Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Carra Patterson, Carrie Preston, Wendell Pierce
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.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Carra Patterson, Carrie Preston, Wendell Pierce
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Alice E. Bier Zandén, Christopher Laesso, Emilie Kroyer Koppel, Jacob Ulrik Lohmann, Jakob Højlev Jørgensen, Lone Rødbroe, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Paul Hüttel, Sara-Marie Maltha, Sidse Babett Knudsen
Director: Bille August
Dream is a sports dramedy that is susceptible to a lot of the genre’s cliches. Yes, we follow Hong-dae’s journey from being an egomaniac lone wolf to an empathetic team player. Of course, we get to witness all the heartwrenching backstories of the homeless football members. And sure, we even see get to see ourselves in Lee So-min (IU), the hardworking filmmaker who puts her all into this documentary in the hopes that it could somehow pay off her student loan debt. These are plotlines you’ve heard of before, and there are holes in a lot of them (like how it criticizes documentaries for exploiting sob stories while doing the same in the film, for instance). But at the end of the day, Dream only wants to be an uplifting feel-good movie and in that regard, it succeeds immensely. Say what you want about Seo-joon and his exaggerated yell-all way of acting, but the man knows how to draw out a chuckle from even the most reserved viewer. And paired with IU, who brings with her a plucky charm, the two can command an audience any which way they want. If you’re looking for a serious deep dive into the world of sports, the deceit of documentaries, and the complex reality of homelessness, Dream touches on a bit of that but don’t expect it to fully deliver. However, if you’re looking for an easy watch filled with delightful performances and feel-good moments, then Dream is your film.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Baek Ji-won, Han Jun-woo, Han Sang-chul, Heo Joon-seok, Hong Wan-pyo, IU, Jeong Soon-won, Jeong Sun-won, Jo Woo-jong, Jun Suk-ho, Jung Seung-kil, Jung Soon-won, Kang Ha-neul, Kim Il-jung, Kim Jong-soo, Kim Nam-woo, Ko Chang-seok, Lee Eun-jae, Lee Ha-nui, Lee Hae-woon, Lee Hyun-woo, Lee Ji-hyeon, Lee Seung-joon, Lee Yu-bi, Nam Min-woo, Park Hyeong-su, Park Hyoung-soo, Park Moon-sung, Park Myung-hoon, Park Seo-jun, Park Seong-jun, Park Sung-jun, Song Yeong-sik, Song Yong-sik, Yang Hyun-min, Yoon Ji-on, Yun Ji-on
Director: Lee Byeong-heon
This international comedy-drama in French, Greek, and Turkish is about a free-spirited Greek girl who travels to Istanbul on a mission to help her father. Once there, she meets Avril, a French woman whose plans to help Syrian refugees have backfired. Together, they embark on a music-inspired adventure to Lebos from Turkey.
Director Tony Gatlif, a Romani, Algerian-born French filmmaker, has a unique style that often verges on exaggerations. It borders on a madcap comedy and has perfect production value, although the story might be difficult to tolerate for non-fans.
Still, if you like travel dramas, or more specifically music-travel dramas, especially in a time where the countries in the film are completely inaccessible, this will do the trick.
Genre: Drama, Music
Actor: Daphne Patakia, Eleftheria Komi, Kimon Kouris, Maryne Cayon, Seray Yalçin, Simon Abkarian, Yannis Bostantzoglou
Director: Tony Gatlif
Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as a disgraced doctor-turned-immigrant cab driver who inadvertently stumbles upon London's black market organ trade. Audrey Tatou and Sophie Okonedo also star as fellow "illegals" struggling to make ends meet in the shadows of England. This film is about illegal immigrants, it is told from their perspective, and because of that it becomes so humane that it indulges in social commentary. It's a really interesting, sometimes thrilling, watch.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Actor: Adrian Scarborough, Audrey Tautou, Barber Ali, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Damon Younger, Darrell D'Silva, Deobia Oparei, Fisun Burgess, Israel Aduramo, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Jeffery Kissoon, Jeillo Edwards, Josef Altin, Kriss Dosanjh, Michael Mellinger, Nizwar Karanj, Noma Dumezweni, Paul Bhattacharjee, Ray Donn, Sergi Lopez, Sophie Okonedo, Sotigui Kouyaté, Zlatko Burić
Director: Stephen Frears
Detective Forst isn’t a mindbending, totally original crime thriller that would revolutionize the detective genre, but sometimes we just want something familiar. The thriller adaptation of Remigiusz Mróz’s book series mostly sticks to the classic tropes, with eerily strung up bodies being investigated by the gruff, hardened detective, portrayed well by Borys Szyc. It’s not immediately clear what brought Forst to the mountains– whatever it was, it’s enough to gain the mistrust of his new station, and it’s possibly the reason behind his splitting migraines– but that’s part of the fun, as an additional mystery alongside who is behind the murders. That being said, the show plans to depict a whole series, so the ending of its first season might exasperate viewers who just want a complete story. Still, with the striking scenery of the Tatra Mountains, Detective Forst is at least stunning enough to watch, even with all the moody murder mystery tropes onboard.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Aleksandra Grabowska, Borys Szyc, Kamilla Baar, Szymon Wróblewski, Zuzanna Saporznikow
Director: Daniel Jaroszek
Many fantasy K-dramas stick to the serious side, but Destined with You feels more lighthearted as it starts off with a light jab at the handsome grim reaper trope with SF9’s Rowoon. The show honors many of modern-day fated love tropes, and sometimes makes fun of it, but the series does it in a way that’s grounded in its characters and setting. The show first introduces the main duo as individual people, specifically, characters working with and for the public at large. Because of their jobs, Destined with You acknowledges the modern-day systems we use to deal with day-to-day injustices, but also provides the fantasy of having a second recourse in witchcraft. With the show’s pairing, there’s a hope that one way or another, the two could meet halfway.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Ha Jun, Jo Bo-ah, Lee Pil-mo, Rowoon, Yura
Director: Nam Ki-hoon
It's chilly this summer with vengeful spirits, cursed hands and double pupils in the horror-comedy Dark Gathering. Keitarō Gentōga has always attracted ghosts, and despite his fear, he is ready to socialize again after two years. Unlucky for him, his first student as a tutor is Yayoi Hôzuki, his best friend's cousin obsessed with finding the ghost that stole her mother. Although Yayoi's obsession with using a reluctant Keitarō is played up for laughs, her moe appearance preserves a level of disturbing (thanks to her double pupils). By episode two, the story still feels shallow, but there's enough spook to carry you through the heat.
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Kana Hanazawa, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Rina Kawaguchi, Yu Sasahara
When crime happens at the border between two countries, it’s usually not big enough to earn the attention of two police departments. Criminal Code starts off with a literal bang, with around 50 participants bombing a security firm for a robbery. As the Paraguay and Brazilian police departments find new revelations, including the robbery’s link with a prison breakout, amongst other crimes, both sides want the glory of solving a case this big. However, Benicio just wants justice for his fallen partner, who got caught in the clash in the breakout. It’s not new – the written cases were inspired by actual real-life crimes – but it’s executed well, the whole plot unfolding piece by piece as more evidence presents itself. It’s no wonder this story was chosen to be the first Brazilian police series on Netflix.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama
Actor: Guilherme Faria, Maeve Jinkings, Miguel Nader, Pedro Caetano, Thomas Aquino
“This is a work of fantasy but to fantasize is to be human.” This quote is placed at the beginning of Creature, a passion project brought to life by writer-director Cagan Irmak, now available on Netflix. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Irmak reimagines the monster resurrection concept without sticking to closely to the original plot points, crafting a narrative that jumps back and forth between two separate timelines – the past, with Ziya’s rise in medical experimentation, and the present, with the titular creature rescuing a dying man. It makes for a historical drama that may not be as horrific as the original, but is no less intriguing in its themes.
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Bülent Şakrak, Devrim Yakut, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Şifanur Gül, Taner Ölmez
This excellent new drama is about three indigenous Māori women and their upbringing in colonial New Zealand.
The story is split into two timelines: the present, where two of them are trying to protect their ancestral land from a government project, while the third, Makareta, is wandering aimlessly through a big city. And the past, the story of how they got separated and how Makareta got taken away by a residential-school-like orphanage.
It's a heartbreaking tale, one of how a people can be ravaged by colonialism and decades of discrimination. But being focused on the personal lives of the three women, it’s also heartwarming and deeply humane.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Ana Scotney, Briar Grace Smith, Calvin Tuteao, Chelsie Preston Crayford, Cian Elyse White, Cohen Holloway, Erroll Anderson, Freya Milner, Jim Moriarty, Jonathon Hendry, Kirk Torrance, Miriama Smith, Rachel House, Richard Falkner, Sylvia Rands, Tanea Heke, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne
Director: Ainsley Gardiner, Briar Grace Smith
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Actor: Asbjørn Krogh Nissen, Baard Owe, Christian Brandt, Frederikke Dahl Hansen, Gethin Anthony, Gordon Kennedy, Hélène Kuhn, Martin Hestbæk, Martin Hestbæk, Mille Dinesen, Olivia Grant, Sebastian Armesto, Sebastian Bull Sarning, Silja Eriksen Jensen, Tamzin Merchant, Zaki Nobel Mehabil
Director: Mark Raso
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Barbara Sukowa, James D'Arcy, Jonathan Banks, Julian Looman, Noomi Rapace, William Catlett
Three guys in their twenties love wine and women but feel incomplete because they are still virgins. Under the guise of a wine tour they embark on a journey to Spain hoping to have their first sexual experience. Unlike most sex romp comedies, this one explores deeper territory: Jozef is blind, Philip is paralyzed from the neck down and Lars is in a wheelchair with a brain tumor. Despite these difficulties, the three protagonists are determined to have their experience and complete this rite of passage.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Charlotte Timmers, Gilles De Schryver, Isabelle De Hertogh, Ivan Pecnik, Johan Heldenbergh, Karel Vingerhoets, Karlijn Sileghem, Katelijne Verbeke, Marilou Mermans, Robrecht Vanden Thoren, Roos Van Vlaenderen, Sheila Sawhny, Tom Audenaert, Tuur de Weert, Veerle Baetens, Xandra Van Welden
Director: Geoffrey Enthoven
CODA has all the trappings of a predictable, feel-good family drama. You’ll recognize immediately the talented teen, the family pulling her back, the cute love interest, the do-gooder mentor, and the swirl of coincidences that blend them all together in one sweet story. But CODA is so irresistibly heartfelt, well-acted, and vital (all the deaf characters are actually played by deaf actors), that you can’t help but be won by its charms.
Aside from its big heart, the film’s decision to express itself mostly through ASL and music is an impressive technical feat as well. Altogether, these elements make for a refreshing, enjoyable, and simply heartwarming watch.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance
Actor: Amy Forsyth, Armen Garo, Ayana Brown, Bryan Sabbag, Courtland Jones, Daniel Durant, David Newsom, Dominic Andersen, Dominic Cannarella-Andersen, Emilia Faucher, Emilia Jones, Erica McDermott, Eugenio Derbez, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Gary Galone, Jason Pugatch, John Fiore, Jose Guns Alves, Kayla Caulfield, Kevin Chapman, Kiara Pichardo, Kyana Fanene, Lance Norris, Lonnie Farmer, Marilyn Busch, Mark Pettograsso, Marlee Matlin, Mary Ann Schaub, Melissa McMeekin, Molly Beth Thomas, Owen Burke, Pamela Jayne Morgan, Rebecca Gibel, Rena Maliszewski, Sarah Clarke, Stone Martin, TJ Ciarametaro, Tony Viveiros, Troy Kotsur
Director: Sian Heder