The 15 best drama movies to stream on Amazon Prime right now (original) (raw)

The fact that dramas are often melded with other genres makes the category limitless. In some cases, art imitates life with big-name actors telling the true stories of infamous criminals. Other films are more down-to-earth and understated, exploring subtle inner conflicts with nuance and sensitivity. Amazon Prime Video has hundreds of options either way, from Oscar winners like Oppenheimer and Manchester by the Sea to excellent newer films like Saltburn and Challengers.

Here are _Entertainment Weekly_’s picks for the best drama movies on Amazon Prime Video right now.

Black Narcissus (1947)

Deborah Kerr and David Farrar in 'Black Narcissus'.

Everett

The nuns are not all right. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's mesmerizing psychological drama about a group of nuns who gradually lose their grip on their sanity was decades ahead of its time upon its 1947 release. Set on a high cliff in the Himalayan mountains, the repressed Anglicans struggle to be steadfast amid the exoticism of their environment, leading to jealousy, temptation, and even death. Filmed in stunning Technicolor, Black Narcissus is the kind of film that makes you wonder why today's movies don't look this good or leave such a haunting impact.

Where to watch Black Narcissus: Amazon Prime Video

Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Cast: Deborah Kerr, Sabu, David Farrar, Flora Robson, Esmond Knight, Jean Simmons, Kathleen Byron

Challengers (2024)

Mike Faist and Zendaya in 'Challengers'.

Niko Tavernise/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc.

Dripping with psychosexual desire, Challengers is one of the buzziest original films released in 2024. Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, a once-promising tennis pro who suffered a career-ending injury, and the relationship she forms with a pair of tennis-playing best friends, Patrick (Josh O'Connor) and Art (Mike Faist). As Tashi starts to favor one over the other, the relationship between Patrick and Art strains — further complicated by their occasional homoerotic tendencies. Director Luca Guadagnino makes his audience feel the blood, sweat, and tears of his young characters as their personal and professional passions blend in glorious fashion.

Where to watch Challengers: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Cast: Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist

The Handmaiden (2016)

Kim Tae-ri and Kim Min-hee in 'The Handmaiden'. Everett Collection

This mesmerizing psychological drama from writer-director Park Chan-wook would be impressive enough for its well-executed plot twists if it weren’t also one of the most elegantly made films of the modern age. Adapted from the Victorian-set novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, The Handmaiden transports the action to Japanese-occupied Korea, following a con man (Ha Jung-woo) who recruits a pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) to help him seduce a wealthy heiress (Kim Min-hee). He poses as a count while the pickpocket becomes the heiress’ maid, to convince her to marry him and then put her in an asylum while he acquires her inheritance. As EW’s critic writes, “The rest is so suspenseful, sexy, and surprising that it would be a shame to say any more,” but you likely won’t expect what’s coming.

Where to watch The Handmaiden: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong

The Holdovers (2023)

Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Paul Giamatti in 'The Holdovers'.

Seacia Pavao/FOCUS FEATURES

The Holdovers transports us back to a very specific time and place. The setting is a 1970 New England boarding school, where cantankerous teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is tasked with looking after students who have nowhere to go during the Christmas holiday break. He develops a bond with Angus (Dominic Sessa), who has a difficult family situation, as well as Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), the school's head cook who just lost her son in the Vietnam War. Together, the three muddle through the holidays, somehow, finding commonalities in their shared loneliness. "The Holdovers is a warm hug of a movie and the closest thing we've had to a new holiday classic in quite some time," writes EW's critic. "Perhaps largely because it reinvigorates the message of another beloved Christmas film with its poignant reminder that no man is a failure who has friends."

Where to watch The Holdovers: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

James Stewart (center) and Donna Reed in 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Everett Collection

While primarily known as the quintessential Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life can be enjoyed year-round. Feeling hopeless, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) is a man considering suicide while a wingless guardian angel from heaven, Clarence (Henry Travers), is tasked with intervening. Clarence accesses George’s backstory, learning about his childhood and how his selflessness ultimately led to feelings of regret, with an innocent mistake nearly sending him over the edge. The angel shows George what life in his hometown would have been like without him, causing George to appreciate the positive influence he’s had on his community. Its universal message and heartfelt performances have made It’s a Wonderful Life a classic worth watching every year.

Where to watch It's a Wonderful Life: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Frank Capra

Cast: Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers

The Lost City of Z (2017)

Charlie Hunnam and Tom Holland in 'The Lost City of Z'.

Aidan Monaghan/Bleecker Street Media/Everett

Based on the best-selling nonfiction book of the same name by David Grann, The Lost City of Z is an adventure drama about obsession and man’s need to explore uncharted worlds. The film centers on Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), a British major tasked with measuring the border between Brazil and Bolivia who discovers possible evidence of a lost city in the jungles of the Amazon. That possibility becomes his fascination, as Fawcett and his men embark on multiple expeditions over the years to the displeasure of skeptics in his community. Smart and sweeping in scope, The Lost City of Z is an absorbing epic about persistence and hope without resorting to cheap sentimentality.

Where to watch The Lost City of Z: Amazon Prime Video

Director: James Gray

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland, Angus Macfadyen, Ian McDiarmid, Franco Nero

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck in 'Manchester by the Sea'. Claire Folger

This devastating family drama follows a grief-stricken man’s journey to move on with his life. Casey Affleck stars as Lee Chandler, a handyman going through the motions of living until the death of his brother. He is surprised to learn that he’s now the legal guardian of Patrick (Lucas Hedges), his teenage nephew who has no desire to move away from home to stay with his uncle. As Lee helps Patrick through the grief process of losing his father, we come to understand how a traumatic event in Lee’s past led him to shut down emotionally. Moving and shockingly funny, Manchester by the Sea rightfully won Oscars for writer-director Kenneth Lonergan’s screenplay and Affleck’s subtle masterclass performance.

Where to watch Manchester by the Sea: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges

Monster (2003)

Christina Ricci and Charlize Theron in 'Monster'. Everett Collection

Charlize Theron won the Best Actress Oscar for her stunning transformation into real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in this gritty crime drama. Convicted of murdering seven men during her time as a sex worker, Wuornos was ultimately executed in 2002, and the film explores how what started as an act of self-defense spiraled out of control. Future Wonder Woman helmer Patty Jenkins made her feature directorial debut here, portraying Wuornos’ story with unflinching realism, but the film belongs to Theron for her fiercely committed portrait of a dangerous woman harboring intense emotional demons.

Where to watch Monster: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Patty Jenkins

Cast: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen

Oppenheimer (2023)

Cillian Murphy in 'Oppenheimer'. Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

Hollywood produces numerous biopics every year, but none compare in this modern era to the seismic event that was Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan's three-hour epic is an engrossing journey through the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the theoretical physicist who successfully developed the atomic bomb. The film skillfully balances multiple timelines as we follow Oppenheimer's involvement with the Manhattan Project in the 1940s alongside Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) of the Atomic Energy Commission, who is hoping to limit Oppenheimer's political influence in the 1950s. "Though they may seem disparate," EW's critic writes, "the many elements of Oppenheimer refract and reflect each other, like a bunch of atoms creating a chain reaction or a group of scientists building off each other's ideas to forge something new." The film has since grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide and earned seven Oscars, including Best Picture.

Where to watch Oppenheimer: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh

Paterson (2016)

Adam Driver in 'Paterson'. Mary Cybulsky

This quietly poetic slice-of-life film follows a week in the life of Paterson (Adam Driver), a bus driver who happens to work in the New Jersey city of the same name. After hearing the buzz of passengers with their daily observations, Paterson writes poems in a notebook, which his wife, Laura (Golshifteh Farahani), wants him to share with the world. Driver delivers one of his most underrated performances as the curious, mild-mannered poet, proving to be a strong match for writer-director Jim Jarmusch’s minimalist style. As EW’s critic writes, “There’s a hushed beauty to Paterson and Paterson that celebrates the way in which even the most ordinary, prosaic lives can be full of poetry."

Where to watch Paterson: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Cast: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Barry Shabaka Henley, Cliff Smith, Chasten Harmon, William Jackson Harper, Masatoshi Nagase

A Quiet Passion (2017)

Cynthia Nixon and Jennifer Ehle in 'A Quiet Passion'. A Quiet Passion/Hurricane Films/Music Box Films

Cynthia Nixon stars as one of the world’s most well-known poets, Emily Dickinson, in this understated yet powerful biopic by Terence Davies. The film portrays Dickinson’s gifted mind from an early age, finding pleasure and poetry in her growing independence. She also finds value in family, rejecting suitors and expressing her observations on life and love through her career. As the title suggests, there is a sensitivity with which A Quiet Passion explores an artist’s relationship with her life and her work. And then there’s the poetry itself; as EW’s critic writes, "That's where A Quiet Passion finds its most transcendent moments: in the immortal, extraordinary verses Dickinson left behind."

Where to watch A Quiet Passion: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Terence Davies

Cast: Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Ehle, Keith Carradine

Saltburn (2023)

Barry Keoghan in 'Saltburn'. Courtesy of MGM and Amazon Studios

With only a short film, Promising Young Woman (2020), and this perverse comedy-drama under her belt, Emerald Fennell has quickly become one of the most divisive directors working today. Saltburn explores obsession and class divisions in mid-2000s Britain, following outcast Oxford student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) and his intense connection with Felix (Jacob Elordi), a popular student who comes from enormous wealth. After Felix invites Oliver to his massive country house over the summer, Oliver’s obsession turns into a disturbing problem, not just for Felix but for his entire family. EW’s critic calls Saltburn “a provocative, violent portrait of repulsion and desire,” one that will undoubtedly evoke a reaction from the viewer for better or worse.

Where to watch Saltburn: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Emerald Fennell

Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson in 'Sense and Sensibility'.

Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Emma Thompson gave new life to Jane Austen's classic tale of sisters navigating love and loss with her screenplay for this acclaimed '90s adaptation. Thompson did double duty as screenwriter and star, playing the practically minded Elinor Dashwood alongside Kate Winslet as her more idealistic younger sister, Marianne. Following their family's sudden loss of fortune, the Dashwood sisters seek out potential suitors, experiencing the trials and tribulations of romance in the early 19th century. Directed with refined elegance by Ang Lee, the film earned seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, with Thompson winning Best Adapted Screenplay. As EW's critic writes, "The pleasure of Sense and Sensibility lies in the way that Lee's elegant staging and the uniformly fine performances theatricalize Austen’s vision of manner as character."

Where to watch Sense and Sensibility: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Ang Lee

Cast: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant

Sounder (1972)

Cicely Tyson in 'Sounder'.

Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty

This beloved Oscar-nominated drama follows a family of Black sharecroppers trying to get by in 1930s Louisiana. After the father, Nathan (Paul Winfield), is arrested for stealing ham and shipped off to an unknown work camp, eldest son David Lee (Kevin Hooks) takes a journey with the family dog, Sounder, to try and find him. Meanwhile, David Lee’s hard-working mother, Rebecca (Cicely Tyson), tries to hold down the fort at home and survive without her husband. Moving and genuinely inspirational, Sounder is a family-friendly film that pays tribute to a community rarely seen on screen in 1972, rightfully earning Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor for Winfield, and Best Actress for Tyson.

Where to watch Sounder: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Martin Ritt

Cast: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks

Women Talking (2022)

From left: Liv McNeil, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Kate Hallett, Rooney Mara, and Judith Ivey in 'Women Talking'. Michael Gibson/United Artists Releasing

Do nothing. Stay and fight. Leave. These are the options mulled over by the women of a Mennonite colony in this absorbing drama adapted from Miriam Toews' novel. With the men of the colony raping them on a consistent basis, the women and girls decide to have a private discussion over how to move forward. The film focuses on their heated debate, as some wish to fight their oppressors while others argue for a calculated escape. Writer-director Sarah Polley won an Oscar for her dialogue-heavy screenplay. "There's a deep vein of humor and humanity that Polley and her actors mine from the text," EW's critic writes, "and something quietly mesmerizing in their world-building."

Where to watch Women Talking: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Sarah Polley

Cast: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, Frances McDormand