10 Best Drama Movies Of 2024

Summary

• Despite challenges, 2024 has produced strong drama films with standout performances and compelling stories.
• Films like “Bob Marley: One Love” and “Young Woman and the Sea” offer intriguing glimpses into real-life events.
• “Robot Dreams” and “Challengers” showcase diverse storytelling styles and captivating character studies in the drama genre.

In the wake of 2023’s dual Hollywood strikes, there’s no denying that it is a difficult time for the movie industry. Films continue to fall short of box-office expectations, even when they hail from previously acclaimed franchises (i.e. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) or received universal raves. Nonetheless, there have been solid releases, especially where drama movies are concerned. Packed with some of the year’s stand-out performances, 2024’s best dramas don’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, but they provide compelling glimpses into characters’ lives, from decorated athletes to teenagers who find refuge in a TV series.

While “best of” lists have subjective, sometimes nebulous criteria, Screen Rant’s editors have compiled a thoughtful list of 2024’s best drama movies. With few exceptions, all the entrants have seen wide releases as of June 2024, which means most movie-goers should have access to the editors’ picks. Although some films straddle genres, all the selections have a dramatic narrative at their core — even when blended with elements of sci-fi or comedy. With several months of releases on the horizon, the list will no doubt shift. Chosen by Screen Rant’s editors, here are 2024’s best dramas so far.

10 Bob Marley: One Love

Directed By Reinaldo Marcus Green

Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard), Bob Marley: One Love has received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. However, it’s that classic instance of a biopic that stands out because of its heavy-hitting central performance. In One Love, the iconic reggae singer and songwriter Bob Marley is played by Kingsley Ben-Adir. While the film as a whole doesn’t quite do its central figure justice, Ben-Adir nails Marley’s charismatic public persona, all while capturing his more downbeat private moments too. A run-of-the-mill musical biopic, One Love also boasts a memorable performance from Lashana Lynch.

9 Young Woman and the Sea

Directed By Joachim Rønning

Trading lightsabers for untested waters, Daisy Ridley stars in Young Woman and the Sea as Gertrude Ederle, a competitive swimmer who became the first woman to successfully swim across the English Channel. Directed by Joachim Rønning, the sports drama is 2024’s answer to last year’s Nyad, though the Disney-backed film trades fraught drama for a more uplifting trajectory. The gold medal-winning Olympian Gertrude Ederle has an incredibly compelling life story, which Ridley translates to the screen with easy charm. In the best way, Young Woman and the Sea is an old-fashioned sports drama that hits its marks.

8 The Bikeriders

Directed By Jeff Nichols

A buzzy entry on the festival circuit, The Bikeriders sees Oscar-nominated Elvis actor Austin Butler starring opposite Killing Eve‘s Jodie Comer as well as heavy-hitters Michael Shannon and Tom Hardy. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Mud), the film is a compelling crime thriller that soars thanks to The Bikeriders‘ charming cast of characters. Inspired by the 1967 photo-book of the same name, the film centers on the Outlaws MC, an Illinois-based motorcycle club. Full of both cutting grit and warm humor, The Bikeriders feels like an authentic, grounded portrayal of motorcycle culture.

7 The Promised Land

Directed By Nikolaj Arcel

An epic historical drama, The Promised Land was the Danish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards​​​​​​​ — and for good reason. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair), The Promised Land centers on Ludwig Kahlen (Hannibal‘s Mads Mikkelsen), a retired and impoverished German Army officer who uses his meager pension to acquire property in his homeland of Denmark. Hoping to establish a meaningful life, Ludwig comes into conflict with a merciless nobleman-turned-magistrate, who feels threatened by the ambitious war hero. The slow-burn, Western-inspired movie is a must-watch for Mikkelsen alone.

6 Robot Dreams

Directed By Pablo Berger

Written and directed by Pablo Berger, Robot Dreams is an animated comedy-drama that chronicles the friendship between a dog and a robot who are living in New York in 1984. Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 96th Academy Awards, Robot Dreams stands out for many reasons, from its beautiful animation to its charming characters, but what really stands out is that the film contains no dialogue. Both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, Robot Dreams underscores the power of a good story, of a tale that needs no frills — or even words.

5 Sing Sing

Directed By Greg Kwedar

After being nominated for an Academy Award for his incredible performance in Rustin, Colman Domingo returns to the silver screen with a career-best turn in Sing Sing. Directed by Greg Kwedar, the film is based on the Sing Sing maximum security prison’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts program in which a group of incarcerated men get involved with staging theatrical productions. While Colman Domingo and Paul Raci star in Sing Sing, it also features an ensemble of formally incarcerated first-time film actors who participated in the real-life arts program. Beautifully acted and written, Sing Sing is a wrenching story that legitimately centers on the people whose stories are being told.

4 I Saw the TV Glow

Directed By Jane Schoenbrun

One of the year’s most distinctive films, I Saw the TV Glow was written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, and centers on ’90s teenagers Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), outsiders who bond over a supernatural TV show called The Pink Opaque. The A24 horror film is perfect for Twin Peaks fans thanks to Schoenbrun’s singular style and willingness to lean into the surreal. At its core, I Saw the TV Glow is a truly wrenching film about transness — about queer and trans characters who either embrace their truth or run from living an authentic life.

3 Challengers

Directed By Luca Guadagnino

Directed by Call Me by Your Name filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers centers on a charged, years-spanning love triangle between Tashi (Zendaya), a tennis star-turned-coach; her less successful tennis player ex-boyfriend, Patrick (Josh O’Connor); and Art, her tennis champ husband (Mike Faist). Framed by Art and Patrick’s rematch of the decade, Challengers serves up Guadagnino’s signature elements, from emotionally complex characters to eroticism. An intense and powerfully acted drama, Challengers is an incredibly captivating character study wrapped in a sports drama narrative.

2 Civil War

Directed By Alex Garland

In Alex Garland’s Civil War, Kirsten Dunst stars as renowned war photographer Lee Smith who plans to interview the US president with her work partner, Reuters writer Joel (Wagner Moura). However, as the film’s dystopian title implies, civil war has wracked the country, with secessionist movements opposing the three-term president’s authoritarian rule. Even though viewers never learn what caused Civil War‘s titular conflict, the incredibly sharp, often-violent film interrogates the moral quandaries that arise in Lee’s line of work. Plus, Civil War is anchored by a career-best performance from Dunst.

1 Dune: Part Two

Directed By Denis Villeneuve

The second installment in Denis Villeneuve’s two-part sci-fic epic is not only 2024’s highest-grossing film, but also the year’s best drama. Picking up where Dune left off, Dune: Part Two chronicles the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) — the unwilling leader-turned-ruthless-messiah who leads a revolt against the Known Universe’s powers that be. Bolstered by stunning visuals, an engrossing sci-fi world, and Dune 2‘s incredible cast of characters, the 2024 sequel delivers on all fronts, making it the most fully-realized drama of the year.

This list will be updated as new drama films are released throughout 2024.