2571 Best Drama Movies to Watch (Page 141)

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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2101. Dirty Pretty Things, 2002

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

Rating: R

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2102. Dil To Pagal Hai, 1997

	
The concept of a soulmate– the idea that there is someone out there that you’re meant to meet, who’s been made for you to be with, and vice versa– has inspired plenty of romance stories. Dil To Pagal Hai is one such musical centered on the idea. There are some flaws, especially with the love triangle, but the stacked cast, the classic soundtrack, and the elaborate, gorgeous dance numbers are just so enthralling to watch. There’s an interesting thread with the way the two leads’ lives mirror each other even before they meet, as well as the way the film contemplates the decades’ anxieties over crafting the modern woman, which makes Dil To Pagal Hai not perfect, but iconic nonetheless.Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Akshay Kumar, Ameesha Patel, Aruna Irani, Deven Verma, Farida Jalal, Karisma Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan
Director: Yash Chopra

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2103. Detective Forst, 2024

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

Rating: TV-MA

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2104. Destined with You, 2023

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

Rating: TV-MA

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2105. Death’s Game, 2023

	
When life gets tough, especially without money or opportunities, it can be hard to cling onto life. There’s the real temptation to end it all, but what if Death is tired of this last resort? Death’s Game reimagines life after Choi’s suicide as a video game, whose limited lives function like reincarnation into different save points, and whose game over means eternal damnation in hell. With such an interesting premise from the popular webtoon, some of the best actors in Korea, and no way of being able to predict what would happen in Choi’s multiple, varied lives, Death’s Game reinvents plenty of today’s K-Drama tropes while possibly reconceptualizing how we feel about life and death… if it’s able to stick the landing when the second half drops this January.Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Choi Si-won, Go Youn-jung, Jang Seung-jo, Kim Jae-wook, Kim Ji-hun, Kim Kang-hoon, Kim Mi-kyeong, Lee Do-hyun, Lee Jae-wook, Nam Kyung-eup, Oh Jung-se, Park So-dam, Seo In-guk, Sung Hoon, Yoo In-soo
Director: Ha Byung-hoon

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2106. Dark Gathering, 2023

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

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2107. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

	
The Dangerous Liaisons ensemble is impressively stacked, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a two-hander helmed by Glenn Close, who plays the manipulative Marquise de Merteuil, and John Malkovich, who plays the ravenous playboy Vicomte de Valmont. The two are arresting on screen, especially when they’re together concocting plans to desecrate other lovers, but the same cannot be said about their co-stars. Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves, both painfully green, are hard to take seriously because of their missteps and accents, while Michelle Piefer gives a decent if unmemorable performance. What really makes the film worth the watch, however, is its thorny, unapologetic take on love, sex, power, and gender. The verbal spars are just as thrilling as the racy scenes, even though one in particular (which was cut from theatrical release) might not be so well-received now. The film is a visual treat too, as frilly and indulgent as its pre-revolution Parisian setting.Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Keanu Reeves, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mildred Natwick, Swoosie Kurtz, Uma Thurman
Director: Stephen Frears
Rating: R

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2108. Criminal Code, 2023

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

Rating: TV-MA

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2109. Creature, 2023

“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

Rating: TV-MA

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2110. Cousins,

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, Gentiane Lupi, 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

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2111. Copenhagen, 2014

	
Though it starts off somewhat slow, I was delightfully surprised at how much I loved this movie. A 28-year-old man ventures through Europe with a buddy, ending in Copenhagen, where he hopes to contact the last of his family. There he enlists a local girl to help him. An interesting relationship unfolds as they take a captivating journey through Copenhagen in search of William’s grandfather. The tag line of the movie is “When the girl of your dreams is half your age, it’s time to grow up” and William really does have to grow up when he’s faced with his own personal tumult.
The girl is played by Frederikke Dahl Hansen, who gives an exceptional natural performance, which adds even more to the abundance of charm in this film.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
Rating: Not Rated, Unrated

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2112. Constellation, 2024

	
A lot goes on in Constellation, Apple TV+’s latest addition to its growing collection of sci-fi shows. It begins as a survival space thriller, then it evolves into a conspiracy mystery with hints of supernatural horror, all while being a family drama centered on the elusive mother-daughter bond. For all that hoopla, however, Constellation moves at a very languid place. It can also get very confusing very fast as it attempts to be all the abovementioned things and juggle multiple possibilities (relating to quantum physics, mind you) at the same time. To quote series creator Peter Harness’ other credited show, Doctor Who, it’s all very wibbly wobbly timey wimey. If you’re one to dive into a sci-fi story’s heady and complex world, however, then Constellation comes highly recommended.Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Barbara Sukowa, James D'Arcy, Jonathan Banks, Julian Looman, Noomi Rapace, William Catlett
Rating: TV-MA

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2113. Coming Home, 2014

	
When adapting a novel, sometimes the book is too long to fit into a whole feature, so filmmakers would create a multi-part film series, or they would cut down just enough to fit a feature length runtime without sacrificing the main points of the novel. Coming Home is a love story where a devoted couple still commit to their bond despite imprisonment, distance, and even failing memory, and in Zhang Yimou’s hands, the direction, structure, and execution definitely tug at the heartstrings. However, this is only the last part of Geling Yan’s original novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi. Zhang may have only been moved by the devotion Yan’s grandparents held for each other, and, to be fair, this devotion is quite moving. However, curiosity remains for the beginning of Lu’s journey– the whole reason and purpose Lu chose to act in ways that warranted his arrest.Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Chen Daoming, Chen Xiaoyi, Ding Jiali, Gong Li, Guo Tao, Liu Peiqi, Xin Baiqing, Yan Ni, Zhang Huiwen, Zhang Jiayi, Zu Feng
Director: Zhang Yimou
Rating: PG-13

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2114. Come As You Are, 2013

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

Rating: Unrated

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2115. Cold Fish, 2011

	
With the difference between our day-to-day selves and our darker desires, it’s hard to say which side is the real slice of one’s identity, given that there are certain compromises we have to make in existing in society. Cold Fish takes a wildly violent and explicit approach to this, with a seemingly innocent favor spiralling into a toxic co-dependence between tropical fish sellers Yukio and Nobuyuki, and it’s a harrowing depiction of how quiet, unassuming men can be pushed into evil deeds because of passivity, whether that’s being taken advantage of, or being unwilling to speak against it. And of course, with Sion Sono at the helm, it’s painted and etched with all the gore and taboo he’s well known for.Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Actor: Asuka Kurosawa, Denden, Hideo Nakaizumi, Hikari Kajiwara, Ichiro Hashimoto, Jyonmyon Pe, Kazuma Yamane, Lorena Koto, Makoto Ashikawa, Masahiko Sakata, Masaki Miura, Megumi Kagurazaka, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Natsumi Seto, Rina Saito, Ryohei Abe, Suwaru Ryû, Taro Suwa, Tetsu Watanabe
Director: Sion Sono
Rating: NR

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