The 25 best drama movies on Netflix

1917 (2019)

Sam Mendes immerses us in the hell of war in this visceral drama set in the heart of World War I. Lance corporals William Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are tasked with relaying an important message to a superior to call off a scheduled attack that would put British troops in harm's way. Schofield and Blake traverse the precarious battlefields of northern France, and Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins' expert camerawork makes the film appear to be shot with only two uninterrupted takes. As EW's critic writes, this trick "effectively drops the viewer into the center of the story and compels them to stay there." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch 1917: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Sam Mendes

Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch

Aftersun (2022)

An 11-year-old girl tries to understand her increasingly distant father while on vacation in this understated indie drama. At their holiday resort, Sophie (Frankie Corio) videotapes her dad, Calum (Paul Mescal, in an Oscar-nominated performance), who struggles to find meaning in his life. Interspersed throughout the film are present-day segments depicting an adult Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) as she studies the footage from her youth, still looking for answers. Aftersun is a quietly powerful meditation on memory and the relationship between fathers and daughters, directed with great sensitivity by Charlotte Wells in her feature debut. —K.J.

Where to watch Aftersun: Netflix

Director: Charlotte Wells

Cast: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall

The Age of Adaline (2015)

This romantic sci-fi fantasy drama is one of those films where your willingness to just go with its fantastical plot directly correlates with how it works for you. Blake Lively stars as Adaline Bowman, a woman who dies in the 1930s but is revived by a lightning strike that also prevents her from aging. Stuck for decades at the age of 29, Adaline progresses through time in that perpetually youthful state — even while her daughter ages naturally.

Drawing off similar melancholic vibes of another morality fantasy, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), The Age of Adaline is a surprisingly moving film, with sensitive performances by Lively and Harrison Ford, who plays a past lover of Adaline who recognizes her decades later. —K.J.

Where to watch The Age of Adaline: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Lee Toland Krieger

Cast: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Harrison Ford, Ellen Burstyn

Boy Erased (2018)

Jared (Lucas Hedges) grapples with the horrors of a gay conversion therapy program in this sobering, underrated drama. Based on a true story, the film delves into Jared's struggle with his sexuality, his continued trauma over an incident in college, and his complicated relationship with his homophobic father. While undoubtedly a difficult watch, Boy Erased is ultimately a story of resilience, with an achingly vulnerable performance by Hedges.

"There's no doubt that the film’s heart is solidly in the right place," writes EW's critic. "And if there is even one confused kid — or mother or father — who sees Boy Erased and gains an extra ounce of understanding as a result, then it will have done a real service." —K.J.

Where to watch Boy Erased: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Joel Edgerton

Cast: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton, Joe Alwyn, Xavier Dolan, Troye Sivan

Carol (2015)

Forbidden love has rarely been as luscious as it is in Todd Haynes' sweeping romantic drama set in 1950s New York. Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) is a quiet department store clerk who encounters Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), an elegant customer who entrances her. The two eventually get to know each other and carry out a secret affair, but their bliss is interrupted when Carol's soon-to-be ex-husband uses the affair as leverage to get full custody of their young daughter.

Adapted from the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, Carol was one of the most celebrated films of 2015, earning a 10-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, topping numerous year-end critics' lists, and receiving six Oscar nominations (though curiously not for Best Picture). —K.J.

Where to watch Carol: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Todd Haynes

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, Kyle Chandler

The Devil All the Time (2020)

Based on the novel by Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All the Time features a tangled web of connections spanning the two decades post-WWII. When Arvin (Tom Holland) loses his parents (Bill Skarsgård and Haley Bennett), he moves in with his grandmother. He meets Lenora (Eliza Scanlen), who becomes an unofficial sibling to him. Nearly a decade later, Lenora is seduced by a new reverend in town (Robert Pattinson). She comes close to killing herself after she realizes that she's pregnant and the reverend denies his involvement, but changes her mind at the last second. Unfortunately, it was a second too late.

This film's not for the faint of heart as it features murder, religious extremism, rape, and other sensitive topics. But with an all-star cast pulling off incredible performances, director Antonio Campos nails the adaptation. —Sammi Burke

Where to watch The Devil All the Time: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Antonio Campos

Cast: Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson, Harry Melling

Erin Brockovich (2000)

What could have been your standard Julia Roberts vehicle is, in the hands of director Steven Soderbergh, one of the most compelling legal dramas of the modern era. Roberts stars as real-life activist Erin Brockovich, chronicling her journey from unemployed single mother to paralegal presenting evidence for a major class action lawsuit against the Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Brockovich's force of personality makes her the perfect hero for those ordinary citizens affected by the gas company’s contamination coverup, and Roberts makes a meal of her character's take-no-prisoners attitude.

The actress deservedly won an Oscar for her work; as EW's critic writes, "Roberts, in her most forceful dramatic performance, allows us to take in every moment through fresh, impassioned eyes." —K.J.

Where to watch Erin Brockovich: Netflix

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Cast: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

It's difficult to spoil the ending to Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. If you're not already familiar with the true story of Ted Bundy (played here by Zac Efron), the film's title is unlikely to leave the quality of his character open to debate. What distinguishes director Joe Berlinger's 2019 attempt from the many other true crime retellings of this story, however, is the point of view on which the script is centered.

Adapted from a memoir by Bundy's ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall (Lily Collins), Extremely Wicked tracks Kendall's emotional processing of the case, starting as a girlfriend who refuses to believe her partner could be capable of committing such atrocities and ending as a new woman, finally beginning to heal. EW's critic writes of Efron's performance, "Alternately charming, belligerent, and incalculably shrewd, he captures both the shark-like charisma of Bundy and the deeply damaged man beneath." —S.B.

Where to watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Joe Berlinger

Cast: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Haley Joel Osment, Jim Parsons, John Malkovich, James Hetfield

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

If you're looking for structure or a linear story with a clearly defined ending, then Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things might not be the right film for you. Written and directed by Kaufman and adapted from Ian Reid's novel by the same name, the film is a psychological thriller that traffics in the surreal, shifting fluidly between narrative and free association, all grounded in excellent performances by the film's actors. Jessie Buckley stars as the Young Woman — her name and occupation changing frequently — who contemplates ending her seven-week relationship during a Thanksgiving trip to meet her new boyfriend Jake's (Jesse Plemons) parents (David Thewlis and Toni Collette) at their farmhouse. Throughout the visit, character ages change, an old janitor weaves himself in and out of the story, and a maggot-infested pig makes more than a few appearances.

There is an explanation for all the absurdity — but you might not catch it on the first viewing. With the film's true premise often clouded, what audiences are left with are Kaufman's "dizzying stretches of dialogue," as EW's critic describes them. These conversations, she says, "have the quality of both earnest debate and avant-garde theater, ebbing and flowing on their own inscrutable tides." —S.B.

Where to watch I'm Thinking of Ending Things: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Charlie Kaufman

Cast: Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, David Thewlis

The Irishman (2019)

Longtime collaborators Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro reunited for this 2019 gangster epic, about the real-life hitman Frank Sheeran and his experiences working for the Mafia. Spanning several decades, the film tracks Frank's evolution from truck driver to trusted gunman for crime boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and bodyguard for the infamous Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Despite his professional success, his home life deteriorates, particularly his relationship with his daughter.

While its 209-minute runtime may be daunting, the film moves along at an entertaining clip (thanks in part to master editor Thelma Schoonmaker), and the viewer's patience is rewarded with a haunting conclusion that recontextualizes all that came before. The Irishman scored 10 Oscar nominations, and though it was criminally shut out when it came to wins, time will be kind to the film, even if it wasn't to Sheeran. —K.J.

Where to watch The Irishman: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Bobby Cannavale

Marriage Story (2019)

Noah Baumbach reached new heights with this bittersweet examination of a relationship in the aftermath of a breaking point. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver star as Nicole and Charlie, artists in the entertainment industry whose amicable separation soon turns into a nasty divorce and fight for custody over their son. The film even-handedly explores the nature of relationships and societal expectations, with two fully committed performances at its center (plus a scene-stealing, Oscar-winning turn from Laura Dern as Nicole's lawyer). EW's critic calls Marriage Story "a movie that somehow makes its intimacy seem like a radical act, one messy, heart-wrecking moment at a time." —K.J.

Where to watch Marriage Story: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Noah Baumbach

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Wever

May December (2023)

Todd Haynes' mesmerizing new film defies genre, blending psychological drama and ironic satire as it unravels. Natalie Portman stars as Elizabeth, a television actress who travels to the home of Gracie (Julianne Moore) — a woman she's set to portray in a film — to study her. Gracie was tabloid fodder in the '90s for her sexual relationship with a boy named Joe, whom she met when he was 13, while she was 36 (loosely inspired by the real-life story of Mary Kay Letourneau). All these years later, the couple is married with three kids, and doing their best to leave their controversy behind them. But the arrival of Elizabeth leads a now-grown-up Joe (Charles Melton) to reexamine his relationship, while Gracie gradually becomes resentful of the actress insinuating herself into their lives.

May December succeeds most as a well-observed, well-acted character study; the nature of Gracie and Joe's relationship is thorny, but so is Elizabeth's obsessive probing. Because, as the film demonstrates on both a surface and subtextual level, there's always more to the story. —K.J.

Where to watch May December: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Todd Haynes

Cast: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton

Miss Juneteenth (2020)

One of the most underrated indie dramas of the decade so far, Miss Juneteenth is a lived-in examination of a mother and daughter's relationship as they grapple with expectations placed on them. Nicole Beharie plays Turquoise, single mother to Kai (Alexis Chikaeze), who is working multiple jobs to make ends meet. She pushes Kai to compete in the Miss Juneteenth pageant, which she won in her youth, even though her daughter expresses little interest in following in her footsteps. Featuring an impressively naturalistic turn from Beharie — who earned multiple critics' award notices for her work — Miss Juneteenth is a loving yet realistic tribute to finding one's path despite the roadblocks that inevitably pop up along the way. —K.J.

Where to watch Miss Juneteenth: Netflix

Director: Channing Godfrey Peoples

Cast: Nicole Beharie, Kendrick Sampson, Alexis Chikaeze

Molly's Game (2017)

Generally critiqued for his struggles in writing complex female characters with agendas independent of the men with whom they work, Aaron Sorkin strikes a commendable balance with Molly’s Game, his feature directorial debut. The story follows Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), a young skier who, after her Olympic dreams end in injury, uses her athletically-earned gifts of confidence and composure to run an exclusive underground poker ring. 

Based on Molly Bloom's memoir, the film’s two-hour and 20-minute run time races past in a series of flashbacks and narration as Bloom relays her riches-to-rags story to her lawyer (Idris Elba). Fans of celebrity gossip will delight in Michael Cera's performance as an unpleasant Hollywood actor and poker enthusiast who, according to clues dropped in the movie and book, is likely Tobey Maguire. —S.B.

Where to watch Molly's Game: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd, Bill Camp

The Nest (2020)

Sean Durkin's enigmatic '80s-set drama is a masterwork of unease. An American family transplants to London for patriarch Rory's (Jude Law) new job, and, despite the promise of prosperity and happiness, soon falls into dysfunction. Rory hasn’t informed his wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), that he’s nearly broke, Allison struggles to adjust to her new life, and their new mansion home is so creaky and uninviting it may as well be haunted. Imbued with dread, The Nest is an enrapturing portrait of a marriage and a family, with two stellar performances in Law and Coon.

"Durkin captures it all with a sort of menacing restraint, building a deeply disquieting mood from long, almost voyeuristic shots and loaded gazes," EW's critic observes. "Is he giving us gothic romance, domestic drama, existential horror?" —K.J.

Where to watch The Nest: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Sean Durkin

Cast: Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Charlie Shotwell, Oona Roche, Adeel Akhtar

On the Basis of Sex (2018)

This biopic about Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a compelling saga of a trailblazer in her early years. Felicity Jones portrays the future Supreme Court justice as a young law student looking to make her mark on the world — and frequently running into roadblocks due to her gender in a male-dominated society. She eventually becomes a law professor and sets out to challenge sex-based discrimination, making a name for herself as an equal rights advocate in the process. EW's critic writes that On the Basis of Sex "represents a noble attempt to showcase the roots of how deeply her efforts and passions would come to alter the fabric of American life." —K.J.

Where to watch On the Basis of Sex: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Mimi Leder

Cast: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston, Kathy Bates

Phantom Thread (2017)

Paul Thomas Anderson's beautiful, dark, twisted love story unfolds with the precision of the urbane fashion designer at its center. Daniel Day-Lewis, in what is presumed to be his final film role, plays Reynolds Woodcock, a celebrated dressmaker in 1950s London who falls in love with Alma (Vicky Krieps), a waitress who soon becomes his muse. Though Reynolds' sister Cyril (a scene-stealing Lesley Manville) fears that Alma may be distracting him from his work, Alma proves herself equally matched with the stubborn Reynolds. With Oscar-winning costumes and a nominated score by Jonny Greenwood, Phantom Thread is a hypnotic (and shockingly honest) exploration of love and the shifting power dynamics therein. —K.J.

Where to watch Phantom Thread: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville

The Piano Lesson (2024)

The theatrical work of August Wilson is ripe for cinematic adaptation, as proved by the Oscar-winning dramas Fences (2016) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). The Piano Lesson continues in that tradition of accomplished actors making meals out of Wilson's remarkable writing about the Black experience, this time with a slight horror bent. The film largely takes place in 1936 Pittsburgh, where the dysfunctional Charles family argues over what to do about their family's most treasured heirloom, a piano acquired by their enslaved ancestors.

Packed with rigorous performances — particularly by Danielle Deadwyler — The Piano Lesson is a stirring family saga about the tension between honoring one's history and moving forward to chart a new path. —K.J.

Where to watch The Piano Lesson: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Malcolm Washington

Cast: John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Simmering with tension, Jane Campion's moody revisionist Western is a transfixing examination of power and control — and the lengths to which a boy will go to protect his mother. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Phil, a spiteful rancher who torments his brother's (Jesse Plemons) new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her sensitive teenage son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) against the backdrop of 1920s Montana. As Phil plays psychological mind games on his farm's new inhabitants, Peter quietly calculates how to get back at his uncle after discovering a buried secret. The widely-acclaimed drama earned a whopping 12 Oscar nominations, including acting nominations for all four central performances, with Campion becoming only the third woman to win Best Director. —K.J.

Where to watch The Power of the Dog: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Jane Campion

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Genevieve Lemon, Keith Carradine, Frances Conroy

Private Life (2018)

This emotional dramedy from Tamara Jenkins follows a middle-aged couple and their painstaking efforts to have a baby. With Richard (Paul Giamatti) having sperm issues and Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) struggling with in vitro fertilization, the couple is desperate for solutions. After their niece, Sadie (Kayli Carter), goes to live with them, Rachel considers asking her for help, leading to awkward family tension when Sadie's parents find out. Emotionally honest with just the right dash of humor, Private Life is a poignant slice of family drama anchored by Hahn's vulnerable performance. As EW's critic writes of the film, "It’s about perseverance, compassion, and empathy." —K.J.

Where to watch Private Life: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Tamara Jenkins

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hahn, Kayli Carter, Molly Shannon, John Carroll Lynch, Desmin Borges, Denis O'Hare

Schindler's List (1993)

Steven Spielberg has directed numerous films we regard as cinematic classics today, though few hit quite as hard as this harrowing epic. Telling the story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), the German man who ended up saving the lives of more than 1,000 Jews in the Holocaust, the film skillfully demonstrates the human capacity for hope amid dire circumstances. With haunting imagery (particularly that girl in the red coat) and stirring performances, this is an essential watch for understanding one of the most unspeakable events in world history.

"In Schindler's List, Spielberg goes beyond 'dramatizing' the Holocaust," writes EW's critic. "He restages it with an existential vividness unprecedented in any nondocumentary film." —K.J.

Where to watch Schindler's List: Netflix

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall, Embeth Davidtz

Sweet Girl (2021)

Killers for hire, big pharma's lies, and a touch of corporate espionage, oh my! Sweet Girl's got it all. Starring Jason Momoa as Ray, a man seeking answers and responsibility after his wife's death, Sweet Girl puts the greed of pharmaceutical companies on blast. Featuring subway stabbings, FBI ambushes, and a twist that nobody could see coming, this action-packed drama is definitely the film version of a page-turner. (A scene-flipper? Frame-forwarder? Eh, we'll work on that.) Sweet Girl received mixed critical reviews, but anything that can make your jaw drop like that is a winner in our book. —S.B.

Where to watch Sweet Girl: Netflix

Director: Brian Andrew Mendoza

Cast: Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Adria Arjona, Raza Jaffrey, Justin Bartha, Lex Scott Davis, Michael Raymond-James, Amy Brenneman

Thank You For Your Service (2017)

While numerous films have depicted the hellishness of war, sometimes the more interesting story comes from what happens when soldiers return home. Such is the case with Thank You For Your Service, which finds Miles Teller's Iraq War veteran Adam Schumann struggling to readjust to life in Kansas between his PTSD and survivor's guilt. The underrated drama, as EW's critic writes, proved "successful at capturing the Iraq War's effects on American lives," centering on the specific sense of malaise experienced by veterans coming back to a country that doesn't always provide them with the help they need to re-acclimate. —K.J.

Where to watch Thank You For Your Service: Netflix

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Jason Hall

Cast: Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Joe Cole, Amy Schumer, Beulah Koale, Scott Haze

Whiplash (2014)

No need to yell at us, Mr. Fletcher: Whiplash is very much our tempo. This electrifying indie made director Damien Chazelle a name to watch, centering on Andrew (Miles Teller), an ambitious music student with big dreams of becoming a jazz drummer. At the conservatory, Andrew must contend with the band’s demanding conductor, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons, in a terrifying Oscar-winning performance), whose relentless pushing of his students goes far beyond “tough love.” But Andrew is driven, and he goes to great lengths to impress Fletcher and improve his skills, at the risk of everything (and everyone) else in his life. Whiplash is an engrossing exploration of obsession with two committed performances at its center. —K.J.

Where to watch Whiplash: Netflix

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Damien Chazelle

Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser

The Wonder (2022)

Following the Great Famine in 19th-century Ireland, British nurse Lib (Florence Pugh) is called to look after a girl who has not eaten in months, claiming to be fed with "manna from Heaven." As villagers come to be in the presence of a seemingly holy girl, Lib meets a journalist (Tom Burke) who suspects it all to be a ruse.

Tackling themes of science vs. faith and family trauma, this period drama nearly tips over into gothic horror, brimming with moody atmosphere. As EW's critic notes, "The sumptuous cinematography, by Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog, Zola), makes the landscape look like a Brönte novel, full of windswept moors and flickering, fire-lit shadows. Pugh, too, is pretty much perfectly cast, an actress with such a keen emotional presence that she tends to cut through pretense and triviality like a hot knife." —K.J.

Where to watch The Wonder: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Sebastián Lelio

Cast: Florence Pugh, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy, Caolán Byrne, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds