Tragic Drama backdrop

Tragic Drama movies

A downfall or irreversible loss shapes the story, with painful consequences instead of a clean victory.

Time to Leave

1. Time to Leave

Drama Tragic Drama
7.1
20051h 18min

Overview

Romain, 31, a fashion photographer with terminal cancer, elects to die alone, preparing others to live past him rather than prolong the inevitable with chemotherapy or be smothered in sympathy by those who know him.

Themes

Caregiver burden, Autonomy vs care, Illness and isolation, Fear of dying, Family boundary testing

Available on

Strand Releasing Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A Bittersweet Life

2. A Bittersweet Life

Action Drama Crime Organized Crime Tragic Drama
7.5
20051h 59min

Overview

Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.

Themes

Power dynamics, Loyalty under pressure, Isolation and longing, Deception and cover-up, Risk and retaliation, Vengeance and consequences

Available on

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

Pardon

3. Pardon

Comedy Drama Dark Comedy Tragic Drama
8.1
20051h 34min

Overview

Based on a true event, Pardon tells the tragicomic story of three friends who end up in prison when they are mistaken as members of a terrorist organization. Ibrahim's fear of uniforms makes him runaway whenever he sees one. Because of this, police mistakes him with a terrorist and takes him and his friend Muzo into custody. Fooled by the police during the interrogation they name another friend, Aydin, in hope of saving themselves. As they all end up in prison, they remember the families and lovers they left behind.

Themes

Loyalty under threat, Confinement under pressure, Misidentification by authorities, Coercion under interrogation, Fear of uniforms, Memories of loved ones

Available on

Amazon Video
Turk On Video Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Pusher II

4. Pusher II

Crime Drama Prison Crime Tragic Drama
7.3
20041h 40min

Overview

Tonny is released from prison - again. This time he has his mind set on changing his broken down life, but that is easier said than done.

Themes

Parent child relationship fracture, Prison debt pressure, Substance abuse cycles, Family ties under pressure, Crime and loyalty tension

Available on

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

The Woodsman

5. The Woodsman

Drama Crime Tragic Drama Prison Crime
7.1
20041h 27min

Overview

After twelve years in prison, Walter returns home. His family has abandoned him, save for his brother-in-law. Few know he's a sex offender and pedophile. Walter finds an apartment and is regularly visited by his parole officer. He gets a job at a lumber mill and starts seeing a coworker. Then his new world begins to unravel; as his past becomes known, he strikes up a high-risk friendship with a young girl and realizes that a man loitering near a schoolyard is a child molester prowling for his next victim.

Themes

Stigma of sex offense, Parole supervision pressure, Ostracism after conviction, Workplace rumor and aggression, Self-blame after trauma, Romantic relationship under scrutiny

Available on

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

Vera Drake

6. Vera Drake

Drama Tragic Drama
7.6
20042h 5min

Overview

Abortionist Vera Drake finds her beliefs and practices clash with the mores of 1950s Britain – a conflict that leads to tragedy for her family.

Themes

Class inequality, Moral duty vs legality, Secrecy and risk, Poverty and family obligations, Women's agency under pressure, Punishment as deterrent

Available on

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

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

7. The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things

Drama Tragic Drama
6.2
20041h 38min

Overview

Young Jeremiah lives in a stable environment with loving foster parents until the day his troubled mother, Sarah, returns to claim him. Jeremiah becomes swept up in his mother's dangerous world of drugs, seedy hotels, strip joints and revolving lovers. Salvation comes in the form of the boy's ultrareligious grandparents, but soon Jeremiah's mother returns. Maternal love binds the pair together on the road until Sarah's desperate and depraved lifestyle finally consumes her.

Themes

Child exploitation, Caregiver neglect, Drug dependency, Religious manipulation, Deception and control, Foster care trauma

Available on

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

Imaginary Heroes

8. Imaginary Heroes

Comedy Drama Tragic Drama
7.0
20041h 51min

Overview

Matt Travis is good-looking, popular, and his school's best competitive swimmer, so everyone is shocked when he inexplicably commits suicide. As the following year unfolds, each member of his family struggles to recover from the tragedy with mixed results.

Themes

Substance use coping, Communication breakdown, Parental pressure and withdrawal, Unspoken family secrets, Grief and routine disruption, Intergenerational distance

Available on

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

The Sea Inside

9. The Sea Inside

Drama Tragic Drama
8.0
20042h 6min

Overview

Ramón Sampedro is a ship mechanic and part-time poet left a quadriplegic following a diving accident. Ramón fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life. He develops close relationships with his long-term lawyer Julia and his friend Rosa, who tries to convince him that his life is worth living. Despite his situation, Ramón manages to inspire those around him to live life to the fullest.

Themes

Dignity in disability, Family vs autonomy, Right to die, Advocacy and law, Romance and support, Memoir as testimony

Available on

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

As It Is in Heaven

10. As It Is in Heaven

Romance Drama Comedy Music Passionate Romance
7.5
20042h 12min

Overview

A musical romantic tragedy about a famous composer who moves back to his small hometown after having had heart troubles. His search for a simple everyday life leads him into teaching the local church choir, which is not easily accepted by the town yet the choir builds a great love for their teacher.

Themes

Community pressure, Mentorship through music, Underdog resilience through art, Domestic violence and escape, Suppressed past, Simple life vs ambition

Available on

Amazon Video
Kanopy
Hoopla
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.