Psychological Drama backdrop

Psychological Drama movies

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

Bad Tales

1. Bad Tales

Drama Psychological Drama
6.4
20201h 38min

Overview

In a small suburb on the outskirts of Rome, the cheerful heat of summer camouflages a stifling atmosphere of alienation. From a distance, the families seem normal, but it’s an illusion: in the houses, courtyards and gardens, silence shrouds the subtle sadism of the fathers, the passivity of the mothers and the guilty indifference of adults. But it’s the desperation and repressed rage of the children that will explode and cut through this grotesque façade, with devastating consequences for the entire community.

Themes

Suburban alienation, Family issues, Intergenerational rage, Class envy, Hidden violence, Envy of scholastic success

Available on

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

Nobody Knows I'm Here

2. Nobody Knows I'm Here

Drama Psychological Drama
6.5
20201h 31min

Overview

Memo lives on a remote Chilean sheep farm, hiding a beautiful singing voice from the outside world. A recluse with a glittery flair, he can't stop dwelling on the past, but what will happen once someone finally listens?

Themes

Isolation and longing, Media exposure consequences, Public perception vs reality, Hidden talent vs fame, Memory and voice, Performance and authenticity

Available on

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

The Occupant

3. The Occupant

Thriller Drama Domestic Thriller Psychological Drama
6.4
20201h 43min

Overview

An unemployed executive is forced to sell his apartment. When he discovers that he still has the keys, he becomes obsessed with the family that now lives there and decides to recover the life he has lost, at any price.

Themes

Economic precarity, Invasion of privacy, Obsession and intrusion, Boundary crossing, Loss and recovery price, Manipulation of access

Available on

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

His House

4. His House

Drama Horror Psychological Drama Psychological Horror
6.4
20201h 33min

Overview

After making a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, a young refugee couple struggle to adjust to their new life in a small English town that has an unspeakable evil lurking beneath the surface.

Themes

Confinement and control, Refugee precarity, Assimilation pressures, Racism and isolation, Trauma across borders, Hauntings and debt

Available on

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

Horse Girl

5. Horse Girl

Drama Psychological Drama
6.0
20201h 43min

Overview

A socially awkward woman with a fondness for arts and crafts, horses, and supernatural crime shows finds her increasingly lucid dreams trickling into her waking life.

Themes

Mental health pressures, Dreams and waking life, Trauma and memory, Isolation in relationships, Conspiracy belief, Grief and isolation

Available on

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

Swallow

6. Swallow

Drama Thriller Horror Psychological Horror Psychological Drama
6.5
20201h 35min

Overview

Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife, finds herself increasingly compelled to consume dangerous objects. As her husband and his family tighten their control over her life, she must confront the dark secret behind her new obsession.

Themes

Mental illness stigma, Patriarchal control, Medical deception, Class and privilege imbalance, Domestic confinement, Pregnancy pressure

Available on

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

Only the Animals

7. Only the Animals

Drama Crime Detective Mystery Crime Psychological Drama
7.1
20191h 56min

Overview

On the frozen highlands of southern France, Evelyne Ducat’s polished, secretive life vanishes into a blizzard, while insurance agent Alice believes she’s merely tending to a routine claim and a stolen affair on Michel’s sheep farm. As a body behind a barn, a maze of hay bales, and a sinkhole emerge, their quiet deceptions spiral into an inescapable reckoning.

Themes

Deception in relationships, Crime and consequence, Secrecy and betrayal, Social and moral tensions, Dual lives and performance, Online scams and crime

Available on

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

Crown Vic

8. Crown Vic

Crime Drama Action Police Procedural Psychological Drama
6.5
20191h 50min

Overview

One memorable night in the life of veteran patrol officer Ray Mandel and his trainee, ambitious rookie cop Nick Holland in the LAPD's Olympic Division. With two cop killers on the loose and hunting for more targets, Mandel and Holland must contend with a city about to boil over, as well as Jack VanZandt, an unhinged rogue cop out for payback running wild in their patrol zone.

Themes

Trauma and resilience, Duty under pressure, Police accountability, Loyalty versus legitimacy, Personal history in policing, Power and vigilantism

Available on

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

Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City

9. Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City

Drama Thriller Investigation Suspense Psychological Drama
5.4
20191h 50min

Overview

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain, 2019. Two corpses appear in the crypt of the Old Cathedral. Police officer Unai López de Ayala, an expert in criminal profiling, must hunt down the ritual murderer who has been terrorizing the city for two decades.

Themes

"movie: twin murders: the silence of the white city. genres: drama, Thriller, Drama, Thriller main themes: husband wife relationship, Based on novel or book, Basque country, Spain, Husband wife relationship, Based on novel or book, Basque country, Spain full keywords list: husband wife relationship, Based on novel or book, Basque country, Spain, Serial killer, Co-workers relationship, Twins, Ritual murder, Haunted by the past, Popular festivity, Social prejudice, Traumatized man, Vitoria-gasteiz, Spain. concept analysis: the film explores the cyclical nature of violence and the psychological impact of unresolved trauma on individuals and communities. it raises questions about justice and the moral complexities surrounding vengeance, As characters confront the shadows of their pasts."

Available on

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

The Specials

10. The Specials

Comedy Drama Psychological Drama Workplace Comedy
7.4
20191h 54min

Overview

For twenty years, Bruno and Malik have lived in a different world—the world of autistic children and teens. In charge of two separate nonprofit organizations (The Hatch & The Shelter), they train young people from underprivileged areas to be caregivers for extreme cases that have been refused by all other institutions. It’s an exceptional partnership, outside of traditional settings, for some quite extraordinary characters.

Themes

Caregiver training vs certification, Funding instability and resilience, Oversight pressure and compliance, Autism-focused support networks, Pragmatic care vs formal training, Urban youth empowerment through care

Available on

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