For me personally, it's not just a matter of quality or acclaim; a drama has to captivate me, and some will captivate me more than others. A lot of my favorite dramas will be intense and hard-hitting, and some of my favorites are some of the most depressing stories ever made. Some of these films have a real flair for style, and some of them get so far-out that they venture into realms above and beyond reality. Many happen to be crime dramas and gangster films.
What really defines them, however, are the characters. Unlike most other films, where external forces and conflict drives a plot, drama specifically focuses on characters, and they are the ones who drive the conflict and push a plot forward. Thus, a drama could embody itself in any number of subjects (sports, prison, crime), settings (historic, modern, futuristic), and genres (film noir, romance, horror, sci-fi, etc).
Within these constraints, I've sorted out my top 100 favorite drama films: all compelling narratives about people and their struggles through all manner of adversity. Sometimes they fail and other times they are triumphant, but in all cases, these films underscore the strong pathological truths and characteristics of the human spirit, and all these films speak to us in their own unique ways. Everybody's taste in dramas tend to vary, but I hope you'll see value in my list and take a chance on some of these invoking stories.
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100: Breaking the Waves
Drama Of: Bess McNeill, a woman who will do anything for her man...
The Film: It's not an easy picture to watch. Part of it is because of the style, which is purposefully rough around the edges. But it's the story that makes it so whack; the idea of a husband sending his wife off to make love to other men flies in the face of what we normally think of as good, healthy, holy matrimony. With the setting of an extremist Calvinist community, strong themes of morality, faith, and prejudice emerge, and make the drama all the more compelling.
My current score: 4/5
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99: Crash (2004)
98: The Graduate
97: Great Expectations (1946)
96: A Streetcar Named Desire
95: Judgment at Nuremberg
94: The Right Stuff
93: Nymphomaniac Parts I and II
92: Edward Scissorhands
90: Precious
89: A Bronx Tale
88: How Green Was My Valley
87: Heavenly Creatures
86: Ace in the Hole
85: Dolores Claiborne
84: The Wrong Man
83: Escape From Alcatraz
82: A Night To Remember (1958)
81: Of Mice and Men (1992)
The Film: It's not an easy picture to watch. Part of it is because of the style, which is purposefully rough around the edges. But it's the story that makes it so whack; the idea of a husband sending his wife off to make love to other men flies in the face of what we normally think of as good, healthy, holy matrimony. With the setting of an extremist Calvinist community, strong themes of morality, faith, and prejudice emerge, and make the drama all the more compelling.
My current score: 4/5
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99: Crash (2004)
Drama Of: Several characters in LA whose lives crash into each other.
The Film: I've seen a lot of bad reviews over this one, partly accusing the film of being overrated (probably due to all the Oscar hype), and for the nature of the story, which is admittedly contrived and heavy-handed. However, I do believe that it is a gorgeously-made film with a strong bittersweet tone, which digs up some intriguing racial and social themes worth exploring. I can't say that all the characters and events are all that likable, but the way they collide makes for some intriguing entertainment.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: I've seen a lot of bad reviews over this one, partly accusing the film of being overrated (probably due to all the Oscar hype), and for the nature of the story, which is admittedly contrived and heavy-handed. However, I do believe that it is a gorgeously-made film with a strong bittersweet tone, which digs up some intriguing racial and social themes worth exploring. I can't say that all the characters and events are all that likable, but the way they collide makes for some intriguing entertainment.
My current score: 4/5
98: The Graduate
Drama Of: Benjamin Braddock, college graduate being seduced by Mrs. Robinson.
The Film: A classy film with classy music and classy performances. It is an interesting story that questions whether it's better to give into short-lived temptation or hold out for a longer-lasting happiness. The characters go far to ensure the latter, even at the expense of antagonizing others. The turnout is ultimately bold and satisfying.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: A classy film with classy music and classy performances. It is an interesting story that questions whether it's better to give into short-lived temptation or hold out for a longer-lasting happiness. The characters go far to ensure the latter, even at the expense of antagonizing others. The turnout is ultimately bold and satisfying.
My current score: 4/5
97: Great Expectations (1946)
Drama Of: Pip.
The Film: I can't say I found this story all that enjoyable while studying it in school, but on film, it looks great with quality photography and quality acting. The story is pretty easy to digest, and the whole thing exudes a classy Charles Dickens level of class.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: I can't say I found this story all that enjoyable while studying it in school, but on film, it looks great with quality photography and quality acting. The story is pretty easy to digest, and the whole thing exudes a classy Charles Dickens level of class.
My current score: 4/5
96: A Streetcar Named Desire
Drama Of: Blanche DuBois.
The Film: A straightforward adaptation of the famous play, but it's one that boasts decent performances, and a style that exudes nothing but heat and seediness from the settings. The story drags a little, but it has some explosive emotions that underscore key themes of desire, civility, and truth.
My current score: 3.5/5
--------------------The Film: A straightforward adaptation of the famous play, but it's one that boasts decent performances, and a style that exudes nothing but heat and seediness from the settings. The story drags a little, but it has some explosive emotions that underscore key themes of desire, civility, and truth.
My current score: 3.5/5
95: Judgment at Nuremberg
Drama Of: All the people associated with the Nuremberg trials.
The Film: It's a long courtroom drama, but it's a good-looking film that focuses on the hard, cruel truths behind the inhumanity of the Holocaust. The film is big and broad, with its immense and talented cast. Even after all these years, the film holds up well as a mirror looking back on the complexities of the situation following WWII.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: It's a long courtroom drama, but it's a good-looking film that focuses on the hard, cruel truths behind the inhumanity of the Holocaust. The film is big and broad, with its immense and talented cast. Even after all these years, the film holds up well as a mirror looking back on the complexities of the situation following WWII.
My current score: 4/5
94: The Right Stuff
Drama Of: The test pilots and the first astronauts of Project Mercury.
The Film: It's a long film, but it gets more and more interesting when the guys finally get to break past the Earth's atmosphere. The characters, always struggling to prove who's the fastest and who has "the right stuff," provide the dramatic dynamics to make the story evenly entertaining, while a few good visual motifs draw some interesting metaphors worth exploring.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: It's a long film, but it gets more and more interesting when the guys finally get to break past the Earth's atmosphere. The characters, always struggling to prove who's the fastest and who has "the right stuff," provide the dramatic dynamics to make the story evenly entertaining, while a few good visual motifs draw some interesting metaphors worth exploring.
My current score: 4/5
93: Nymphomaniac Parts I and II
Drama Of: Joe, the woman who can't get enough.
The Film: This epic two-part saga chronicles the exploits of the main character throughout her life, showing how insatiable lust pushes her further and further down darker paths of pleasure and pain. The film certainly doesn't leave much to the imagination, but it is a well-told tale that entwines expressionistic images with the plot, and brings up some interesting points on sexuality overall. However, the ending of the whole thing might leave you feeling bewildered.
This film is available as a director's cut, which extends the total runtime of the whole saga to over five hours. Most of the new scenes are seamless, but there is one extremely graphic scene that everybody's better off not seeing.
My current score Part I: 4/5 Part II: 3.5/5
--------------------The Film: This epic two-part saga chronicles the exploits of the main character throughout her life, showing how insatiable lust pushes her further and further down darker paths of pleasure and pain. The film certainly doesn't leave much to the imagination, but it is a well-told tale that entwines expressionistic images with the plot, and brings up some interesting points on sexuality overall. However, the ending of the whole thing might leave you feeling bewildered.
This film is available as a director's cut, which extends the total runtime of the whole saga to over five hours. Most of the new scenes are seamless, but there is one extremely graphic scene that everybody's better off not seeing.
My current score Part I: 4/5 Part II: 3.5/5
92: Edward Scissorhands
Drama Of: Edward.
The Film: The man has scissors for hands! How crazy is that? Of course, it's difficult for Edward to really grab and hold things. But what really makes his life a compelling struggle are the same characteristics that endure in other Tim Burton films: the themes of simply being different than everyone else and being an outsider, especially in the midst of an idyllic, clean, conservative suburb. Edward is a tragic and gothic character who's out of his element, and the film is at its best when it focuses on Edward's struggle to get along with others.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: The man has scissors for hands! How crazy is that? Of course, it's difficult for Edward to really grab and hold things. But what really makes his life a compelling struggle are the same characteristics that endure in other Tim Burton films: the themes of simply being different than everyone else and being an outsider, especially in the midst of an idyllic, clean, conservative suburb. Edward is a tragic and gothic character who's out of his element, and the film is at its best when it focuses on Edward's struggle to get along with others.
My current score: 4/5
91: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon)
Drama Of: Jean-Dominique Bauby, a man with locked-in syndrome.
The Film: This lovely-looking film boasts some innovative photography, as it literally puts the audience into the character's head for most of the film. The character's thoughts provide the narration, and even though he's not always an endearing fellow, his struggle to communicate and eventually break free of the constraints of his body drive is a compelling story.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: This lovely-looking film boasts some innovative photography, as it literally puts the audience into the character's head for most of the film. The character's thoughts provide the narration, and even though he's not always an endearing fellow, his struggle to communicate and eventually break free of the constraints of his body drive is a compelling story.
My current score: 4/5
90: Precious
Drama Of: Claireece Precious Jones.
The Film: This is some messed-up drama here. Precious is a character who endures so much disabilities and abuse that it becomes impossible not to pity her. Her situation is tragic as it is, living in poverty, suffering from obesity, pregnant, and struggling with education. The matter is compounded exponentially by the horrific abuse of her parents. And she's only 16. The sheer cruelty causes her to escape into fantasy, much the same way the characters in Heavenly Creatures do. Fortunately, the film ends on a more inspiring note, as Precious eventually finds help, and helps herself, rise out of adversity.
My current score: 3.5/5
--------------------The Film: This is some messed-up drama here. Precious is a character who endures so much disabilities and abuse that it becomes impossible not to pity her. Her situation is tragic as it is, living in poverty, suffering from obesity, pregnant, and struggling with education. The matter is compounded exponentially by the horrific abuse of her parents. And she's only 16. The sheer cruelty causes her to escape into fantasy, much the same way the characters in Heavenly Creatures do. Fortunately, the film ends on a more inspiring note, as Precious eventually finds help, and helps herself, rise out of adversity.
My current score: 3.5/5
89: A Bronx Tale
Drama Of: Lorenzo Anello and his son.
The Film: I have to admit that it's been a long time since I saw this film, but from what I remember, it's a darn good film with some hard-hitting violence and a heartfelt story. The gang wars that erupt are intense, but at its core, the film's focus on a father trying to protect his son is a powerful and evoking tale worth telling.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: I have to admit that it's been a long time since I saw this film, but from what I remember, it's a darn good film with some hard-hitting violence and a heartfelt story. The gang wars that erupt are intense, but at its core, the film's focus on a father trying to protect his son is a powerful and evoking tale worth telling.
My current score: 4/5
88: How Green Was My Valley
Drama Of: The Morgans: Welsh miners.
The Film: This valley is shockingly not all that green; the film is a really grungy-looking picture, showing a world coated in soot and smoke from the intense industrialization and exploitation of the beautiful landscape. In the midst of this unhealthy landscape, the Morgans' daily struggles become compelling, and one can't help but to feel for them as they try to eke out a living. Performances are good, and the photography (even while focusing on the dirty settings) is gorgeous.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: This valley is shockingly not all that green; the film is a really grungy-looking picture, showing a world coated in soot and smoke from the intense industrialization and exploitation of the beautiful landscape. In the midst of this unhealthy landscape, the Morgans' daily struggles become compelling, and one can't help but to feel for them as they try to eke out a living. Performances are good, and the photography (even while focusing on the dirty settings) is gorgeous.
My current score: 4/5
87: Heavenly Creatures
Drama Of:
Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, girls whose friendship is so close
that they share a common fantasy, and may even share a desire to murder.
The Film: From the real-life tragedy, this film outlines the reasoning behind why these girls felt the need to kill Mrs. Parker. As disturbing as the tale is, the film successfully evokes sympathy for the girls, as it tracks their gleeful friendship and their vivid fantasies. They become characters we can love and root for, especially when confronted by a whole society of judgmental, conservative, controlling attitudes. The tension builds little by little until it all leads to a desperate and bleak climax. Peter Jackson's style naturally brings this simple story to vivid life with his eccentric camera work, geniune New Zealand settings, and a lively cast.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: From the real-life tragedy, this film outlines the reasoning behind why these girls felt the need to kill Mrs. Parker. As disturbing as the tale is, the film successfully evokes sympathy for the girls, as it tracks their gleeful friendship and their vivid fantasies. They become characters we can love and root for, especially when confronted by a whole society of judgmental, conservative, controlling attitudes. The tension builds little by little until it all leads to a desperate and bleak climax. Peter Jackson's style naturally brings this simple story to vivid life with his eccentric camera work, geniune New Zealand settings, and a lively cast.
My current score: 4/5
86: Ace in the Hole
Drama Of: Chuck Tatum, news reporter who can make his own news in thrilling new ways!
The Film: The premise of this film is that a news reporter responds to a man trapped in a cave, by keeping him trapped there and developing a total media circus around him. What a slimeball. And yet, how much truth could there be to this? How willing is the press, to contort truth and put lives at risk for the sake of a story that's bound to be an ace in the hole? I find this story evoking as a testament to the cruel power of greed and ambition, and it's something I think is frightfully plausible.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: The premise of this film is that a news reporter responds to a man trapped in a cave, by keeping him trapped there and developing a total media circus around him. What a slimeball. And yet, how much truth could there be to this? How willing is the press, to contort truth and put lives at risk for the sake of a story that's bound to be an ace in the hole? I find this story evoking as a testament to the cruel power of greed and ambition, and it's something I think is frightfully plausible.
My current score: 4/5
85: Dolores Claiborne
Drama Of: Dolores Claiborne and her daughter, resolving crimes of the past and the present.
The Film: Few can make drama more hard-hitting and grotesque than Stephen King, and this tale presents a few of his signature themes: domestic violence, alcoholism, child abuse, to name a few. The film strikes a stark tone, and it becomes relentlessly brutal when the domestic violence hits. For the most part, it's the characters and their relationships that comprises their struggle to uncover the truth of whether justice needs to be served, or if murder is justifiable.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: Few can make drama more hard-hitting and grotesque than Stephen King, and this tale presents a few of his signature themes: domestic violence, alcoholism, child abuse, to name a few. The film strikes a stark tone, and it becomes relentlessly brutal when the domestic violence hits. For the most part, it's the characters and their relationships that comprises their struggle to uncover the truth of whether justice needs to be served, or if murder is justifiable.
My current score: 4/5
84: The Wrong Man
Drama Of: Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero, the man wrongfully arrested, tried, and imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit.
The Film: One of the few films Hitchcock made based on a real-life case, but the man's signature suspense permeates through this classy film-noir picture thanks to the desperation of the character as he's churned through an unsympathetic justice system like meat going through a machine in a factory. As I understand it, Hitchcock had a natural distrust of the poilice, and his paranoia shines through this film as we follow the character all the way to jail. The story by nature evokes sympathy and outrage, and it gets to the point where you want justice to be served right in the end.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: One of the few films Hitchcock made based on a real-life case, but the man's signature suspense permeates through this classy film-noir picture thanks to the desperation of the character as he's churned through an unsympathetic justice system like meat going through a machine in a factory. As I understand it, Hitchcock had a natural distrust of the poilice, and his paranoia shines through this film as we follow the character all the way to jail. The story by nature evokes sympathy and outrage, and it gets to the point where you want justice to be served right in the end.
My current score: 4/5
83: Escape From Alcatraz
Drama Of: Frank Morris, one of the few men to have escaped from Alcatraz.
The Film: Like any prison movie, it's gritty and rough-around the edges. Clint Eastwood delivers even more grit to the experience with his signature tough-guy performance. It is a modestly thrilling experience to watch these guys plan and execute their escape, and it is an experience I find modestly satisfying.
My current score: 4/5
--------------------The Film: Like any prison movie, it's gritty and rough-around the edges. Clint Eastwood delivers even more grit to the experience with his signature tough-guy performance. It is a modestly thrilling experience to watch these guys plan and execute their escape, and it is an experience I find modestly satisfying.
My current score: 4/5
82: A Night To Remember (1958)
Drama Of: Passengers of the RMS Titanic.
The Film: This dramatization of the Titanic's sinking is quite well-grounded in fact and personal accounts, providing a documentary-like perspective on the famous ship's final night at sea. Characters aren't a huge standout here, but there are many of them, and their combined perspectives provide a macro-view of the pandemondium that ensued during the ship's sinking. It gets most engaging when the ship sinks, but the attention to detail and quality filming makes it a classic, definitive Titanic movie. The only thing better is, arguably, Titanic, which covers a lot of the same ground, but provides a romantacist plot to evoke a deeper pathos, and a grander spectacle.
My current score: 4/5
-------------------- The Film: This dramatization of the Titanic's sinking is quite well-grounded in fact and personal accounts, providing a documentary-like perspective on the famous ship's final night at sea. Characters aren't a huge standout here, but there are many of them, and their combined perspectives provide a macro-view of the pandemondium that ensued during the ship's sinking. It gets most engaging when the ship sinks, but the attention to detail and quality filming makes it a classic, definitive Titanic movie. The only thing better is, arguably, Titanic, which covers a lot of the same ground, but provides a romantacist plot to evoke a deeper pathos, and a grander spectacle.
My current score: 4/5
81: Of Mice and Men (1992)
Drama Of: George and Lennie.
The Film: Even though I favor the 1930s version more, this version has its merit. It is a colorful film with all the same edge and storytelling nuance of the novel, and a decent cast to bring the characters to life well. The two leads - Gary Sinise and John Malkovich - are the biggest reasons to see this version. Otherwise, it's generally good.
My current score: 4/5
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To be continued...
The Film: Even though I favor the 1930s version more, this version has its merit. It is a colorful film with all the same edge and storytelling nuance of the novel, and a decent cast to bring the characters to life well. The two leads - Gary Sinise and John Malkovich - are the biggest reasons to see this version. Otherwise, it's generally good.
My current score: 4/5
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To be continued...
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