Drama is one of the largest and most expansive film genres. It often overlaps with everything from mystery to action to comedy, a.k.a. the dramedy. However, there are many films that are just dramas, and that is what this list seeks to celebrate. While films on this list cover topics like romance, war and coming-of-age stories, drama is at their hearts. The best drama movies of all time make audiences cry, think and, most importantly, feel. Drama films have been popular since the silent era. Early dramas like Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, Battleship Potemkin and The Passion of Joan of Arc defined a genre that would quickly become considered the most prestigious by critics and audiences alike.
Top Drama Movies
It is hard to say what the highest-grossing drama film is, though it is arguably 2009’s Avatar, which many call a “sci-fi epic” and not a “drama.” However, it did win the Golden Globe for Best Film – Drama. While this list includes epics, romances, war movies and other subgenres, it omits sci-fi films as they are in many ways their own category.
This list features directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, John Singleton, Wong Kar-wai and Steven Spielberg and includes films from 1930 to 2020.
30. Atonement (2007)
Atonement is one of three films by director Joe Wright that star Keira Knightley. The two had already worked on the period rom-com Pride and Prejudice in 2005 before making Atonement, which is a far darker film.
The film follows a young girl who misinterprets her older sister’s lover’s actions and accuses him of sexual assault. The film then examines the lie over several decades. It stars James McAvoy, Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave. Atonement has a bit of a slow burn, but the ending is more than worth it. The film opened the Venice International Film Festival, making Wright the youngest director (then 35) to do so. Atonement is currently streaming on Peacock.
29. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
One of the few films with a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Cool Hand Luke is the story of a prison farm and a rebel who clashes with the sadistic warden. The film stars Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J. D. Cannon, Strother Martin and Robert Drivas.
The film is remembered from the often-quoted line, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” However, it is also notable for its anti-establishment themes, especially due to its release during the Vietnam War. The film is available to stream on Sling and Philo.
28. Morocco (1930)
Morocco, directed by Josef von Sternberg, is a pre-code romance based on the 1927 novel Amy Jolly. The film follows a nightclub singer and a Legionnaire during the 1920s Rif War. It stars Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich and is most remembered for a scene in which Dietrich dons a coat and tails and kisses another woman on screen.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards. Curator at the Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Film Charles Silver said of the film, “Sternberg was the first directors to attain full mastery and control over what was essentially a new medium by restoring the fluidity and beauty of the late silent period.” Unfortunately, the film is not currently available to stream in the U.S.
27. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Cinema Paradiso follows the story of a director returning to a small village in Sicily after the death of an old friend. Told mostly in flashbacks, much of the film examines his childhood and a struggling movie theater after WWII.
The film, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, stars Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin and Antonella Attili. Its success, especially its Oscar win for Best Foreign Film, is often credited with revitalizing Italy’s film industry, leading to classic Italian films like Mediterraneo and Life Is Beautiful. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, MGM+ and Paramount+.
26. Ben-Hur (1959)
Ben-Hur is one of the last great dramatic epics of Hollywood’s Golden Era. Based on Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, the film follows a fallen aristocratic Jew living as a Roman tribune. While he survives slavery, he dreams of revenge against his Roman former friend. William Wyler directed the film, which starred Charlton Heston and Jack Hawkins.
The making of Ben-Hur is almost as fascinating as the movie itself. The film had a record-breaking budget for the time ($15.175 million). It utilized giant sets and an equally large costuming department. Ben-Hur was the second highest-grossing film in history at the time and won a record 11 Academy Awards. While the film has overt christian messaging, it is also often noted as an LGBTQ classic. While he did not receive screenplay credit, Gore Vidal worked on the screenplay for Ben-Hur. In the 1995 documentary The Celluloid Closet, Vidal recalls telling Stephen Boyd to make it “perfectly clear that Massala (Boyd) is in love with Ben-Hur.” Boyd agreed to play the scene as if the two had been former lovers. However, it had to be a secret on set from the notoriously conservative Heston, who played Ben-Hur. It is available to rent on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
25. Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979)
The story of a contentious divorce and custody struggle, Kramer Vs. Kramer takes an unflinching look at society, gender roles and single parenting. Film critic Charles Champlin said the movie was “as nearly perfect a film as can be.”
The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. For Streep, it was a star turn. However, she had to endure abuse from Hoffman on set, who method-acted the film. In 2018, Streep spoke about Hoffman slapping her on set, saying, “This was my first film, and it was my first take in my first film, and he just slapped me. And you see it in the film. It was overstepping.” It is currently streaming for free on the Roku Channel.
24. A Fantastic Woman (2017)
A Fantastic Woman follows an aspiring transgender opera singer as she grieves the death of her older boyfriend in Santiago, Chile. The film was directed by Sebastián Lelio and starred Daniela Vega and Francisco Reyes.
The film won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Vega became the first transgender person to be a presenter at the Oscars. A Fantastic Woman was important for LBGTQ rights in Chile, and lawmakers used the film’s Oscar win to push for a pro-trans bill in the Chilean Senate. The film is available to rent on Google Play, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and YouTube.
23. Boyhood (2014)
Boyhood is probably most notable not for its plot but for its production. The film took 11 years to film, from 2002 to 2013. Director Richard Linklater wanted to show the actual progression of his actors’ aging for the coming-of-age story. The project also started without a finished script. Linklater worked on the script over the years, writing the following year’s portion after rewatching the previous year’s footage.
The film stars Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater and Ethan Hawke. Coltrane started the production as a seven-year-old and finished the film when he was 19. For Linklater, the film’s completion was paramount, and he once told Hawke that if he died, Hawke would have to finish the movie for him. Boyhood is currently available to stream for free on Tubi, The Roku Channel and Plex. It is also available to stream on AMC+ or Philo with a subscription.
22. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption, based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, follows an innocent man’s quest to escape prison. The film stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
The film was a critical success, earning seven Academy Award nominations. However, it initially did poorly at the box office. Later, a theatrical rerelease and VHS rentals made it successful, and the movie went on to be one of the “most beloved films of all time.” It is currently streaming on Sling.
21. Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight is a coming-of-age drama and top Black film that follows a boy named Chiron through childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight explores sexuality, identity, manhood, parenthood and the Black experience.
The film was the first LGBTQ film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture (it was also nominated for seven other Oscars.) The film stars Trevante Rhodes, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe and André Holland. It is currently available to stream on Max.
20. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies is animated, but that doesn’t make it any less dramatic. Directed by Isao Takahata, the film is probably the darkest film from Studio Ghibli. Roger Ebert said Grave of the Fireflies is an “emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation.”
The film follows two children as they survive the horrors of the war in WWII-era Japan. While the film is not for children, it was originally shown as a double feature with the far more kid-friendly My Neighbor Totoro. Unfortunately, it is currently unavailable to rent or stream in the U.S.
19. Barry Lyndon (1975)
When most people think of Stanley Kubrick films, the first thought is usually not Barry Lyndon. However, the historical epic drama delivers beautiful visuals, great performances and a very Kubrick sensibility, especially for its inclusion of sex and violence in a period piece. The film stars Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee and Hardy Kruger, with narration by Michael Hordern.
The film’s cinematography is ground-breaking, especially for its use of long double shots and scenes shot in candlelight. Roger Ebert noted the film’s coldness and said of Barry Lyndon, “This must be one of the most beautiful films ever made” in his 1975 review. The film is currently available on streaming for free on The Roku Channel and Tubi.
18. Minari (2020)
Written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Minari is a semi-autobiographical film about a family of South Korean immigrants in rural Arkansas in the 1980s. The film stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung and Will Patton.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted its theatrical release. It gained acclaim and popularity through VOD and a brief online release through A24. It currently has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is available to stream on Netflix.
17. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1976)
This slice-of-life drama about a housewife by feminist auteur filmmaker Chantal Ackerman is truly an indie darling. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles was filmed in just five weeks with a $120,000 grant from the Belgian government.
The film stars Delphine Seyrig and utilizes static camerawork and notably long takes. It has become a cult classic in the slow cinema genre. In 2022, Sight & Sound named it the greatest film of all time. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is available to stream on Max.
16. Cabaret (1972)
The only musical on this list, Cabaret, is based on the Broadway Musical of the same name and Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin. The film takes place in the final days of Germany’s Weimar Republic and follows a young bisexual Englishman’s travels through Berlin’s nightlife.
Cabaret was directed by Bob Fosse and starred Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey. Initially, the film was controversial for historical antisemitism, inclusion of queer identities, and depictions of the rise of the Nazi party. However, the film still won eight Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Actress. Cabaret is currently streaming on Max.
15. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Portrait of a Lady follows an 18th-century love affair between a painter and her portrait sitter on a small French island. Written and directed by Céline Sciamma, the film is a sensitive look at art, the female gaze and sapphic love.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Queer Palm. Portrait of a Lady received a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel. It is currently available on Hulu.
14. Rashomon (1950)
Written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, Rashomon is a Japanese period drama or Jidaigeki film. The film shows the same story of the rape of a bride and the murder of a samurai from several perspectives, including a thief, the bride, a woodcutter and the ghost of the samurai.
Kurosawa was already a well-established director in Japan. However, Rashomon was one of the first Japanese films to be critically celebrated in the West. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and an Academy Honorary Award at the Oscars (as it predated the Academy’s International Film Category). The film currently has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is available to stream free on Plex or on Max with a subscription.
13. 12 Angry Men (1957)
An example of indie filmmaking in the 1950s, 12 Angry Men follows a jury tasked with deciding the fate of a teenager charged with murder and the issue of reasonable doubt. The film was directed by Sidney Lumet and starred Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall and Jack Warden.
While the film didn’t do well at the box office, it was met with near-universal critical praise. It currently holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor even said that the film influenced her decision to study law. It is streaming for free on Tubi and Amazon Prime and on MGM+ with a subscription.
12. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
John Singleton’s feature directorial debut, Boyz n the Hood, examines life in L.A.’s South Central neighborhood. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Tyra Ferrell, Laurence Fishburne, Regina King and Angela Bassett.
Singleton came up with the idea for the film after watching the coming-of-age film Stand By Me. The film earned Singleton an Oscar nomination for Best Director, making him the youngest person and first black director to be nominated. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
11. In the Mood For Love (2000)
Director Wong Kar-wai is a favorite of cinephiles, with films like Chungking Express, Happy Together and In the Mood For Love. In the Mood For Love is probably his dreamiest and most heartbreaking film. Set in 1960s Hong Kong, it follows two married neighbors who bond outside of their marriages.
The film has also become a favorite amongst directors. Sofia Coppola cited In the Mood For Love as inspiration for Lost in Translation. The Daniels, a.k.a. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, also cited it as an inspiration for one of the alternate universes in their film Everything Everywhere All at Once. In The Mood For Love is currently available to stream on Max.
10. The 400 Blows (1959)
This French coming-of-age film has influenced many other filmmakers. Directors like Steven Spielberg, Richard Linklater, Norman Jewison, Wes Anderson and Akira Kurosawa have listed it among their favorite films.
An icon of the French New Wave, The 400 Blows follows a rebellious young boy misunderstood by his parents. The film is semi-autobiographical, and the main character is loosely based on the film’s director, François Truffaut. It is currently available to stream on Max.
9. Roma (2018)
Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma is a sensitive look at the life of an indigenous housekeeper in 1970s Mexico City. The film is semi-autobiographical and inspired by the director’s childhood in CDMX’s Colonia Roma neighborhood.
The film was nominated for 10 Oscars. It was the first foreign language film to win Best Director and the first time a film’s director won Best Cinematography. However, its inclusion was controversial. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Roma was distributed by Netflix, which led some to call into question its eligibility as a theatrical film. Many watched the film on Netflix, and 418,000 viewers streamed the film the day before the Academy Awards. Roma also became the first Netflix original film to be added to the Criterion Collection, and one of the rare Netflix films that had a physical media, as part of the DVD/Blu-ray release through Criterion. Roma is available to stream on Netflix.
8. Raging Bull (1980)
Martin Scorsese has made many great movies. However, while many of his works blur the line between comedy and drama, Raging Bull is a true drama. The film is based on the middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta’s memoir Raging Bull: My Story.
The film stars Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana and Frank Vincent. Scorsese originally wasn’t interested in making the film, but decided to make it with De Niro after a collapse made him connect with LaMotta’s story. The film went on to be nominated for eight Oscars and now has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is available to stream for free on Tubi, Pluto TV and the Roku Channel. It is also available on MGM+ with a subscription.
7. Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Directed by Vittorio De Sica, Bicycle Thieves follows an impoverished father and son as they track down a stolen bicycle in postwar Rome. The film is an icon of the Italian neorealist movement. The Italian name of the film is Ladri di biciclette; however, it is also sometimes called The Bicycle Thief after Bosley Crowther mistranslated the name in a 1949 New York Times article.
The film has long been a favorite of cinephiles and was among director Akira Kurosawa’s favorite films. The film predates the Best International Feature Film Oscar but was awarded an Academy Honorary Award. It is available to stream for free on Tubi or on Max with a subscription.
6. All About Eve (1950)
Fasten your seatbelts… All About Eve follows an aging Broadway star, Margo Channing, as a new star, Eve Harrington, rises from Margo’s shadow. The film stars Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders and Celeste Holm. The film also features Marilyn Monroe in one of her first roles.
Countless TV shows and movies have referenced All About Eve, including Pedro Amodovar’s All About My Mother, All About Steve, Gilligan’s Island and Will & Grace. The film was nominated for a record 14 Oscars and won six. The film is also the only in Oscar history to receive four female acting nominations, with Davis and Baxter up for Best Actress and Holm and Thelma Ritter for Best Supporting. All About Eve is available to rent on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
5. In the Heat of the Night (1957)
Sidney Poitier starred in two iconic films in 1957, To Sir with Love and In the Heat of the Night. In the Heat of the Night follows a Philadelphia detective, Virgil “They call me Mister Tibbs!” Tibbs, that gets sucked into a murder investigation in rural Mississippi.
The film was popular with audiences and critics. It was nominated for seven Oscars and selected for preservation in the Library of Congress in 2002 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It is currently streaming for free on Tubi and Pluto or on Amazon Prime with a subscription.
4. Schindler’s List (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List is a harrowing holocaust drama epic. The film is based on the real-life story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved more than a thousand Jews from the Nazis by employing them in his factories.
The film stars Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley. Schindler’s List was a critical and commercial success, earning $322.2 million worldwide on a $22 million budget. It was also nominated for 12 Oscars. The film’s success led Spielberg to found the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, and caused the city of Kraków to purchase Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory and turn it into a permanent museum exhibition. Schindler’s List is available to rent on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
3. Citizen Kane (1941)
Citizen Kane has almost become the default answer for what people call ‘the best movie of all time’ if they don’t know what to say, which has made it feel passé to some. However, Citizen Kane really is that good. Directed by and starring Orson Welles, the film was controversial upon its release.
The film’s plot was loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst, and Welles was highly protective of the film’s prerelease out of fear that Hearst would take action against the film (and rightly so.) Many theaters refused to show the film, leading to a small box office. MGM’s Louis B. Mayer even offered to pay RKO $842,000 in cash if the studio would destroy the negative and all prints of Citizen Kane. However, the film was saved and even nominated for nine Academy Awards. The film remains notable for its technical advances, especially the extended use of deep focus, a technique where the fore, mid and background are all in sharp focus. It is currently available to stream on Max.
2. The Godfather Part II (1974 )
While Part II makes this list, The Godfather (1972) shouldn’t be missed. However, The Godfather Part II is the rare sequel that may eclipse the original. The film follows the Corleones, a powerful 1950s mob family, especially the new Don of the Corleone family, Michael Corleone, and his father, Vito Corleone.
The film stars Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Morgana King, John Cazale, Mariana Hill and Lee Strasberg and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The Godfather Part II was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. Originally, it was met with mixed reviews. However, it was quickly re-evaluated. In 2014, Peter Bradshaw said of the film, “Francis Coppola’s breathtakingly ambitious prequel-sequel to his first Godfather movie is as gripping as ever. It is even better than the first film, and has the greatest single final scene in Hollywood history, a real coup de cinéma.” The Godfather Part II (as well as Part I) is available to stream on Paramount+ and Showtime.
1. Casablanca (1942)
No one actually says, “Play it again, Sam,” in Casablanca, but this film is immensely quotable and is a cinema classic. Roger Ebert said of Casablanca, “This is a movie that has transcended the ordinary categories. It has outlived the Bogart cult, survived the revival circuit, shrugged off those who would deface it with colorization, leaped across time to win audiences who were born decades after it was made.”
The film stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman and follows Bogart’s Rick, a nightclub owner, as he helps a Czechoslovak Resistance leader escape WWII-era Morocco, even though he is traveling with Rick’s former lover, Ilsa Lund. The film is currently available to stream on Max.
Bottom Line
Drama is an expansive genre that is almost un-capturable in a single list. However, all these movies deliver intense performances, emotional depths and beautiful filmmaking, cementing their place as some of the best drama films of all time.
