Psychological Drama backdrop

Psychological Drama movies

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

251. Elephant

Elephant
Crime Drama Psychological Drama
7.1
20031h 21minUnited States
Director: Gus Van Sant

Overview

Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.

Themes

Peer alienation, Youth violence stakes, Family stress dynamics, Body image pressure, Routine under threat, Media influence on behavior

Available on

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

252. American Splendor

American Splendor
Comedy Drama Satire Psychological Drama
7.4
20031h 41minUnited States
Director: Robert Pulcini

Overview

An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.

Themes

Relationships under ambition, Creative work under constraint, Recognition versus financial reward, Health crisis and vulnerability, Public exposure and pressure, Identity through storytelling

Available on

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

253. Last Life in the Universe

Last Life in the Universe
Drama Action Thriller Psychological Drama Mind Game Thriller
7.5
20031h 52minThailand, Japan
Director: Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Overview

An obsessive-compulsive Japanese librarian living in Bangkok spends most of his days contemplating suicide in his apartment. His life changes when he witnesses the death of a young girl and becomes acquainted with her elder sister.

Themes

Obsessive loneliness, Violence and loyalty, Loss and companionship, Surreal domestic space, Unexpected intimacy, Internal struggle with despair


254. A Snake of June

A Snake of June
Romance Drama Thriller Erotic Thriller Psychological Drama
6.8
20031h 17minJapan
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto

Overview

A woman is being stalked by a stranger. His stalking turns to blackmail when he sends her copies of photos of her in an embarrassing position. Now he controls her and she has to do anything he says. Anything.

Themes

Blackmail and coercion, Sexual awakening under threat, Voyeurism and control, Privacy invasion and exposure, Breast cancer and coercion, Marital strain under manipulation

Available on

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

255. Dogville

Dogville
Crime Drama Thriller Organized Crime Psychological Drama
8.0
20032h 58minDenmark, Finland
Director: Lars von Trier

Overview

A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town, she learns that their support has a price.

Themes

Class inequality, Violence and coercion, Exploitation and labor, Betrayal and complicity, Mob mentality, Moral testing under pressure

Available on

MUBI
MUBI Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

256. The United States of Leland

The United States of Leland
Crime Drama Psychological Drama
6.9
20031h 48minUnited States
Director: Matthew Ryan Hoge

Overview

A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison, a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie, must contend with their own problems.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Youth and accountability, Teacher influence on youth, Family strain under tragedy, Romance amid crisis, Public perception and rumor

Available on

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

257. The Hours

The Hours
Drama Psychological Drama
7.5
20021h 54minUnited Kingdom, United States
Director: Stephen Daldry

Overview

The story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.

Themes

Suicide as turning point, Meaning within home life, Depression and social pressure, Family life versus independence, Empowerment through literature, Homelessness and displacement

Available on

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

258. Antwone Fisher

Antwone Fisher
Drama History Romance Psychological Drama
7.3
20022hUnited States
Director: Denzel Washington

Overview

A sailor prone to violent outbursts is sent to a naval psychiatrist for help. Refusing at first to open up, the young man eventually breaks down and reveals a horrific childhood. Through the guidance of his doctor, he confronts his painful past and begins a quest to find the family he never knew.

Themes

Trauma and resilience, Search for belonging, Care system tensions, Identity through family ties, Guidance versus resistance, Healing through confrontation

Available on

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

259. Adaptation.

Adaptation.
Comedy Crime Drama Dark Comedy Psychological Drama
7.7
20021h 55minUnited States
Director: Spike Jonze

Overview

Charlie Kaufman is a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother Donald. While struggling to adapt "The Orchid Thief," by Susan Orlean, Kaufman's life spins from pathetic to bizarre. The lives of Kaufman, Orlean's book, become strangely intertwined as each one's search for passion collides with the others'.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Twin rivalry and dependence, Writer's block under pressure, Ambition versus integrity, Satire of the industry, Identity through adaptation

Available on

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

260. In My Skin

In My Skin
Drama Horror Body Horror Psychological Drama
6.2
20021h 33minFrance
Director: Marina de Van

Overview

After a disfiguring leg injury, a young woman develops an unsettling secret relationship with her own body in which pain is pleasure, mutilation is love and hungers of the flesh have a mind of their own.

Themes

Bodily autonomy under pressure, Knife as instrument of control, Pain is pleasure, Wound as corporeal boundary, Vernissage symbolism, Self-inflicted injury obsession, Career pressure and ambition

Available on

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