A Glean movie guide
The Best Dramas of the Last 5 Years
Modern masterpieces for the serious view
From Oscar-winning epics to intimate festival darlings, these are the decade's must-watch
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Oppenheimer
A monumental biographical epic that redefined the scale and intensity of modern historical drama.
The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
- 02
The Zone of Interest
A chillingly detached look at the banality of evil that lingers long after the credits roll.
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.
- 03
The Brutalist
An expansive, visually stunning chronicle of an immigrant architect’s pursuit of the American dream.
When an innovative modern architect flees post-war Europe, he is given the opportunity to rebuild his legacy. Set during the dawn of the modern United States (in Pennsylvania), his wife joins him, and their lives are forever changed by a demanding, wealthy patron.
- 04
Anatomy of a Fall
A gripping courtroom procedural that dissects the messy complexities of a marriage under pressure.
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
- 05
Drive My Car
A patient and profound exploration of grief, connection, and the healing power of art.
Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled.
- 06
Anora
A high-energy, modern-day Cinderella story that balances raw emotion with chaotic humor.
A young sex worker from Brooklyn gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out to get the marriage annulled.
- 07
Past Lives
A delicate and heartbreaking meditation on the lives we leave behind and the people we might have been.
After decades apart, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung are reunited in New York for one fateful weekend as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.
- 08
Tár
A sharp, uncompromising character study of power and ego within the world of classical music.
As celebrated conductor Lydia Tár starts rehearsals for a career-defining symphony, the consequences of her past choices begin to echo in the present.
- 09
Aftersun
A devastatingly beautiful memory piece about the quiet bond between a father and daughter.
Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories fill the gaps between camcorder footages as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the troubled man she didn't.
- 10
Sing Sing
A deeply moving and authentic portrayal of redemption through the transformative power of theater.
Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
- 11
One Battle After Another
A masterfully directed thriller-drama that explores the weight of a revolutionary past.
Washed-up revolutionary Bob exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.
- 12
The President's Cake
An intimate and morally complex story of childhood innocence set against national turmoil.
In 1990s Iraq, it's 'draw day', when schools select students for the honour of bringing items to their mandatory local celebrations of President Saddam Hussein's birthday. Nine-year-old Lamia lives in the historic marshes with her spirited grandmother, Bibi. Before school, Bibi teaches Lamia clever tricks to avoid being chosen for the baking duties. However, when Musa, the authoritative teacher, calls Lamia's name for the most challenging task–the birthday cake–she has no choice but to accept. Refusing could mean imprisonment or even death.