We've scared up the Best Horror Movies on Netflix from 'Bird Box' to 'Silence of the Lambs' playing now for your screaming and streaming pleasure.
By William Bibbiani and Jesse SchedeenFrom All the President's Men to Bonnie and Clyde to The Hurt Locker to Winter's Bone and more, there are a lot of drama movies to choose from on Netflix...
Are you looking for the best dramas to stream on Netflix right now? Some people watch movies to escape from reality, others watch movies to be immersed in it. Serious, dramatic movies represent many of the most powerful stories ever told in the medium, and Netflix has no shortage of films that try to hit you right in the feels. Family stories, music biopics, feel good tales, odes to romance, science histories, current hits... there is no doubt that this page has a pretty extensive list of genre films so that you don't have to search any further! Of course, they have so many movies that it's easy to accidentally wind up watching a bad one, and that's where we come in with our monthly updates on the best new movies on Netflix.
These are our picks for the best dramas on Netflix right now, including recent Oscar-winners, all-time classics, and brilliant indies that may have slipped under your radar. Whatever you're looking for, the dramas that are on Netflix right now have something for you. So let's take a look at the best new releases in drama Netflix movies, including many of the top recent films from 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016. Read on for the richest and most exciting drama movies on Netflix!
Oh, and when you're done here, be sure to also check out our rundown of the Best Dramas of 2018 or our list of what's new to Netflix this month.
rnWhen Jessica (Krysten Ritter) crosses paths with a highly intelligent psychopath, she and Trish (Rachael Taylor) must repair their fractured relationship and team up to take him down. But a devastating loss reveals their conflicting ideas of heroism, and sets them on a collision course that will forever change them both.','height':4641,'width':6948,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/001-violet-301-unit-00033r-1558537519429.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/001-violet-301-unit-00033r-1558537519429_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'01','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'TRINKETS (season available in June)rnWhen three teenage girls from different corners of the high school cafeteria find themselves in the same mandated Shoplifteru2019s Anonymous meeting, an unlikely friendship forms. Based on Kirsten u201cKiwiu201d Smithu0027s YA novel and starring Deadpoolu0027s Brianna Hildebrand.','height':2400,'width':3600,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/trnkts-101-101518-ar-0054r-1558537593806.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/trnkts-101-101518-ar-0054r-1558537593806_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'02','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'BLACK MIRROR: SEASON 5 (season available 6/5/19)
rnBlack Mirror returns with three sure-to-be-harrowing episodes starring the likes of Miley Cyrus, Topher Grace, and the MCUu0027s Anthony Mackie and Pom Klementieff. ','height':0,'width':0,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/blackmirror-season5-02-1558537759033.png','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/blackmirror-season5-02-1558537759033_{size}.png','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'03','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'THE CHEF SHOW (season available 6/7/19)
rnIn The Chef Show actor/director Jon Favreau and award-winning Chef Roy Choi reunite after their critically acclaimed film Chef to embark on a new adventure. The two friends experiment with their favorite recipes and techniques, baking, cooking, exploring and collaborating with some of the biggest names in the entertainment and culinary world. Guests on The Chef Show include: Gwyneth Paltrow, Bill Burr, Robert Downey Jr, Tom Holland, Kevin Feige, and the Russo brothers, Andrew Rea, Evan Kleiman, Jazz Singsanong, Robert Rodriguez, David Chang, Aaron Franklin and many more.','height':0,'width':0,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/the-chef-show-s01e01-7m32s10839f-1558537796937.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/the-chef-show-s01e01-7m32s10839f-1558537796937_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'04','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'I AM MOTHER (movie available 6/7/19)
rnA sci-fi thriller about a teenage girl (Clara Rugaard), who is the first of a new generation of humans to be raised by Mother (Rose Byrne), a robot designed to repopulate the earth after the extinction of humankind. But the pairu2019s unique relationship is threatened when an injured stranger (Hilary Swank) arrives with news that calls into question everything Daughter has been told about the outside world and her Motheru2019s intentions.','height':0,'width':0,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/i20am20mother20still-1558537860763.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/i20am20mother20still-1558537860763_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'05','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: SEASON 3 (season available 6/7/19)
rnThe gloves come off as Kirkman launches his election campaign amidst ethical quandaries, international incidents and a new terrorism threat at home.','height':2160,'width':3233,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/designated-survivor-s3-2-1558537893360.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/designated-survivor-s3-2-1558537893360_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'06','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'THE BLACK GODFATHER (documentary available 6/7/19)
rnThe Black Godfather charts the exceptional and unlikely rise of Clarence Avant, a music executive who, until now, has deliberately chosen to remain behind the scenes as he influenced legends such as Bill Withers, Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, and Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Featuring interviews with Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy, Diane Warren, Lionel Ritchie, Suzanne de Passe, David Geffen, Jerry Moss, Sir Lucian Grainge, Cecily Tyson, and Jamie Foxx, among others.','height':1003,'width':1501,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/the-black-godfather-01-01-32-12-crop201-1558537938133.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/the-black-godfather-01-01-32-12-crop201-1558537938133_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'07','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'TALES OF THE CITY (season available 6/7/19)
rnBased on the book series by Armistead Maupin, Mary Ann (Laura Linney), who returns home to San Francisco and is reunited with her daughter Shawna and ex-husband Brian, twenty years after leaving them behind to pursue her career. Fleeing the midlife crisis that her picture perfect Connecticut life created, Mary Ann returns home to her chosen family and will quickly be drawn back into the orbit of Anna Madrigal and the residents of 28 Barbary Lane. Starring Linney, Ellen Page, Olympia Dukakis, and more.','height':2400,'width':3600,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/totc-103-unit-00604r-1558537943277.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/totc-103-unit-00604r-1558537943277_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'08','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'ROLLING THUNDER REVUE : A BOB DYLAN STORY BY MARTIN SCORSESE (documentary available 6/12/19)
rnIn an alchemic mix of fact and fantasy, Martin Scorsese looks back at Bob Dylanu2019s 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue tour and a country ripe for reinvention.','height':2749,'width':4115,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/rollingthunder-dylan-facepaint-bw-1558537969181.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/rollingthunder-dylan-facepaint-bw-1558537969181_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':'09','albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'MURDER MYSTERY (movie available 6/14/19)
rnWhen an NYC cop (Adam Sandler) finally takes his wife (Jennifer Aniston) on a long promised European trip, a chance meeting on the flight gets them invited to an intimate family gathering on the Super Yacht of elderly billionaire Malcolm Quince. When Quince is murdered, they become the prime suspects in a modern day whodunit. ','height':4000,'width':6000,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/mm-unit-08932-r-1558537973336.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/mm-unit-08932-r-1558537973336_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':10,'albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'AWAKE: THE MILLION DOLLAR GAME (season available 6/14/19)
rnSleepless for 24 hours, contestants in this comedy game show stumble through challenges both eccentric and mundane for a chance at a $1 million prize.','height':0,'width':0,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/sdp-background-9201-1558538016292.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/sdp-background-9201-1558538016292_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':11,'albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'THE MISSING: SEASON 3 (season available 6/17/19)
rnJulien Baptiste is looking for a missing prostitute in Amsterdam. He digs into the criminal underworld of the red-light district and exposes a complex web of deception and lies.','height':2523,'width':3777,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/-final-17315072-17315062-1558538020231.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/-final-17315072-17315062-1558538020231_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':12,'albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'BEATS (movie available 6/18/19)
rnIn this coming-of-age drama, a reclusive teenage musical prodigy (Khalil Everage) forms an unlikely friendship with a down-on-his-luck high school security guard (Anthony Anderson). United by their mutual love of hip hop, they try to free each other from the demons of their past and break into the cityu0027s music scene. ','height':0,'width':0,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/beats-04332-1558538049407.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/beats-04332-1558538049407_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':13,'albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'DARK: SEASON 2 (season available 6/21/19)
rnJonas finds himself trapped in the future and desperately tries to return to 2020. Meanwhile, his friends Martha, Magnus, and Franziska are trying to uncover how Bartoszu2019 is involved in the mysterious incidents occurring in their small hometown of Winden. More and more people are drawn into the events orchestrated by an obscure figure who seemingly controls everything that is connected throughout different time zones.','height':2048,'width':3065,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/darks02-stills-190411-16862-1558538052190.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/darks02-stills-190411-16862-1558538052190_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':14,'albumTotalCount':15},{'caption':'SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (movie available 6/16/19)
rnThe exciting and heartfelt Oscar-winning animated adventure, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, thrips into action at the end of June.','height':1080,'width':1920,'url':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/1543420547395-1558538109365.jpg','styleUrl':'https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2019/05/22/1543420547395-1558538109365_{size}.jpg','credit':','objectRelationName':','objectRelationUrl':','albumName':'Netflix Spotlight: June 2019','relativePosition':15,'albumTotalCount':15}]'>
When Jessica (Krysten Ritter) crosses paths with a highly intelligent psychopath, she and Trish (Rachael Taylor) must repair their fractured relationship and team up to take him down. But a devastating loss reveals their conflicting ideas of heroism, and sets them on a collision course that will forever change them both.
When Jessica (Krysten Ritter) crosses paths with a highly intelligent psychopath, she and Trish (Rachael Taylor) must repair their fractured relationship and team up to take him down. But a devastating loss reveals their conflicting ideas of heroism, and sets them on a collision course that will forever change them both.
Or follow these links for the best of other genres:
Please note: This list pertains to U.S. Netflix subscribers. Some titles may not currently be available on international platforms.
Best Drama Movies on Netflix Right Now
Good Night, and Good Luck
George Clooney couldn't settle for being one of the world's most handsome, bankable and critically acclaimed actors. He also proved his directing chops with this 2005 historical drama, which stars the perfectly cast David Strathairn as legendary newscaster Edward R. Murrow. Good Night, and Good Luck dramatizes the clash between Murrow's news team and Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. It's a clever, thoughtful testament to the crucial responsibility of the media to speak truth to power. It's also a film that only seems to grow more relevant with each passing year.
Platoon
Other than Francis Ford Coppola, no director has done a better job of chronicling the horrors of the Vietnam War than Oliver Stone. Platoon ranks among the greatest war movies ever filmed, thanks to Stone's writing and directing and an impeccable cast that includes Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Keith David, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Forest Whitaker and Johnny Depp.
Gosford Park
This acclaimed drama from director Robert Altman and writer Julian Fellowes is basically the prototype for Downton Abbey (and in fact Downton was originally conceived by Fellowes as a spinoff of Gosford Park). The same basic ingredients are in place, with the film exploring the class divide in 1930s England, as the wealthy inhabitants and the downtrodden servants of a lavish estate are rocked by a murder in their midst. The film's impeccable ensemble cast is the icing on the cake, as it features Eileen Atkins, Bob Balaban, Alan Bates, Charles Dance, Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Richard E. Grant, Derek Jacobi, Kelly Macdonald, Helen Mirren, Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emily Watson
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
This film (an adaptation of the stage play by Edward Albee) remains one of only two films ever to be nominated for every single available category at the Academy Awards. It only wound up taking home a handful, but it remains one of the absolute best efforts in director Mike Nichols' impressive career. The film also boasts one of the most mesmerizing performances ever from Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor and co-star Richard Burton play an eternally bickering husband and wife who invite another couple over for drinks. Suffice it to say, the evening quickly goes downhill from there.
All the President's Men
Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford enjoyed career-defining roles in this political thriller that dramatizes journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's investigation into the Watergate cover-up. It's a tightly paced drama that manages plenty of suspense despite us all knowing the ending ahead of time. And in a time when the journalism field is undergoing an existential crisis, films like All the President's Men have only become that much more timely and important.
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde is both a hugely important and incredibly enjoyable film. It was among the first examples of the 'New Hollywood' movement that swept cinema in the '60s and brought a much-needed dose of counterculture edginess to the big screen. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway star as the titular duo in this dramatization of their crime spree. At the time, critics had trouble wrapping their heads around the film's unexpected mixture of comedy and bloody violence, but time has only been kind to Bonnie and Clyde.
Burning
While it didn't make much of a splash on the awards circuit, Burning is undoubtedly one of the best foreign language films of 2018. This South Korean drama, based on a short story by acclaimed author Haruki Mirakami, stars Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, and Jeon Jong-seo as three friends who slowly become embroiled in an unsettling psychological mystery. The film is a slow burn, but one that steadily builds until it reaches a terrific payoff.
The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker is widely regarded as one of the finest war movies made in the post-9/11 era. Director Kathryn Bigelow explores the intense pressure faced by members of an explosive ordinance removal team during the Iraq War, with a cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse and Guy Pearce. The film dominated the 2010 Academy Awards, and for good reason. It's incredibly well-made and a truly visceral experience.
The Lives of Others
This 2006 German drama found itself on numerous Best Of lists and brought home the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It dazzled critics with its hauntingly bleak look at life in Cold War-era East Berlin. The film centers around a Stasi secret police officer (played by Ulrich Mühe) who's tasked with spying on a potentially subversive playwright (Sebastian Koch). (Available 3/15/19)Winter's Bone
Before the Hunger Games series or X-Men: First Class, Winter's Bone showed moviegoers what a promising talent Jennifer Lawrence was. Lawrence stars as a self-sufficient teenager in rural Missouri who's forced to hunt down her absentee father when the family is threatened with homelessness. The result is an engrossing look at a girl's fight for survival - both for herself and her siblings. It's often horrifying, yet evenhanded enough in its portrayal of the characters that it manages to be inspirational at the same time.
Good Will Hunting
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, struggling actors, wrote themselves a screenplay with juicy starring roles, and won an Oscar - and leading man status - in the process. They also earned Robin Williams his only Academy Award, playing a therapist whose latest client is a self-defeating genius who resists psychoanalysis at every turn. Though sometimes schmaltzy, Good Will Hunting is a wonderful acting showcase for everyone involved, and a sensitive, earnest drama about struggling with ambition.
Billy Elliot
A young boy in a coal mining town wants to dance ballet, and as directed by Stephen Daldry, that's a Herculean accomplishment. Billy Elliot is a love letter to anyone who dreamed of pursuing artistic dreams in a family or community that resisted them, and its love of music and personal expression is absolutely riveting. Billy Elliot inspires joy and aspiration in all of its fans.
Roma
Alfonso Cuaron's new drama Roma may be the most acclaimed Netflix Original movie so far. It's the spectacularly photographed tale of Cleo (newcomer Yalitza Aparicio), a young housekeeper in Mexico who works for a middle-class family and becomes pregnant at a tumultuous political time. Roma's story may be straightforward but Cuaron amplifies every major plot point with an overtness and eccentricity that rivals Fellini.
The Departed
Martin Scorsese finally won a Best Director Oscar, after decades of nominations, with his excellent Boston crime saga The Departed, based on the (also excellent) Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon star as, respectively, a cop undercover as a criminal and a criminal undercover as a cop, both working for a sinister crime boss, played by Jack Nicholson. Will they foil each other's plans? Is there any escape from the corruption at the heart of this city? Superb performances and exciting storytelling make The Departed one of Scorsese's most thrilling forays into the criminal underworld.
Pulp Fiction
The blockbuster indie sensation that sparked a whole new wave of crime movie storytelling in the late 1990s, and added pop culture navel gazing to the vernacular of mainstream cinema, Pulp Fiction is one of the most influential films of its kind. It's also one of the best. This spry and unexpected tale of interconnected hitmen, down on their luck boxers, petty thieves and mob wives takes all the weird storytelling conventions of grindhouse, 'pulp' cinema and finds a real humanity therein by exploring all the characters most movies overlook and fleshing out every little detail nobody else ever thought of. It's a classic for a reason.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The latest film from The Coen Brothers is a Netflix exclusive, and it's one of their finest motion pictures. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is an anthology film, consisting of weird tales from the wild, unpredictable west. It's perversely funny, especially in the film's opening segment (featuring Tim Blake Nelson as a monstrous hero), but eventually Buster Scruggs settles into a melancholy, serious take on the Western tradition, telling one great story after another about the tragic inevitability and absurdity of death in its many forms.
A Most Violent Year
Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain are just trying to be legitimate business people, but in the midst of a crime wave in New York City, when all their truck drivers are getting hijacked, that might not be possible. J.C. Chandor's complex drama about moral seesawing gives Isaac, in particular, one of his very best performances (which is saying something), and offers a nuanced perspective on criminality that most movies could never get away with (if they even had the guts to try).
Certain Women
The idea that movies have to be about something remarkable has been disproven time and again by films just like Certain Women, a triptych of tales from director Kelly Reichardt, based on short stories by Maile Melloy. Laura Dern plays a lawyer struggling to help one of her clients receive disability from his employers. Michelle Williams tries to convince a neighbor to sell her some sandstone. Lily Gladstone develops a close, possibly romantic relationship with a visiting teacher, played by Kristen Stewart. These sagas are brought to vivid and impressive life by a remarkable cast and insightful writing, which proves just as captivating as any of the flashier dramas on Netflix.
The Other Side of the Wind
Few filmmakers had worse luck than Orson Welles, who spent decades struggling to get films made, only to often have the finished product mangled by studios, or to get screwed out of ever finishing them. One of his most notorious projects is The Other Side of the Wind, which starred acclaimed filmmakers John Huston and Peter Bogdanovich as two acclaimed filmmakers. The film completed principle photography in 1976 and it wasn't finished until... this year. Netflix is releasing it for the very first time, and it's an astounding motion picture, capturing all the rage and pomposity of a filmmaker just like Welles, desperately trying to make something meaningful but getting wrapped up instead in backstage frustrations like budget crises, balking producers, ego clashes, and merciless manipulations.
Locke
Tom Hardy gets into a car with everything, and over the course of a very long drive in the middle of the night, he loses it all. Steven Knight's impressive drama really does take place entirely within a single automobile, and it's a testament to the film's excellent screenplay and the incredible prowess of Tom Hardy that Locke never feels boring, and is actually one of the best and most involving dramas of the last several years.
The Third Man
Long considered one of the very best motion pictures ever made, The Third Man is a gorgeously photographed but utterly eccentric film noir, about an American writer who travels to Vienna after World War II, only to discover that the friend who invited him is dead, and nobody wants to investigate the crime. Half-satire, half grim exploration of flexible morality, and always captivating, The Third Man is just as vibrant today as it must've been when it first came out. And no film has ever had a score quite like the zither music you'll find in this one.
No Country for Old Men
Josh Brolin finds a suitcase full of money in the desert, but nothing comes easy in the world of the Coen Brothers. Their Oscar-winning film co-stars Javier Bardem as a mysterious assassin who will stop at nothing to get the money back, unless maybe - just maybe - his victims can survive the world's deadliest coin toss. Violence is brutal and random, goodness isn't much different. No Country for Old Men is one of the Coens' most mature, exciting motion pictures.
The Aviator
Martin Scorsese directs an epic biography of one of the most epic human beings of the 20th century. The Aviator stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, a millionaire aeronautics innovator and, in his spare time, feature filmmaker who changed the way human beings cross the globe and romanced Hollywood legend Katherine Hepburn (played by an Oscar-winning Cate Blanchett) as well. Scorsese has a keen eye for Hollywood history and historical detail, but also a truly canny understanding of Hughes's mental illness, impressively dramatizing his descent into paralyzing reclusiveness.
Boyhood
A fascinating experiment and a touching drama, Boyhood stars Ellar Coltrane as a young boy growing up in Texas. Rather than recast him as he got older, writer/director Richard Linklater filmed his movie over the course of 11 years so all of the characters could age in real time over the course of a single film. The effect is hypnotic, and real in a way that most movies never bother to attempt. Patricia Arquette, who won an Oscar for her performance, and Ethan Hawke round out the cast as the parents whose stories are just as fascinating as the main character's.
Carol
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara earned Oscar nominations for their impeccable performances in Carol as a young photographer and a divorced mother who fall in love in the 1950s. Todd Haynes' astounding eye for detail emphasizes the extent to which their romantic relationship was forced to play out under the surface to avoid the appearance of 'impropriety,' which only makes the depths to which Blanchett and Mara take their characters all the more astounding.
Christine
The true story of reporter Christine Chubbuck and how it all ended is one of the most shocking in TV history, but Antonio Campos' incredible film isn't so much about that tragic event and its aftermath as it is the harrowing emotional journey Chubbuck was on beforehand. Rebecca Hall gives an all-time performance in the title role as a woman stymied by journalistic integrity, rampant sexism, loneliness and medical afflictions whose increasingly overwhelming despair takes hold, and leads to unspeakable tragedy.
City of God
Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund direct a brutal crime drama set in Rio de Janeiro, where children grow up in, and into, a violent society. City of God is more energetic and thrilling than almost any other crime drama, with a sprawling story filled with memorable, dangerous characters. It earned Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director, and it deserved every single one of them.
Lincoln
The complexities of the American political system are brought to vivid life in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, which details the profoundly difficult job the 16th president had convincing the country to abolish slavery once and for all. Complicated moral and ethical dilemmas, disappointing personal sacrifices and one great performance after another turn what could have been a dry history lesson into an inspiring and suspenseful drama that ranks amongst Spielberg's best films.
Milk
Sean Penn won his second Academy Award for his fantastic performance as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office in California, whose life ended in shocking tragedy. As dramatized by Gus Van Sant, Milk's life was a heroic and human story about local politics, and the seemingly overwhelming difficulties involved in actually affecting meaningful social change. It's a striking biopic and an important story that should have a profound impact on anyone who wants to make a real difference.
Mudbound
Dee Rees directs this rich and nuanced adaptation of Hillary Jordan's novel, about a white family and a black family farming the same land, whose lives are vastly different only because of the color of their skin. Mudbound features impressive performances and gorgeous, earthy cinematography, and comes to depressing but vital conclusions about the impact racism has on people who have literally nothing else to prop up their egos.
My Life as a Zucchini
The mother of a neglected child dies, and the boy winds up in a home for abused, emotionally scarred kids. And yet somehow My Life as a Zucchini doesn't seem bitter. It's a sincere and honest stop-motion animated drama about the capacity children have to overcome strife and unite over shared emotional pain, and thanks in part to the charming character designs, it comes across as an ultimately hopeful, lovely tale.
Schindler's List
Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning opus stars Liam Neeson as a Nazi arms manufacturer who conspires to rescue Jews from concentration camps, using the excuse of needing them for manual labor. The horrors of Nazi Germany are starkly realized in oppressive black-and-white, so that although the characters have nuance, their situation is direct and confrontational. Schindler's List exists to remind us how despicable the Nazis were for dehumanizing a group of people, how easy it was for them to use that dehumanization as a rationale for unforgivable atrocities, and how determined and sneaky decent people have to be to circumvent institutionalized, legally-authorized cruelty.
So there you have it: what to watch on Netflix right now in the world of drama movies. Check back here each month for new titles as Netflix adds them!
Note: This article is frequently amended to remove films no longer on Netflix, and to include more drama films that are now available on the service.
Additional streaming guides
Netflix has a treasure trove of terrific movies that you can stream right now, but if you’re looking for more than just a two-hour commitment, it’s also got a boatload of great TV shows you can delve into to keep yourself occupied for days — or even weeks — on end. If you just finished a good series and need a new one to fill the void, Netflix is the place to go, given the service’s phenomenal mix of classic, current, and original programming. Below, we’ve rounded up the best shows on Netflix right now, so you can binge watch without having to hunt for the right title.
In need of more suggestions? Our brother site, The Manual, has pulled together a list of the best documentaries streaming on Netflix at this very moment.
Drama
The Haunting of Hill House
One dark and ominous night, Hugh Crain (Henry Thomas) gathers his children and flees their vast, gothic mansion, leaving his wife, Olivia (Carla Gugino), behind. Olivia dies that night, her death ruled a suicide, and the tabloids run wild with stories of the haunted Hill House. The five Crain children — Steven, Shirley, Theo, Nell, and Luke — all grow up dealing with their trauma in varying ways, whether writing a successful memoir about the haunting of Hill House (Steven), or abusing drugs to numb the pain (Luke). As adults, the Crain siblings are barely on speaking terms, until a tragedy forces them all back together, and back to Hill House. Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House is a character-driven story, delving into the psychological problems of its many protagonists. It’s no mere family drama, though. In addition to their personal demons, there are some very real ghosts haunting the Crains, and Flanagan orchestrates some intense scares in the first episode alone, building tension but also knowing when to bust out a jump scare.
Alias Grace
Based on a novel by Margaret Atwood (itself based on a true story), Alias Grace begins with a mystery. Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon) is serving a sentence for murder, for which her male accomplice was hanged. Grace has numerous supporters, who hire Dr. Simon Jordan (Edward Holcroft) to interview Grace and hopefully reveal a truth that will absolve her. Grace’s story takes her from Ireland to Canada, where she works as a servant for the wealthy man she will allegedly kill. The show is no mere whodunit — as a member of the lower class, and a woman, Grace navigates social hierarchies that grasp at her every moment of every day. In its examination of Grace’s story, her dismal past, and the shifting views society takes of her, Alias Grace weaves a tale about what it is to be a woman in a world governed by men.
Peaky Blinders
Set in the aftermath of World War I, Peaky Blinders is a crime drama about a British crime family, the Shelbys. After Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) returns from the war, he sets about trying to expand the family’s control of Birmingham, stealing a shipment of guns to give his gang an edge in the world of crime. The show follows Tommy and his family as they move up in the world, butting heads with other crime families and the British government. Peaky Blinders is gorgeously shot, and the story it tells is one of complicated people and muddy morality.
Mindhunter
In 1977, cultural earthquakes have toppled faith in the American ideal, and the agents of the FBI face an unfamiliar kind of criminal: The serial killer, whose crimes have no basis in reason as far as the agency can see. Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) believes that, with enough research, the FBI can make sense of the seemingly senseless violence. Together with Behavioral Science Unit agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), Ford travels the country, interviewing imprisoned serial killers to understand what drives them, but gazing into the abyss starts to gnaw at the agents. From director David Fincher, Mindhunter is a sleek, eerie production, with a focus on the nature of criminal psychology, rather than grotesque violence.
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
One of the most infamous trials in American history gets a dramatic interpretation in this limited series, which follows the trial of former football star O.J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.), the prime suspect in the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. After a televised high-speed chase that captivated the nation, District Attorney Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) brings charges against Simpson, leading to the highly publicized murder trial. The show examines the case from many angles, bringing in the perspectives of the major players in the case, including Simpson, Clark, and Simpson’s legal team — Robert Shapiro (John Travolta), Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer), and Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance). Like the case that inspired it, The People v. O.J. Simpson is dramatic, emotional, and ultimately leaves the viewer wondering where the truth lies.
Mad Men
Set in New York in the 1960s, Mad Men follows one of the city’s most prestigious ad agencies on Madison Avenue. The agency is doing well, but as the industry grows, the competition begins to stiffen. The agency tries to survive in a time when everything, including the ad industry, is undergoing a radical shake-up. The two protagonists are the enigmatic Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a self-made executive whose childhood seems to always get in the way of his happiness, and ultra-terse Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), a former secretary who works her way up the corporate ladder. From its first episode all the way through its final season, Mad Men is a tremendous work of art.
Breaking Bad
Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a high-school chemistry teacher diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. To secure his family’s finances before he dies, White uses his chemistry background to cook and deal premium blue meth. His partner is former student and burnout named Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Breaking Bad is teeming with moral consequences and family issues, and fittingly, it’s as addicting as the crystal meth White produces in his beat-up van in the desert.
Better Call Saul
Starring Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul takes fans of Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad back to the New Mexico desert for a look at Saul Goodman’s origin story. Before Goodman became the quirky, crooked lawyer Walter White played like a fiddle, he was Jimmy McGill, an aspiring lawyer who just couldn’t seem to keep his hands clean. The show is set six years prior to the events of Breaking Bad, and throws out the convention that a spinoff must pale in comparison to its source material. It also proves Gilligan and company remain at the top of their game.
The West Wing
Quite possibly the best political drama of all time, The West Wing follows fictional President Jed Bartlett (Martin Sheen) and his staff as they fight various personal and political battles through his two terms as president. Critics and people close to the White House praised the show for its accuracy and Aaron Sorkin’s razor-sharp dialogue, and even now, the show lives on through multiple Twitter handles for several West Wing characters. Netflix offers all seven seasons.
The Returned
An A&E exclusive, The Returned is a French supernatural thriller set in a tiny mountain town that’s experiencing rather odd occurrences with its deceased — they somehow keep coming back to life. However, this isn’t your typical zombie fare, but rather, the dead come back to life as if nothing’s happened at all. Car crash victims reappear in town, unharmed and emotionally stable despite the horrific way in which they passed. As the resurrected people attempt to live ordinary lives, those around them try to pick up the pieces and find out exactly what’s going on.
Halt and Catch Fire
AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire, another period piece in the same vein as the network’s smash hit Mad Men, takes place in Texas during the technology boom of the 1980s. The show centers around former IBM sales executive Joe MacMillan, Cardiff Electric engineer Gordon Clark, and programming whiz Cameron Howe as they navigate the tumultuous landscape of the personal computer revolution. Boosted by superb writing, brilliant acting, and its unique inside look at one of the most influential eras in human history, Halt and Catch Fire has binge-worthy written all over it. Although season 1 is rough, season 2 essentially reinvents the show.
Rectify
How would you handle readjusting to life after being wrongfully imprisoned for 19 years of your life? Sundance TV’s Rectify addresses this quandary as it follows the life of Daniel Holden. Convicted and sent to death row as a teenager for the rape and murder of his 16-year-old girlfriend, new evidence sets the stage for his return home to Paulie, Georgia. Now in his late 30s, Holden attempts to rekindle relationships with his family and friends, something not easily accomplished for someone whose name had been denounced for so long.
Penny Dreadful
Crossovers are not a new concept — superheroes have been doing it for decades — but Penny Dreadful’s gothic milieu helps it stand out, particularly in the television landscape. The show is a who’s who of 19th-century icons, including Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray, as well as several original characters. The show begins with stately adventurer Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and his compatriot, the psychic Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), recruiting American gunslinger Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) and Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) to investigate the disappearance of Murray’s daughter, Mina. The case takes them to dark places, but all of them carry their own secrets that may be darker still. True to its genre roots, Penny Dreadful takes things slow, building relationships between characters and coyly unfurling its mysteries. The show’s unique atmosphere and mastery of tone set it apart from everything else on television.
Easy
Joe Swanberg’s eight-episode anthology, Easy, explores the many incarnations of romance, with almost every episode presenting a stand-alone story set in Chicago. One story follows a long-married couple trying to spice up their love life, another a pair of artists whose personal and professional lives collide after a night together. The stories are heavily improvised, with a focus on interactions between characters, rather than plot. As expected of an anthology series, not every episode of Easy is great, but at its best, it is one of the most intimate, honest explorations of love and sexuality around.
The Fall
Following a series of murders in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) arrives to supervise the investigation. The killer, Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), is a family man and therapist who’s trying to maintain his personal and professional lives while hunting young women. Unlike many police procedurals, The Fall makes its villain known very early. Thus, for the audience, the tension comes not from trying to guess the killer’s identity, but from watching the detective and murderer go about their days, never knowing who is about to get the upper hand. The Fall is a psychological procedural, focusing more on the lives and motivations of the central characters than hunting for clues. A simmering detective story, to be sure, but one well worth the time investment.
The Crown
Britain’s current and longest-reigning monarch is also one of its most unassuming. Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in the aftermath of World War II, at a time when the monarchy had ceded much of its power to Parliament and the Prime Minister. Despite a lack of governmental power, the Queen remains one of the most important heads of state in the world, and civic duties abound. Netflix’s The Crown traces Elizabeth’s (Claire Foy) life from her marriage to Prince Philip (Matt Smith) in 1947 to the present day, digging into the web of agendas and alliances the Queen must navigate. Heavy on political intrigue, The Crown is sure to satisfy viewers who appreciate Machiavellian television, as well as those who love the decor of series like Downton Abbey. However, the show also has a deeply intimate side, in that it examines Elizabeth’s personal relationships and the toll exacted by her duties as Queen.