BAZAAR’s 55 Best Drama Movies of All Time
From sweeping epics to intimate character studies, drama has given us some of the most unforgettable films ever made. This list by Harper’s BAZAAR gathers 55 of the greatest drama movies of all time. Essential watches that showcase the power of storytelling at its most emotional and timeless.
Items in this hypelist
Ranked from 1 to 55 (highest to lowest)
Uncut Gems
Josh Safdie · 2019
A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.
Titanic
James Cameron · 1997
Durante las labores de recuperación de los restos del famoso Titanic, una anciana norteamericana se pone en contacto con la expedición para acudir a una plataforma flotante instalada en el Mar del Norte y asistir 'in situ' a la recuperación de sus recuerdos. A través de su memoria reviviremos los acontecimientos que marcaron el siniestro más famoso del siglo XX: el hundimiento del trasatlántico más lujoso del mundo, la máquina más sofisticada de su tiempo, considerada «insumergible», que sucumbió a las heladas aguas del Atlántico en abril de 1912, llevándose consigo la vida de mil quinientas personas, más de la mitad del pasaje. En los recueros de la anciana hay cabida para algo más que la tragedia, la historia de amor que vivió con un joven pasajero de tercera clase, un pintor aficionado que había ganado su pasaje en una partida las cartas en una taberna de Southampton.
Thelma & Louise
Ridley Scott · 1991
Taking a break from their dreary lives, close friends Thelma and Louise embark on a short weekend trip that ends in unforeseen incriminating circumstances. As fugitives, both women rediscover the strength of their bond and their newfound resilience.
The Queen
Stephen Frears · 2006
The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.
The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow · 2008
During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
The Godfather
Francis Ford Coppola · 1972
La Seconde Guerre mondiale vient de s'achever. À New York, le « parrain » Don Corleone, l'un des chefs respectés de la mafia, se sent vieillir. Il refuse de s'adapter à son temps et de se lancer, comme ses pairs, dans le trafic de drogue. Une frilosité qui entrave la bonne marche des affaires des autres « familles » et qui lui vaut d'être la cible d'un attentat. Don Corleone survit à ses blessures, mais reste très diminué. Mike, son plus jeune fils, qui jusque-là se tenait à l'écart des affaires de son père, devient le plus dévoué de ses héritiers. Plus efficace que ses frères, Sonny et Fredo, il venge son père et organise l'élimination de ses adversaires…
The Florida Project
Sean Baker · 2017
The story of a precocious six year-old and her ragtag group of friends whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder, possibility and a sense of adventure while the adults around them struggle with hard times.
The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan · 2008
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Chiwetel Ejiofor · 2019
Un chico de la República de Malaui decide ayudar a las personas de su pueblo construyendo una turbina después de leer un libro en el que se explican los pasos para su creación. Película basada en el libro homónimo de William Kamkwamba y Bryan Mealer
Sound of Metal
Darius Marder · 2020
Metal drummer Ruben begins to lose his hearing. When a doctor tells him his condition will worsen, he thinks his career and life is over. His girlfriend Lou checks the former addict into a rehab for the deaf hoping it will prevent a relapse and help him adapt to his new life. After being welcomed and accepted just as he is, Ruben must choose between his new normal and the life he once knew.
Selma
Batoul Benazzou · 2014
Selma has just graduated from high school and contemplates her future. Ouaffae, her mother, wants to get a divorce. Both mother and daughter have important choices to make.
Remember the Titans
Boaz Yakin · 2000
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
Rebecca
Alfred Hitchcock · 1940
Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter. She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.
Parasite
Bong Joon-ho · 2019
Tanto Gi Taek (Song Kang-ho) como su familia están sin trabajo. Cuando su hijo mayor, Gi Woo (Choi Woo-sik), empieza a dar clases particulares en casa de Park (Lee Seon-gyun), las dos familias, que tienen mucho en común pese a pertenecer a dos mundos totalmente distintos, comienzan una interrelación de resultados imprevisibles.
One Night in Miami...
Regina King · 2020
In the aftermath of Cassius Clay's defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964, the boxer meets with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown to change the course of history in the segregated South.
Moonlight
Barry Jenkins · 2016
The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.
Marriage Story
Noah Baumbach · 2019
Charlie, un director de teatro neoyorquino y su mujer actriz, Nicole, luchan por superar un proceso de divorcio que les lleva al extremo tanto en lo personal como en lo creativo.
Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola · 2003
Bob Harris, un actor norteamericano en decadencia, acepta una oferta para hacer un anuncio de whisky japonés en Tokio. Está atravesando una aguda crisis y pasa gran parte del tiempo libre en el bar del hotel. Y, precisamente allí, conoce a Charlotte, una joven casada con un fotógrafo que ha ido a Tokio a hacer un reportaje; pero mientras él trabaja, su mujer se aburre mortalmente. Además del aturdimiento que les producen las imágenes y los sonidos de la inmensa ciudad, Bob y Charlotte comparten también el vacío de sus vidas. Poco a poco se hacen amigos y, a medida que exploran la ciudad juntos, empiezan a preguntarse si su amistad podría transformarse en algo más.
Judas and the Black Messiah
Shaka King · 2021
Bill O'Neal infiltrates the Black Panthers on the orders of FBI Agent Mitchell and J. Edgar Hoover. As Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton ascends—falling for a fellow revolutionary en route—a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul.
Jaws
Steven Spielberg · 1975
When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.
In the Heat of the Night
Norman Jewison · 1967
African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Barry Jenkins · 2018
After her fiance is falsely imprisoned, a pregnant African-American woman sets out to clear his name and prove his innocence.
Hidden Figures
Theodore Melfi · 2016
Narra la historia nunca contada de tres brillantes mujeres científicas afroamericanas que trabajaron en la NASA a comienzos de los años sesenta (en plena carrera espacial, y asimismo en mitad de la lucha por los derechos civiles de los negros estadounidenses) en el ambicioso proyecto de poner en órbita al astronauta John Glenn.
Her
Spike Jonze · 2013
In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theodore's surprise, a romantic relationship develops between him and his operating system. This unconventional love story blends science fiction and romance in a sweet tale that explores the nature of love and the ways that technology isolates and connects us all.
Good Will Hunting
Gus Van Sant · 1997
Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr. Sean Maguire helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.
Gone Girl
David Fincher · 2014
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Fences
Denzel Washington · 2016
In 1950s Pittsburgh, a frustrated African-American father struggles with the constraints of poverty, racism, and his own inner demons as he tries to raise a family.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Michel Gondry · 2004
Una mujer usa los servicios de una empresa para borrar de su memoria todo recuerdo de su ex pareja. Ofendido, el hombre intenta hacer lo mismo que ella, pero el proceso no sucede según lo esperado y el protagonista debe atravesar la gigantesca marea de recuerdos de su propio cerebro para recomponer las cosas.
Daughters of the Dust
Julie Dash · 1991
In 1902, an African-American family living on a sea island off the coast of South Carolina prepares to move to the North.
Boys Don't Cry
Kimberly Peirce · 1999
A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.
Before Sunrise
Richard Linklater · 1995
An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet intimacy grows between them, knowing it may be their only night together.
Beautiful Boy
Felix van Groeningen · 2018
Crónica sobre la adicción a la metanfetamina y el intento de recuperación y de salir de las drogas a través de los ojos de un padre que observa a su hijo mientras lucha contra la enfermedad de la drogodependencia.
Atonement
Joe Wright · 2007
As a 13-year-old, fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Almost Famous
Cameron Crowe · 2000
In 1973, 15-year-old William Miller's unabashed love of music and aspiration to become a rock journalist lands him an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to interview and tour with the up-and-coming band, Stillwater.
A Streetcar Named Desire
Elia Kazan · 1951
A disturbed, aging Southern belle moves in with her sister for solace — but being face-to-face with her brutish brother-in-law accelerates her downward spiral.
A Star Is Born
Bradley Cooper · 2018
Star de country un peu oubliée, Jackson Maine découvre Ally, une jeune chanteuse très prometteuse. Tandis qu’ils tombent follement amoureux l’un de l’autre, Jack propulse Ally sur le devant de la scène et fait d’elle une artiste adulée par le public. Bientôt éclipsé par le succès de la jeune femme, il vit de plus en plus mal son propre déclin…
12 Years a Slave
Steve McQueen · 2013
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
Till
Chinonye Chukwu · 2022
The true story of Mamie Till Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14 year old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.
Short Term 12
Destin Daniel Cretton · 2013
Dedicada e durona, Grace é uma formidável cuidadora das crianças em sua proteção – e apaixonada por seu namorado, Mason. Mas seu passado difícil – e o futuro surpreendente que de repente se apresenta – a jogam numa confusão imprevista, piorada com a chegada de uma nova admissão na unidade: uma adolescente talentosa mas problemática com quem Grace tem uma conexão carregada.
Past Lives
Celine Song · 2023
La familia de Nora emigra a Canadá cuando ella tiene 10 años. Pierde el contacto con su amor de la infancia. Muchos años después, cuando Nora está estudiando teatro en Nueva York, se reencuentra con él online.
Minari
Lee Isaac Chung · 2021
A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
Malcolm X
Spike Lee · 1992
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Little Women
Greta Gerwig · 2019
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Girlhood
Céline Sciamma · 2014
Oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her dress code, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping that this will be a way to freedom.
Arrival
Denis Villeneuve · 2016
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
The Zone of Interest
Jonathan Glazer · 2023
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
Spencer
Pablo Larraín · 2021
During her Christmas holidays with the royal family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, Diana decides to leave her marriage to Prince Charles.
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan · 2023
The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
May December
Todd Haynes · 2023
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under the pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.
Aftersun
Charlotte Wells · 2022
Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between miniDV footage as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't.
The Last Showgirl
Gia Coppola · 2024
When the glittering Las Vegas revue she has headlined for decades announces it will soon close, a glamorous showgirl must reconcile with the decisions she’s made and the community she has built as she plans her next act.
Life of Pi
Ang Lee · 2012
The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper's son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
The Iron Claw
Sean Durkin · 2023
The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.
Maria
Pablo Larraín · 2024
Maria Callas, the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life.
Erin Brockovich
Steven Soderbergh · 2000
A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.
