Family Drama backdrop

Family Drama movies

Family bonds at the center: loyalty, duty, caregiving, generational conflict, and hard-won emotional repair.

171. The Hollars

The Hollars
Comedy Drama Romance Romantic Comedy Family Drama
6.6
20161h 28minUnited States
Director: John Krasinski

Overview

Aspiring New York City artist John Hollar returns to his Middle America hometown on the eve of his mother’s brain surgery. Joined by his girlfriend, eight months pregnant with their first child, John is forced to navigate the crazy world he left behind.

Themes

Marriage under pressure, Family bonds under strain, Returning home versus ambition, Illness and caregiving, Pregnancy amid crisis, Siblings and parents dynamics

Available on

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

172. Blood Father

Blood Father
Action Thriller Drama One-Person Army Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller
6.4
20161h 28minFrance, United States
Director: Jean-François Richet

Overview

An ex-con reunites with his estranged wayward 16-year old daughter to protect her from drug dealers who are trying to kill her.

Themes

Parent-child relationship, On the run, Addiction and sobriety, Ex-con reformation, Protective loyalty, Cartel violence

Available on

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

173. Toni Erdmann

Toni Erdmann
Comedy Drama Awkward Comedy Family Drama
7.3
20162h 42minAustria, France
Director: Maren Ade

Overview

Convinced that his daughter has forgotten how to laugh, a father shows up unannounced while she's living abroad and bombards her with outrageous jokes.

Themes

Intergenerational tension, Career versus family, Family expectations, Deception through performance, Work life tension, Personal reinvention

Available on

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

174. Captain Fantastic

Captain Fantastic
Adventure Drama Coming-of-Age Adventure Family Drama
7.8
20161h 58minUnited States
Director: Matt Ross

Overview

Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, beginning a journey that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent.

Themes

Grief and memory, Education vs isolation, Parent child autonomy, Custody and legal pressure, Nontraditional family bonds, Ideology versus pragmatism

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

175. Wiener-Dog

Wiener-Dog
Comedy Drama Dark Comedy Family Drama
5.9
20161h 28minUnited States
Director: Todd Solondz

Overview

A dachshund passes from oddball owner to oddball owner, whose radically dysfunctional lives are all impacted by the pooch.

Themes

Caregiver burden, Unconventional family dynamics, Search for connection, Ethics of animal welfare, Art-world disillusionment, Mortality and loss

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

176. The Fundamentals of Caring

The Fundamentals of Caring
Comedy Drama Buddy Comedy Family Drama
7.3
20161h 37minUnited States
Director: Rob Burnett

Overview

Having suffered a tragedy, Ben becomes a caregiver to earn money. His first client, Trevor, is a hilarious 18-year-old with muscular dystrophy. One paralyzed emotionally, one paralyzed physically, Ben and Trevor hit the road on a trip into the western states. The folks they collect along the way will help them test their skills for surviving outside their calculated existence. Together, they come to understand the importance of hope and the necessity of true friendship.

Themes

Road trip resilience, Caregiver duty, Muscular dystrophy reality, Wheelchair dependence, Disability negotiation, Attachment vs distance

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

177. Hurricane Bianca

Hurricane Bianca
Comedy Drama Satire Family Drama
5.8
20161h 24minUnited States
Director: Matt Kugelman

Overview

A teacher from New York moves to a small town in Texas, gets fired for being gay, and returns disguised in drag to get revenge on the people who were nasty to him.

Themes

Revenge as response, Lgbt visibility battles, Education workplace tension, Concealed identity and disguise, Small-town discrimination, Homophobia and job security

Available on

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

178. Tallulah

Tallulah
Drama Comedy Family Drama Awkward Comedy
6.7
20161h 51minUnited States
Director: Sian Heder

Overview

Desperate to be rid of her toddler, a dissatisfied Beverly Hills housewife hires a stranger to babysit and ends up getting much more than she bargained for.

Themes

Economic precarity, Survival ethics, Divorce and estrangement, Caregiver dilemma, Unconventional family bonds, Deception and subterfuge

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

179. After the Storm

After the Storm
Drama Family Drama
7.4
20161h 57minJapan
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Overview

Ryota is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko and he has an 11-year-old son Shingo. His mother Yoshiko lives alone at her apartment. One day, Ryota, his ex-wife Kyoko, and son Shingo gather at Yoshiko's apartment. A typhoon passes and the family must stay there all night long.

Themes

Gambling debt, Storm sheltering family, Caregiving for grandmother, Divorce and custody fears, Family relationships money secrecy, Writer past glory

Available on

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

180. Term Life

Term Life
Thriller Drama Action Mystery Survival Thriller
5.6
20161h 33minUnited States
Director: Peter Billingsley

Overview

If Nick Barrow can stay alive for 21 days, he'll die happy. Everyone Nick knows wants him dead; Mob bosses, contract killers, and dirty cops. Performing the last act of a desperate man, Nick takes out a million dollar insurance policy on himself, payable to his estranged daughter. The problem? The policy doesn't take effect for 21 days. Nick knows they'll be lucky to be alive for twenty-one hours.

Themes

Family under pressure, Survival under threat, Corrupt authority, Trust under suspicion, Deception and pursuit, Protecting a child

Available on

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