Psychological Drama backdrop

Psychological Drama movies

Drama where an unstable mental state drives the plot: paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, identity breakdown, or psychological collapse.

231. Neverwas

Neverwas
Drama Thriller Psychological Drama Mind Game Thriller
6.5
20051h 43minCanada, United States
Director: Joshua Michael Stern

Overview

Zach Riley is a psychiatrist, who leaves a job at a prestigious university, to take up a job at the privately run mental institution, Millwood. What he doesn't reveal at the time of his appointment is that this was the very place where his novelist father, T.L. Pierson, spent many years of his life.

Themes

Mental illness stigma, Memory and guilt, Father-son legacy, Stories shaping perception, Private institutional setting, Delusion and reality, Schizophrenia experience

Available on

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

232. Proof

Proof
Drama Mystery Psychological Drama Unreliable Perspective Mystery
6.7
20051h 41minUnited States
Director: John Madden

Overview

Catherine is a woman in her late twenties who is strongly devoted to her father, Robert, a brilliant and well-known mathematician whose grip on reality is beginning to slip away. As Robert descends into madness, Catherine begins to wonder if she may have inherited her father's mental illness along with his mathematical genius.

Themes

Grief shaping identity, Authorship and doubt, Illness under pressure, Academic prestige vs integrity, Mentorship under scrutiny, Memory and mathematical work

Available on

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

233. The Moustache

The Moustache
Drama Mystery Psychological Drama Unreliable Perspective Mystery
6.6
20051h 27minFrance
Director: Emmanuel Carrère

Overview

One day, on a whim, Marc decides to shave off the moustache he's worn all of his adult life. He waits patiently for his wife's reaction, but neither she nor his friends seem to notice. Stranger still, when he finally tells them, they all insist he never had a moustache. Is Marc going mad? Is he the victim of some elaborate conspiracy? Or has something in the world's order gone terribly awry?

Themes

Marital strain from deception, Identity erosion under scrutiny, Appearance as social signal, Unreliable social cues, Paranoia and social isolation, Status anxiety in relationships

Available on

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

234. The Matador

The Matador
Action Comedy Crime Drama Thriller
6.7
20051h 37minGermany, Mexico
Director: Richard Shepard

Overview

The life of Danny Wright, a salesman forever on the road, veers into dangerous and surreal territory when he wanders into a Mexican bar and meets a mysterious stranger, Julian, who's very likely a hit man. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever, as Wright is suddenly thrust into a far-from-mundane existence that he takes to surprisingly well … once he gets acclimated to it.

Themes

Midlife crisis, Violence as performance, Deception and complicity, Illicit work ethics, Ambiguous loyalty, Ordinary life disruption

Available on

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

235. Lemming

Lemming
Drama Thriller Mystery Psychological Drama Unreliable Perspective Mystery
6.7
20052h 10minFrance
Director: Dominik Moll

Overview

After the death of his boss's wife, a young engineer faces the sudden psychological metamorphosis of his own wife, seemingly possessed by the soul of the deceased...

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Extramarital affair, Boundary violations, Marital strain, Suburban unease, Psychological metamorphosis

Available on

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

236. Factotum

Factotum
Drama Psychological Drama
6.6
20051h 34minNorway, Germany
Director: Bent Hamer

Overview

This drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of "Factotum" author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Along the way, he fends off the distractions offered by women, drinking and gambling.

Themes

Economic precarity, Urban isolation, Temporary relationships, Exploitation and trust, Artistic pursuit vs distractions, Alcoholism and improvisation

Available on

Amazon Video
The Roku Channel
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

237. Barefoot

Barefoot
Romance Comedy Drama Dark Romance Psychological Drama
7.1
20051h 50minGermany
Director: Til Schweiger

Overview

A hedonistic bachelor - he is his rich family's black sheep - falls for a suicidal mental patient.

Themes

Dysfunctional family dynamics, Mental health stigma, Boundaries in care relationships, Wealth and reputation pressure, Romantic boundary challenges, Road trip as escape

Available on

Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

238. Infection

Infection
Horror Drama Psychological Horror Psychological Drama
6.0
20041h 38minJapan
Director: Masayuki Ochiai

Overview

Infection takes place in a dark, isolated hospital, where one doctors mistake has led to dire consequences for a patient. In a hospital death is just a breath away.

Themes

Institutional cover-up pressure, Mass contagion, Deception under pressure, Fear and moral ambiguity, Care under resource strain, Guilt and accountability in teams


239. The Machinist

The Machinist
Thriller Drama Mindfuck Thriller Psychological Drama
7.6
20041h 42minSpain
Director: Brad Anderson

Overview

To uncover the truth behind his insomnia and the shadowy figure haunting him, Trevor must unravel a conspiracy threatening his sanity. But to save himself, he risks losing his grip on reality. Now he stands on the edge of a decision.

Themes

Deception and misperception, Isolation and perception, Post it notes mystery, Insomnia and paranoia, Guilt and memory loss, Social alienation under pressure

Available on

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

240. The Consequences of Love

The Consequences of Love
Drama Thriller Psychological Drama Mind Game Thriller
7.5
20041h 40minItaly
Director: Paolo Sorrentino

Overview

Every morning in a quiet Lugano hotel, Titta Di Girolamo dresses in the same suit, solves the same chess puzzles, and hides in the same silence, as if routine were a punishment he has agreed to serve forever. But when his gaze lingers too long on the bar’s elegant waitress and the mafia money he couriers demands absolute invisibility, Titta must choose between the safety of his prison and the dangerous possibility of being seen—and loved—at last.

Themes

Money as leverage, Crime networks and coercion, Social isolation and routine, Hidden past, Deception and pawned agency, Monotony vs longing

Available on

Criterion Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.