Psychological Drama backdrop

Psychological Drama movies

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

261. Solaris

Solaris
Drama Science Fiction Mystery Psychological Drama Investigation Mystery
6.2
20021h 39minUnited States
Director: Steven Soderbergh

Overview

A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.

Themes

Perception vs reality, Grief and memory, Artificial companionship, Haunted memory and guilt, Isolation and lack of agency, Ethics of scientific experimentation

Available on

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

262. Far from Heaven

Far from Heaven
Drama Romance Psychological Drama Dark Romance
7.3
20021h 47minUnited States
Director: Todd Haynes

Overview

In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife's life is upended by a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in society.

Themes

Suburban pressure, Marital crisis, Gay stigma, Racial boundaries, Gender role expectations, Rumor and social scrutiny

Available on

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

263. Spider

Spider
Drama Mystery Thriller Psychological Drama Unreliable Perspective Mystery
6.7
20021h 38minFrance, United Kingdom
Director: David Cronenberg

Overview

A mentally disturbed man takes residence in a halfway house. His mind gradually slips back into the realm created by his illness, where he replays a key part of his childhood.

Themes

Perception vs reality, Asylum dependence, Halfway house confinement, Past haunts the present, Memory distortion under stress

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

264. Morvern Callar

Morvern Callar
Drama Psychological Drama
6.8
20021h 37minUnited Kingdom, Canada
Director: Lynne Ramsay

Overview

After her boyfriend commits suicide, a young woman attempts to use the unpublished manuscript of a novel and a sum of money he left behind to reinvent her life.

Themes

Friendship under strain, Performative authorship and ambition, Grief and reinvention, Economic leverage and mobility, Isolation and autonomy, Deception and identity

Available on

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

265. Secretary

Secretary
Romance Drama Comedy Dark Romance Psychological Drama
6.9
20021h 51minUnited States
Director: Steven Shainberg

Overview

A young woman, recently released from a mental hospital, gets a job as a secretary to a demanding lawyer, where their employer-employee relationship turns into a sexual, sadomasochistic one.

Themes

Power dynamics in relationships, Sadomasochism boundaries, Workplace romance and control, Obsession and attachment, Bdsm dynamics, Hospital recovery and dependence

Available on

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

266. Gerry

Gerry
Drama Adventure Mystery Survival Adventure Psychological Drama
6.0
20021h 43minArgentina, Switzerland
Director: Gus Van Sant

Overview

Two friends named Gerry become lost in the desert after taking a wrong turn. Their attempts to find their way home only lead them into further trouble.

Themes

Survival under isolation, Strain on friendship, Trust under pressure, Danger in wilderness, Miscommunication and anger, Dependency and resilience

Available on

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

267. Millennium Actress

Millennium Actress
Drama Animation Romance Fantasy Psychological Drama
7.8
20021h 27minJapan
Director: Satoshi Kon

Overview

Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone forever, the filmmaker could not have imagined that it would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life... but also his own.

Themes

Memory vs forgetting, Pursuit of art across decades, Memory as performance, Story within the story, Surreal dreamlike imagery, Aging cinema and studio decay

Available on

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

268. Dirty Pretty Things

Dirty Pretty Things
Crime Drama Thriller Organized Crime Psychological Drama
7.2
20021h 37minUnited Kingdom, United States
Director: Stephen Frears

Overview

An undocumented immigrant finds a human heart in one of the toilets of the west London hotel where he works with other undocumented immigrants.

Themes

Illegal labor economy, Organ trade coercion, Immigrant precarity, Asylum seeking tension, Passport deception, Illegal hotel operation

Available on

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

269. One Hour Photo

One Hour Photo
Drama Thriller Mind Game Thriller Psychological Drama
6.8
20021h 36minUnited States
Director: Mark Romanek

Overview

Sy Parrish has lovingly developed photographs for the Yorkin family since their son was a baby. But as the Yorkins' lives become fuller, Sy's only seems lonelier, until he eventually convinces himself he's part of their family. When Sy's picture-perfect fantasy collides with an ugly dose of reality, a bizarre and thrilling confrontation ensues.

Themes

Isolation and longing, Affair and deception, Voyeurism and boundary violation, Fixation on an idealized family, Misperception and projection, Consequences of obsession

Available on

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

270. Undisputed

Undisputed
Action Drama Crime Martial Arts Action Prison Crime
6.1
20021h 36minUnited States, Germany
Director: Walter Hill

Overview

Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convicted to a life sentence due to a passionate crime. Iceman Chambers is the heavyweight champion, who lost his title due to a rape conviction to ten years in Sweetwater. When these two giants collide in the same prison, they fight against each other disputing who is the real champion.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Power dynamics in confinement, Spectacle of prison sport, Deception and rumor, Competition and control, Inmate economy and profit

Available on

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