A great drama movie can make audiences think for days on end, more so than most other genres. Without the ostentation, humor or gimmicks of other genres, drama movies have no room for weak stories. They get their essence from good writing, direction and performances, which can make them extremely relatable. Powerful drama films can reflect elements of our own experiences in a new light.

While some of the best drama movies give audiences plenty to think about, it’s always easier if they can resonate on an emotional level too. Poignant drama movies have the potential to stick with people for a long time if they’re executed well. There are usually more details to discover and other elements to consider long after the credits roll, meaning that these films can get even better the longer people sit with them.

8

Aftersun (2022)

Aftersun Is More Rewarding With Multiple Watches

Aftersun takes a naturalistic approach to its dialogue and its character development, but it always feels as if it’s building toward some seismic event. Ultimately, there is no great outpouring of catharsis, only unanswered questions and minor interactions which take on new layers of meaning through different lenses. Aftersun looks at the fallibility of memory, and the ways that we try to piece together full narratives from partial information.

The ending of Aftersun shows that Sophie is still trying to understand what happened to her father, poring over camcorder footage from their holiday together to analyze any potential warning signs. With this context in mind, there are several details which gain greater significance, like Calum refusing to sing karaoke, drinking a little too heavily at dinner or seeming more melancholy than usual on his birthday. There are long stretches where it seems like nothing happens in Aftersun, but every moment is loaded with tragic meaning upon further reflection.

7

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

Célinne Sciamma’s Period Romance Is Beautifully Layered

Portrait of a Lady on Fire follows a painter who is commissioned to secretly create a portrait for a young aristocrat, but the two women develop an intimate relationship over the course of their summer together. Visual art is at the forefront of Célinne Sciamma’s direction, as she frames the gorgeous French island with a painterly gaze. However, art is more than an individual expression of beauty in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and it takes on a darker meaning.

The ending of Portrait of a Lady on Fire brings on the harsh thud of reality. Even though Sciamma uses a frame narrative, it’s easy to get carried away in the romance of the story, and to wish against all common sense that the two lovers can find a way to be together. The ending uses a burst of music to counter the relative silence of most of the story. It’s just one way that the bittersweet finale creates a lasting impact.

6

Manchester By The Sea (2016)

Kenneth Lonergan’s Drama Is Shockingly Lifelike

Casey Affleck delivers a career-best performance in Manchester By the Sea, as he plays a grieving father who unexpectedly becomes his nephew’s legal guardian after his brother’s death. Throughout the story, there are examples of characters who are unequipped to process their emotions. Their bursts of grief and guilt manifest as panic attacks, senseless violence and stunned silence.

It’s astounding that anyone could live with the kind of trauma that Lee carries around, so to say that he struggles to handle it is by no means a slight on him. What’s so revealing about Manchester By the Sea is the way that the characters try and distract themselves with practical considerations and other details. It leaves a hollow feeling, but there are intelligent layers to Manchester By the Sea which set it apart from other tearjerkers.

5

The Conversation (1974)

The Conversation Interrogates Memory And Meaning In A Technological Age

The Conversation is often overlooked, since Francis Ford Coppola released it between his first two Godfather movies, but it’s still worthy of attention. In one of Gene Hackman’s best performances, he plays a surveillance expert who stumbles onto a dangerous conspiracy. Coppola takes a refined approach, allowing room for his characters to replay the same moments over and over again, and watching as they acquire new meanings.

The Conversation gradually draws the audience into its protagonist’s paranoid state of mind, ending with a total nervous breakdown that poses questions about the entire story. This anxious final scene serves as a poignant reflection on the basic ideas of surveillance and privacy. Ultimately, it’s not even clear how much of the narrative is true in the way that it’s initially presented.

4

Prisoners (2013)

Prisoners Delves Into Some Sticky Ethical Debates

Denis Villeneuve’s movies have always left lasting impressions, like with Arrival‘s explosive twist or Blade Runner 2049‘s heartbreaking finale. Before his sci-fi phase, Villeneuve built a reputation for himself with his psychological thrillers, such as Prisoners. The crime drama follows two fathers as they try to find their missing children, taking the investigation into their own hands when the detectives in charge hit a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ end.

Prisoners asks some uncomfortable questions about justice, but its ambiguous approach urges the audience to come up with their own solutions. By presenting a case in which criminal justice doesn’t align with true restorative justice, Prisoners exposes the system’s inability to heal certain wounds. It does so in a way that engages both the intellect and the most base, animalistic desires for retribution.

3

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

The Oscar-Winner Still Packs A Punch

Midnight Cowboy still feels surprisingly modern in many ways, which goes to show how far ahead of its time it was. The Oscar-winner is a masterpiece of New Hollywood, and its story reflects the sudden jolt forward into a new world, as a young Texan gets a culture shock when he moves to New York City with dreams of wealth and glamour. What greets him there instead is more complex and crushing than he could have anticipated.

Midnight Cowboy revolves around two superb performances from Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. They play two men, each struggling in their own ways, who are brought together by a strange bond and a shared need to survive. Whether they’re engaging in petty crimes or going for the big score, their dynamic makes Midnight Cowboy endlessly fascinating, even after so many years.

2

Anatomy Of A Fall (2023)

The Courtroom Drama Is More Than A Whodunnit

Anatomy of a Fall is one of the best legal dramas of recent years, but what happens outside the courtroom is just as interesting. Early on, the main question is what exactly happened, and whether Sandra is guilty or not. As the story progresses, however, the objective truth starts to matter a lot less, and the potential ramifications of the trial start to take center stage.

Anatomy of a Fall‘s ending doesn’t provide a definitive answer to the question of how Samuel died, but it still feels immensely satisfying in its own way. Watching it closely might reveal some clues, but it also reveals the true depth of human emotion and the layered storytelling that makes Anatomy of a Fall linger in the memory. More than a whodunnit or a courtroom thriller, Anatomy of a Fall is a disarmingly realistic portrait of domestic strife.

1

Roma (2018)

Roma Creates An Immersive World

Roma is one of Alfonso Cuarón’s best movies, and it’s certainly his most personal. As a form of reflection on his own childhood, Cuarón tells the story of a live-in maid who works for a wealthy family, following her life through a tumultuous period for her, the rest of the household and the entire city. There are endless layers to Roma waiting to be peeled back, since it attempts to tackle the weight of the human experience.

Roma‘s economical storytelling packs deep meaning into every frame, as Cuarón creates dynamic vignettes from the most mundane settings. It’s rare that a movie can be so thoughtful without ever feeling boring, but Roma‘s intense realism and beautiful cinematography give it a poignant edge. With compelling performances everywhere, Roma creates a vibrant, lifelike time capsule.