The 15 best drama movies to stream on Amazon Prime right now

From buzzy blockbusters to hidden gems, these films all deserve a spot on your watchlist.

The fact that dramas are often melded with other genres makes the category limitless. In some cases, art imitates life with big-name actors portraying the true lives 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 Manchester by the Sea and Witness to excellent newer films like Saltburn and A Thousand and One.

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

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

There's no better place for a sexual awakening than northern Italy in the summer. Set in 1983, Call Me by Your Name tells the story of Elio (Timothée Chalamet in his breakout performance), a 17-year-old whose life is upended after his academic father's new grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer) arrives to stay with the family. Sparks fly between the bookish Elio and the worldly Oliver, who steadily form a relationship despite their differences. A romantic coming-of-age drama twinged with tenderness and nostalgia, Call Me by Your Name meditates on themes of growing up, coming to terms with one's sexuality, and the depths of feeling found in young love. —Ilana Gordon

Where to watch Call Me by Your Name: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Cast: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois

Related content: Call Me by Your Name director still wants to make a sequel with Timothée Chalamet

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

This epic musical drama, adapted from the beloved stage musical, remains a powerful ode to the importance of tradition and community. Set in 1905, Fiddler on the Roof centers on Tevye (Topol), the patriarch of a Jewish family living in Tsarist Russia who deals with dwindling income, prejudice against his community, and multiple daughters who need to be married off. Through it all, Tevye and his family sing of their values and dreams for the future; as Tevye says, “Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof!” Nominated for eight Academy Awards, Fiddler on the Roof is a timeless classic with themes that still resonate today. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Fiddler on the Roof: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Norman Jewison

Cast: Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon, Paul Mann

Related content: Hamilton director Tommy Kail to direct new film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof

The Holdovers (2023)

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." —K.J.

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

Related content: Alexander Payne sent The Holdovers star Da'Vine Joy Randolph 'two big boxes of cigarettes' to prepare for role

The Handmaiden (2016)

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. —K.J.

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

Related content: The Handmaiden: How a Victorian-set novel became the Korea-set film

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

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. —K.J.

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

Director: Frank Capra

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

Related content: It's a Wonderful Life is No. 1 on EW Presents: The Top 10 Holiday Movie Moments

The Lost City of Z (2017)

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. —K.J.

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

Related content: Charlie Hunnam went Method and ignored his girlfriend for The Lost City of Z

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

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. —K.J.

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

Related content: Manchester by the Sea: Casey Affleck, Kenneth Lonergan on their special relationship

Monster (2003)

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. —K.J.

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

Related content: Recall the Gold: Did Charlize Theron deserve the 2003 Best Actress Oscar?

Paterson (2016)

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.” —K.J.

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

Related content: NYFF 2016: Adam Driver says that parallel parking a bus is easier than writing poetry

A Quiet Passion (2017)

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.” —K.J.

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

Related content: A Quiet Passion trailer: Cynthia Nixon plays Emily Dickinson in Terence Davies' biopic

Road to Perdition (2002)

A Mob hitman seeks revenge after the death of his wife in this Depression-era crime drama. Tom Hanks plays Michael, the hitman whose eldest son witnesses a murder committed by his associate Connor (Daniel Craig), leading Connor to target Michael and his family. After Michael's wife and youngest son are killed, he goes on the run with his remaining son and calculates his best options for getting back at Connor. The handsomely crafted epic also features the final live-action performance by Paul Newman in a theatrical film, receiving one last Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Mob boss John Rooney. As EW's critic remarks, it is a unique pleasure to see two beloved stars as Hanks and Newman onscreen together, "two greats from two generations who each understand the power of underplaying and sharing the treasures of Conrad L. Hall's exquisite cinematography." —K.J.

Where to watch Road to Perdition: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Sam Mendes

Cast: Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci, Daniel Craig

Related content: From the EW archives: Tom Hanks talks Road to Perdition

Saltburn (2023)

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. —K.J.

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

Related content: Nominated for nothing: The Academy should've bathed in Saltburn's excesses

Sounder (1972)

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. —K.J.

Where to watch Sounder: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Martin Ritt

Cast: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks

Related content: Revisiting Sounder: Cicely Tyson's first Oscar nod

A Thousand and One (2023)

Teyana Taylor earned multiple critics’ awards notices for her breakthrough performance in the underrated indie drama A Thousand and One. The actress/singer plays Inez, a recently released convict who wishes to reunite with her young son, Terry. Inez makes a snap decision to abduct Terry from the foster care system and proceeds to raise him to young adulthood in Harlem. In her feature directorial debut, A.V. Rockwell depicts the highs and lows of a special mother-son bond with grace and nuance, while a rapidly changing New York provides context to their struggles. —K.J.

Where to watch A Thousand and One: Amazon Prime Video

Director: A.V. Rockwell

Cast: Teyana Taylor, Will Catlett, Josiah Cross, Aven Courtney, Aaron Kingsley Adetola

Related content: Teyana Taylor went into A Thousand and One with something to prove: 'I feel like this was written for me'

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

One of the most successful legacy sequels in recent years, Top Gun: Maverick was a big gamble that paid off with praise from critics, audiences, and awards voters. Thirty-six years after the original Top Gun, Tom Cruise returns as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a test pilot who agrees to train a new batch of star recruits, one of which is his deceased co-pilot’s son, Rooster (Miles Teller). The emotional throughline resonates, though Top Gun: Maverick’s best weapon is director Joseph Kosinski’s eye (and ear) for dazzling aerial sequences. As EW’s critic writes, the director “revels in the sonic-boom rush of their many flight scenes, sending his jets swooping and spinning in impossible, equilibrium-rattling arcs.” —K.J.

Where to watch Top Gun: Maverick: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer

Related content: Miles Teller has had 'conversations' with Tom Cruise about Top Gun: Maverick sequel

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.