Genre: Drama
Actor: Austin Abrams, Krisha Fairchild, Megan Stott, Rhenzy Feliz
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: Drama
Actor: Austin Abrams, Krisha Fairchild, Megan Stott, Rhenzy Feliz
It doesn’t feel quite right to call Pacifiction a political thriller — at 2 hours 45 minutes and with an unhurried, dreamlike pace, it’s hardly the adrenaline rush that that categorization suggests. But Albert Serra’s film is still suffused with all the paranoia and intrigue that the genre promises, just at a slower burn. The specters of colonialism and nuclear apocalypse hang low over the movie, which is set in an idyllic Tahiti, where Benoît Magimel’s Monsieur De Roller is stationed as France’s outgoing High Commissioner, a bureaucratic relic of the country’s imperialist history. As shady figures and strange rumors about a military submarine begin to arrive on the island, a paranoid De Roller struggles to exert political control — and, in the process, seems to lose some of his own sanity. With an ethereal score, defiantly murky plot, hallucinatory cinematography, and some of humanity’s greatest horrors hanging over it like a pall, Pacifiction feels like a fever dream in the truest sense.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Actor: Alexandre Melo, Baptiste Pinteaux, Benoit Magimel, Cécile Guilbert, Lluís Serrat, Marc Susini, Montse Triola, Sergi Lopez
Director: Albert Serra
In the land of 2 jobs or 2 houses, it’s hard to buy these obnoxious kids as the poor kids, the neglected who do whatever they want. There’s just a little too much confidence and social capital in there to exude neglected. The show trudges and sludges through our heroes’ thrilling adventures, which helps sell the island’s secluded atmosphere, and in a roundabout way helps us root for the Pogues for actually making things happen here. A lot of the engagement for this story, however, starts largely linear and basic—the poor good guys vs the boring, rich, corrupt bad guys—but the intricacies reveal themselves, though they take some time to start simmering.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Adina Porter, Austin North, Charles Esten, Chase Stokes, Drew Starkey, Jonas Pate, Jonathan Daviss, Josh Pate, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Rudy Pankow, Shannon Burke
Genre: Drama, Family
Actor: Andy Stahl, Blaque Fowler, Brady Coleman, Chad Lindberg, Charles Lawlor, Chris Cooper, Chris Ellis, Chris Owen, Courtney Cole-Fendley, Dave Hager, David Dwyer, Don Henderson Baker, Doug Swander, Elya Baskin, Frank Hoyt Taylor, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Digaetano, John Bennes, Kaili Hollister, Larry Black, Laura Dern, Mark Jeffrey Miller, Mark W. Johnson, Natalie Canerday, Neva Howell, Randy Stripling, Rick Forrester, Scott Thomas, Terrence Gibney, Terry Loughlin, Tom Turbiville, Tommy Smeltzer, William Lee Scott
Director: Joe Johnston
In the words of the journalist Christo Grozev, Alexei Navalny isn’t just a politician; he’s also an internet personality, reporter, investigator, lawyer, and opposition leader who’s up against one of the biggest regimes in the world. He’s a dangerous man, a top Kremlin target, and the documentary gives us incredible access into the ins and outs of his daily operations.
It’s always astonishing to see a hero humanized, especially since the documentary makes sure to balance newsworthy events with quiet moments of rest and reflection. But more than just a profile, Navalny is a valiant work of investigative journalism, as well as a timely reminder of the importance of activism. It's relevant, revelatory, and rousing; a must-watch in our ever-heating political climate.
Genre: Documentary, Drama, Thriller
Actor: Alexei Navalny, Alexey Navalny, Angela Merkel, Christo Grozev, Dasha Navalnaya, Georgy Alburov, Kira Yarmysh, Leonid Volkov, Maria Pevchikh, Vladimir Putin, Yulia Navalnaya, Zakhar Navalny
Director: Daniel Roher
Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam might not immediately make sense to audiences new to director Lijo Jose Pellissery, but it’s still an interesting film that depicts Tamil culture. Also known as Like an Afternoon Dream, the contemplative bilingual film is centered around a prejudiced Malayali tour guide who wakes up as another man, specifically someone fluent in Tamil, and walks into the nearby village. Through vignettes focused on the village inhabitants, the film slowly unravels the dynamics between each of the villagers, flitting back to the tour bus on occasion to see how they’re faring. While some of the comedy goes over viewer’s heads, especially for people unfamiliar with the state, the slow-paced film feels like a fond memory from Pellissery. The film doesn’t explain anything at all, in the same way strange dreams refuse to do.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Actor: 'Poo' Ram, Ashokan, Ashwanth Ashokkumar, G. M. Kumar, Mammootty, Namo Narayanan, Rajesh Sharma, Ramachandran Durairaj, Ramya Pandian, Ramya Suvi, Thennavan, Vipin Atley
Director: Lijo Jose Pellissery
One of Studio Ghibli’s overlooked gems, My Neighbors the Yamadas is a charming anthology film about a modern-day Japanese family. The film sets itself apart from other Ghibli films through its unique doodle-like watercolor animation and its short piano themes. While the vignettes may just depict regular family conflicts, the scenes still feel compelling due to the Yamadas’ imagination of the metaphors that they use. Exaggerating the metaphors keeps the audience breathless in certain strategic moments - most notably in the wedding day speech of the mother of the bride. While not as fantastical as Ghibli’s other offerings, the completely digital My Neighbors the Yamadas finds humor in and celebrates the mundane.
Genre: Animation, Drama, Family
Actor: Akiko Yano, Chôchô Miyako, Hayato Isohata, Kosanji Yanagiya, Masako Araki, Naomi Uno, Tamao Nakamura, Toru Masuoka, Yukiji Asaoka
Director: Isao Takahata
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Actor: Adibah Noor, Ho Yuhang, Mislina Mustaffa, Noorkhiriah, Sharifah Aleya, Sharifah Amani, Sharifah Aryana, Syafie Naswip, Taiyuddin Bakar, Yasmin Ahmad
Director: Yasmin Ahmad
Far from feeling like English literature homework, this version of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy of errors fizzes with vitality and wit. Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in his own sumptuous adaptation, which also features a banquet of dashing talent in their prime, including Emma Thompson and a winning Denzel Washington.
Even amongst the film’s superlative ensemble (which also features a melodramatically villainous Keanu Reeves and Michael Keaton as a farcically inept policeman), Thompson stands out for her instinctive grasp of Shakespeare’s genius and easy ability to lift it off the page and give it sparkling life. As Beatrice, she deals out wry cut-downs of Branagh’s vain Benedick, all while trying to suppress the roiling romantic tension that nevertheless persists between them. It might not be set to the music of ABBA, but with Patrick Doyle’s radiant score, an intoxicatingly beautiful Tuscan setting, and an infectious, non-stop party vibe, the joyous Much Ado About Nothing feels more akin to Mamma Mia than any of cinema’s other Shakespeare adaptations.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Alex Lowe, Andy Hockley, Ben Elton, Brian Blessed, Chris Barnes, Conrad Nelson, Denzel Washington, Edward Jewesbury, Emma Thompson, Gerard Horan, Imelda Staunton, Jimmy Yuill, Kate Beckinsale, Keanu Reeves, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Keaton, Patrick Doyle, Phyllida Law, Richard Briers, Richard Clifford, Robert Sean Leonard
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Though it primarily revolves around the conservative, anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly (portrayed as a fascinatingly contradictory character by Cate Blanchett), Mrs. America is a true ensemble drama. Each episode becomes a primer for a different significant figure in the movement for women's rights in the 1970s, but it also emphasizes how difficult it was for this movement to cohere. As these wildly different perspectives clash, the need for a truly inclusive and intersectional coalition begins to arise. Blanchett is brilliant as always, but the miniseries also showcases stunning work from Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, Margo Martindale, Tracey Ullman, and many more.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Ari Graynor, Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth Banks, Jeanne Tripplehorn, John Slattery, Kayli Carter, Margo Martindale, Melanie Lynskey, Rose Byrne, Sarah Paulson, Tracey Ullman, Uzo Aduba
Mo is the semi-autobiographical tale of creator and star Mo Amer, whose tricky bouts with immigration, interfaith relationships, and growing up Arab-American all figure in the show. It's a bittersweet series that brings the Palestinian and immigrant experience to the forefront—a tricky act that's dealt with deft ease here. The series may be rife with social, cultural, and political issues, but there's a big and heartfelt message at the center of it, and Amer tells it with genuine warmth and humor without ever being too self-serious and preachy, making Mo a breezy but meaningful watch.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Mo Amer, Teresa Ruiz
This moving biopic is about Maud Lewis, the legendary Canadian painter who suffered from arthritis. In the film, Maud gets away from her controlling family by finding a job as a live-in housekeeper for a local fish peddler. It is there where she begins to paint, before marrying the fish peddler in spite of their different personalities. Sally Hawkins, who plays Lewis, brings undeniable spark and soul to the role, for which she had to undergo an astonishing physical transformation.
Maudie is a beautiful and uncomplicated film that challenges the conventions of marriage and relationship roles, while at the same time celebrating Maud Lewis’ paintings and life’s simple pleasures.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Billy MacLellan, Brian Marler, David Feehan, Denise Sinnott, Erin Mick, Ethan Hawke, Gabrielle Rose, Greg Malone, Kari Matchett, Kate Ross, Lawrence Barry, Lisa Machin, Marthe Bernard, Mike Daly, Nik Sexton, Sally Hawkins, Zachary Bennett
Director: Aisling Walsh
Genre: Drama, History
Actor: Bob Gunton, Chris Cooper, David Strathairn, Davide Ferrario, Frank Hoyt Taylor, Gary McCleery, Gordon Clapp, Jace Alexander, James Earl Jones, Joe Grifasi, John Sayles, Josh Mostel, Ken Jenkins, Kevin Tighe, Maggie Renzi, Mary McDonnell, Michael Mantell, Nancy Mette, Tom Wright, Will Oldham
Director: John Sayles
There is a lot to admire about this revenge film from director Mouly Surya—the breathtaking shots of rural Indonesia, the grisly practicality of the titular Marlina, the relevant observations on gender politics, and the simple yet stylistic way all of this is revealed. Fans of Westerns and Spaghetti Westerns are also treated with an Eastern reimagining of tropes as the film exchanges long guns for Kabeala knives and sprawling deserts for tropical hills.
Packed with so many delights, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is a near-impossible miss. But if you somehow find none of this gripping, you can always rely on the sure thrill of seeing scorned women bloodily and rightfully avenge themselves.
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Western
Actor: Anggun Priambodo, Ayez Kassar, Dea Panendra, Egi Fedly, Egy Fedly, Haydar Salishz, Indra Birowo, Marsha Timothy, Norman R. Akyuwen, Ozzol Ramdan, Rita Matu Mona, Ruly Lubis, Safira Ahmad, Sapto Soetardjo, Tumpal Tampubolon, Yayu A.W. Unru, Yayu Unru, Yoga Pratama
Director: Mouly Surya
Manon des Sources (Manon of the Springs), directed by Claude Berri, follows a young woman named Manon living reclusively in the rural countryside. This film is the sequel to Jean de Florette, during which a young Manon watched her father fall victim to the greedy manipulation of two men. Now, a decade later, Manon is older and more cunning—and when she sees the opportunity to gently avenger her father, she exacts tragic revenge.
Perhaps the greatest strength of Manon of the Springs lies in its actors. Emmanuelle Béart is captivating as Manon, quiet and observant, while Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil are fittingly terrible as César Soubeyran and Ugolin. Manon and the springs she must protect are worthy heroes of this epic saga.
Genre: Drama
Actor: André Dupon, Armand Meffre, Chantal Liennel, Daniel Auteuil, Didier Pain, Elisabeth Depardieu, Emmanuelle Béart, Fransined, Gabriel Bacquier, Hippolyte Girardot, Jean Bouchaud, Jean Maurel, Marc Betton, Margarita Lozano, Pierre Nougaro, Roger Souza, Ticky Holgado, Yves Montand, Yvonne Gamy
Director: Claude Berri