2465 Best Drama Movies to Watch (Page 152)

In life and cinema, drama is everywhere. You’ll find it in thrillers, animations, romances, you name it. For entertainment that explores the human experience with sensitivity and sincerity, here’s a mixed bag of the best dramas to stream now.

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2266. Heart of Stone, 2023

Between the film’s non-existent marketing and Hollywood's ongoing writers' strike, I knew not to expect much from Heart of Stone, Netflix’s latest direct-to-streaming outing. And sure enough, the spy thriller proved to be a mediocre watch. The plot is facile and generic, another one of those attempts at justifying AI and government data breaches. The acting is subpar, which is expected from the ever-stoic Gal Gadot. About the only good thing you can say about it is that it has entertaining action sequences. Gadot is precise and terrifying, a stunt wonder made for the genre. Now if only the acting matched the action, then maybe the film wouldn’t feel as plain and wooden.

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller

Actor: Alia Bhatt, Archie Madekwe, BD Wong, Enzo Cilenti, Gal Gadot, Giulia Innocenti, Glenn Close, Jamie Dornan, Jing Lusi, Joe Reisig, Jon Kortajarena, Jónas Alfreð Birkisson, Luca Fiamenghi, Mark Ivanir, Matthias Schweighöfer, Neran Persaud, Paul Ready, Roy Sampson, Sophie Okonedo, Thomas Arnold

Director: Tom Harper

Rating: PG-13

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2267. Geek Girl, 2024

Based on a romantic YA novel, Geek Girl asks us to believe in its unlikely world, where a plain—beautiful, but plain—girl like Harriet can wow a top model scout (to the point where he begs her to join his agency) and have an in-demand fashion designer have her wear her latest design, all while Harriet barely even tries, much less cares, to join. In this world, too, models aren’t gig workers subject to harsh working environments, but wealthy beautiful people flitting by. This sort of premise could’ve worked in the 2000s, but as cute, wholesome, and occasionally enjoyable as Geek Girl is, it’s hard to overlook these ridiculous instances when more effective teen shows are readily available. There are some missed instances too, like when the show could’ve enlightened us on the seemingly nebulous process of deciding who has “the it factor,” because I’m having a hard time understanding why Harriet has got it. She’s not even interesting-looking in the way, say, Anya Taylor-Joy is, or knowledgeable like her friend Nat (Rochelle Harrington) is. She doesn’t strike impressive poses (come on, the lip bite?) or walk decently. I suppose that’s the point of the show; to rephrase Ratatouille, anyone can model. But I wished they gave someone genuinely different a chance.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Actor: Emily Carey, Jemima Rooper, Sandra Yi Sencindiver, Sarah Parish, Tim Downie

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2268. Eye of the Storm, 2023

Eye of the Storm may not directly address COVID-19, but the film clearly draws similarities to the latest pandemic with the 2003 outbreak of the SARS virus. Panic, confusion, and miscommunication over the latest news are shared experiences between the two. These experiences are seen between the interlocking stories of the people quarantined in the hospital, and it’s easy to feel the fear and frustration surrounding them all. The film presents the issues of the overwhelmed healthcare system quite well, but its last moments leave a lot unresolved. While the film figures out the virus’ origin in its universe, the film leaves the healthcare workers’ stories hanging. It understandably reflects the uncertainty present with COVID-19, but it makes the film’s ending feel unsatisfying.

Genre: Drama, Family

Actor: Angel Lee, Chen Chia-kuei, Chia-Kuei Chen, Chloe Xiang, Chun-Chih Huang, Hsieh Ying Shiuan, Jing-Hua Tseng, Lou Yi-an, Simon Hsueh, Tzu-Chien Kuo, Wang Bo-chieh, Yung-Cheng Chang

Director: Chun-Yang Lin

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2269. Crypto Boy, 2023

Crypto Boy may seem, at first, to primarily warn against the allure of cryptocurrency, but at heart, it’s a family drama centered around an ambitious man and his immigrant Egyptian father. The Dutch Netflix film is actually a whole family affair, with writer-director Shady El-Hamus casting his brother Shahine and their father Sabri Saad in a real and relatable struggle between generations. That being said, the film is definitely less interested in the actual cryptocurrency scam presented. It takes such a predictable route that the protagonist comes off as foolish, rather than understandably ambitious. With his parallel to the villain, the film seems like it wants its viewers to empathize with the rich Mark Zuckerberg-wannabe, rather than cathartically put him through the consequences. This makes the film feel as disappointing as the crypto promises, as viewers are lured into the film for this, but come out with another thing entirely.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Aus Greidanus, Hannah van Lunteren, Jonas Smulders, Kendrick Etmon, Leny Breederveld, Loes Schnepper, Manoushka Zeegelaar-Breeveld, Minne Koole, Raymond Thiry, Shahine El-Hamus, Tobias Kersloot

Director: Shady El-Hamus

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2270. Club Hooligans, 2023

Based on the first three episodes watched for this review, Club Hooligans (titled onscreen as Barrabrava) is at its best when it illustrates how disorganized the gang at the center of the narrative really is, especially when their leader's position is threatened. This inherent lack of loyalty and structure contrasts nicely with the stricter culture of family obligation for its lead characters—even though the gang is still where these men find greater meaning. Unfortunately, the show can't quite build as strong a sense of urgency as it thinks, with far too little development happening for both plot and character in the first three episodes. And while the series clearly has production value to spare, its overly familiar gritty style ultimately does Club Hooligans no favors, as it struggles to come up with its own voice and identity.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Actor: Gastón Pauls, Gustavo Garzón, Liz Solari, Matías Mayer, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Mónica Gonzaga, Pablo Alarcón

Rating: TV-MA

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2271. Chastity High, 2024

Chastity High is a lovely concept to begin with, from its basic premise to its episode titles being so unapologetically saccharine. Once you do see an episode and get a feel for characters that are childlike/childish in presentation mixing it up in these adult scenes, it can be tonally confusing who the show’s audience is. Those two extremes aside, the show does present a good mix of money drama and teen drama on the journey back to the flash forward prologue, and overall feels like a light, easy watch with enough storylines to potentially keep you hooked for multiple episodes.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Ai Mikami, Honda Kyoya, Rintaro Mizusawa, Ryubi Miyase, Yudai Toyoda

Director: Ryō Ōta, Soushi Matsumoto, Yuka Yasukawa

Rating: TV-MA

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2272. Bruiser, 2022

As a story, Bruiser isn't the most tightly written thing in the world, with a somewhat long-winded first half and a conclusion that feels too easy given the complicated things we learn about each character. But at its core, it remains impressively perceptive about how men perform their masculinity as a game of aggression and dominance—even if they feel that they're simply trying to protect the children closest to them. Bruise takes on quite a bit of suspense for a drama, as tempers slowly boil over and everybody involved in this supposed battle over who claims authority over a teenage boy reveals themselves to be right and wrong in equal measure.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Frank Oakley III, Gavin Munn, Jalyn Hall, Jay Santiago, Jonah Bishop-Pirrone, Kiah Alexandria Clingman, Moses Jones, Sarah Bock, Shamier Anderson, Shinelle Azoroh, Trevante Rhodes

Director: Miles Warren

Rating: NR

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2273. Betty Blue, 1986

	
Betty Blue looks gorgeous. Of course, as an erotic film, there’s the beauty of the female form, but Jean-Jacques Beineix frames each moment in excellently lit, colorful frames, making each sunkissed scene a pleasure for the eyes. His approach, alongside that of Luc Besson and Leos Carax, have formed a movement titled Cinéma du look, and inspired plenty of films due to how gorgeous this style looks. But frankly, the style is the only thing that makes Betty Blue watchable, as the plot plays out with the usual aspiring artist, whose talents are recognized by stunning beauties that somehow turn insane for no reason and thus become future muses for their work. We’d hate to be that guy’s girlfriend.Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: André Julien, Béatrice Dalle, Catherine D'At, Claude Aufaure, Claude Confortès, Clémentine Célarié, Consuelo De Haviland, Dominique Besnehard, Dominique Pinon, Gérard Darmon, Jacques Mathou, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Nathalie Dalyan, Philippe Laudenbach, Raoul Billerey, Robin Bernard, Simon de La Brosse, Vincent Lindon
Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
Rating: Not Rated

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2274. Bad Education, 2023

With its wildly different shifts between the film’s chapters, Bad Education feels like it doesn’t know what to do with itself, like plenty of newly graduated teenagers. The first chapter holds such visceral revulsion that it first feels like it would be a serious cautionary tale, commenting on how, without guidance, teenagers will led each other astray. However, its next chapter takes a more comedic route as the kids try to escape from gangsters and the police. While director Kai Ko reveals an excellent sense of direction and imagery, his style feels like it’s been wasted on ill-thought intentions and a poorly written script. Bad Education at least has stunning visuals and a short runtime to get through it all.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Berant Zhu, Cheng Chih-wei, Chu-Ping Liu, Edison Song, Hong Yu Hong, Huang Hsin-Yao, Kai Ko, Kent Tsai, Kurt Hsiao, Leon Dai, McFly Wu, Ning Chang, Tzu-Chiang Wang

Director: Kai Ko

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2275. Alexander: The Making of a God, 2024

Attempting to be both a serious, well-researched documentary and a serious, hard-hitting drama is nothing new. Many shows on educational channels like History have long employed skilled actors and directors to elevate their reenactments. But Netflix’s Alexander: The Making of a God doesn’t seem to know where (or when) to draw the line. There is no tonal balance, no tasteful blending of the two; instead, drama and docu are smushed into one incoherent mess. And that’s a shame because, on their own, they could have been worthwhile. The production value and acting that goes into the drama have enough heft to carry it through, while the history and research (though not the strongest) are engaging enough to whet our appetite for learning more. But as they stand, these mixed genres only distract us from appreciating either.

Genre: Documentary, Drama

Actor: Agni Scott, Alain Ali Washnevsky, Buck Braithwaite, Christopher Sciueref, Dino Kelly, Jadran Malkovich, James Oliver Wheatley, Kosha Engler, Mido Hamada, Mohamed Attougui, Salima Ikram, Souad Faress, Steven Hartley, Waleed Elgadi, Will Stevens

Director: Hugh Ballantyne

Rating: TV-MA

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2276. Adrishya Jalakangal, 2023

Ordinary people don’t choose to join a war, but oftentimes, they are dragged into it, forced to fight, and become victims of it because of people in power. Adrishya Jalakangal takes this idea in a dystopic future, where war has turned India into a police state, and mixes in a watchman who’s able to talk with the dead. While the message is necessary and the idea is novel, the execution feels uneven, as the anti-war and magic realist elements feel like elements from what should be two separate movies. Alongside the sluggish pace and the dialogue that’s a tad too on the nose, it’s hard to get through Adrishya Jalakangal when it can’t decide what it wants to focus on.

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Actor: Indrans, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Nimisha Sajayan, Tovino Thomas

Director: Bijukumar Damodaran

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2277. Where the Tracks End, 2023

Ambitious and sincere, Where the Tracks End is a sweet coming of age centered on a tender community and mutual aid in the face of worker exploitation. Alternating between the young son of a traveling worker adjusting to a new town and an inspector tasked with informing small schools of an initiative that will force their doors closed, the film loses the chance to be impactful with either. This love letter to teaching and the importance of education is admirable as it holds together the community element of the script. Although the impact goes off-track due to its lack of commitment to one solid narrative, the heart behind it (and the children's innocent will to live a better life) shines through every so often.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Actor: Adriana Barraza, Blanca Guerra, Clementina Guadarrama, Fátima Molina, Gabriela Cartol, Guillermo Villegas, Jero Medina, Leonardo Alonso, Tete Espinoza

Director: Ernesto Contreras

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2278. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, 2023

Starting off as the 24th(!) overall season of this long-running TV franchise at the time of its release, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon understandably treads very familiar ground: general paranoia and distrust, humanity divided into survivalist factions, a search for a cure. In its early episodes, though, this series gets a boost from its uniquely historical setting—which creates a feeling of these characters stuck in a previous century—as well as a strong focus on religious faith in the time of the apocalypse. Still, this spin-off continues to go through the same action-horror motions, sticking to what's expected at the expense of any suspense or meaningful development for its stoic title character.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Adam Nagaitis, Anne Charrier, Clémence Poésy, Laïka Blanc-Francard, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Norman Reedus, Romain Levi

Rating: TV-MA

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2279. Oregon, 2023

For a film with virtually no plot, there’s a lot of fuss going on in Oregon. The characters are constantly yelling and complaining, but the noise—like the plot, the set, and everything else about the film—is empty. The beauty of a Turkish summer is reduced to indoor sets, where much of the film takes place, and there here’s barely any movement, leaving us stuck with dialogue and half-baked backstories that don’t seem to serve any real purpose other than to fill in the film’s overlong runtime. The problems are superficial and solved almost immediately, purely by talking it seems, and there’s no attempt to connect the many disparate stories it shows. A farce like this could’ve worked if it got sillier and more ridiculous by the minute, but Oregon just goes in repetitive, unfunny circles.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Ali İpin, Alper Baytekin, Alper Saldıran, Aslı İnandık, Burcu Biricik, Ferit Aktuğ, Gün Akıncı, Melisa Doğu, Nazlı Bulum, Nejat İşler, Nevra Serezli, Onur Özaydın, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Selen Uçer, Serkan Çayoğlu, Zihni Göktay

Director: Kerem Ayan

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2280. Neon, 2023

Neon's story of young millennials hustling to make their dreams come true can feel familiar, and it might approach some of its conflicts too lightly for its own good (at least in the first couple episodes watched for this review). But even if it isn't exactly raucously funny yet, it's got a cool, confident foundation of charming characters and fun music to make the episodes go down smooth. Much of the comedy here comes from these people faking it till they hopefully make it, until it becomes plainly obvious that entire industries really do operate on lots of coordinated luck and loophole exploitation. Again, it might not be the most novel insight, but it's delivered here in a stylish way.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Alycia Pascual-Peña, Emma Ferreira, Génesis Rodríguez, Jordan Mendoza, Jordana Brewster, Santiago Cabrera, Tyler Dean Flores

Rating: TV-MA

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