family tensions, Breast cancer pressure, Urban neighborhood resilience, Apartment building solidarities, Estranged family dynamics, Road trip dynamics

Available on

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

Owning Mahowny

1984. Owning Mahowny

Crime Drama Thriller Con Artist Crime Professional Drama
7.0

20031h 44min

Canada

Director: Richard Kwietniowski

Dan Mahowny was a rising star at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. At twenty-four he was assistant manager of a major branch in the heart of Toronto's financial district. To his colleagues he was a workaholic. To his customers, he was astute, decisive and helpful. To his friends, he was a quiet, but humorous man who enjoyed watching sports on television. To his girlfriend, he was shy but engaging. None of them knew the other side of Dan Mahowny--the side that executed the largest single-handed bank fraud in Canadian history, grossing over $10 million in eighteen months to feed his gambling obsession.

Themes

Embezzlement and fraud, Gambling addiction, Illicit funds and deception, Trust versus betrayal, Secrecy under scrutiny, Routine masking risk

Available on

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

The Girl Next Door

1985. The Girl Next Door

Thriller Crime Drama Horror Psychological Drama
6.5

20071h 31min

United States

Director: Gregory Wilson

In a quiet suburban town in the summer of 1958, two recently orphaned sisters are placed in the care of their mentally unstable Aunt Ruth. But Ruth's depraved sense of discipline will soon lead to unspeakable acts of abuse and torture that involve her young sons, the neighborhood children, and one 12-year-old boy whose life will be changed forever.

Themes

Abuse of authority, Gendered violence, Institutional neglect, Childhood vulnerability, Familial coercion, Trauma memory

Available on

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

Run Lola Run

1986. Run Lola Run

Action Drama Thriller
7.6

19981h 20min

Germany

Director: Tom Tykwer

Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He lost 100,000 DM in a subway train that belongs to a very bad guy. She has 20 minutes to raise this amount and meet Manni. Otherwise, he will rob a store to get the money. Three different alternatives may happen depending on some minor event along Lola's run.


The Thin Red Line

1987. The Thin Red Line

Drama History War
7.6

19982h 51min

United States

Director: Terrence Malick

The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.


Rushmore

1988. Rushmore

Comedy Drama
7.6

19981h 33min

United States

Director: Wes Anderson

When a beautiful first-grade teacher arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an ambitious teenager named Max, who quickly falls in love with her. Max turns to the father of two of his schoolmates for advice on how to woo the teacher. However, the situation soon gets complicated when Max's new friend becomes involved with her, setting the two pals against one another in a war for her attention.


The Red Violin

1989. The Red Violin

Drama Thriller Mystery Music Romance
7.6

19982h 10min

Austria, Canada

Director: François Girard

300 years of a remarkable musical instrument. Crafted by the Italian master Bussotti (Cecchi) in 1681, the red violin has traveled through Austria, England, China, and Canada, leaving both beauty and tragedy in its wake. In Montreal, Samuel L Jackson plays an appraiser going over its complex history.


Lovers of the Arctic Circle

1990. Lovers of the Arctic Circle

Drama Mystery Romance
7.6

19981h 52min

Spain

Director: Julio Medem

As young children, Otto and Ana become best friends, leading to the marriage of Ana's mother to Otto's father. When Otto and Ana become teenagers, they begin a sexual relationship, which they hide from their parents. The two fall deeply in love and seem destined to spend the rest of their lives together. However, their relationship is tested when Otto's mother dies and the two are separated.