Award-winning Dramas on Netflix

Framed for murder, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison and gradually forms a close bond with older inmate Red.

Year: 1994
IMDb: 9.3
Netflix rating: 4.5/5
Runtime: 02:22:33
Netflix ID: 70005379 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Oskar Schindler becomes an unlikely humanitarian, spending his entire fortune to help save 1,100 Jews from Auschwitz during World War II.

Year: 1993
IMDb: 8.9
Netflix rating: 4.4/5
Runtime: 03:15:04
Netflix ID: 60036359 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When a prison guard discovers that a death row inmate possesses mysterious powers, he tries desperately to prevent the condemned man's execution.

Year: 1999
IMDb: 8.6
Netflix rating: 4.3/5
Runtime: 03:08:41
Netflix ID: 60000417 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Famed Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman struggles to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II in this drama based on his memoirs.

Year: 2002
IMDb: 8.5
Netflix rating: 4.1/5
Runtime: 02:28:58
Netflix ID: 60025061 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Convinced only a miracle can save them from failing school exams, a trio of friends seek help from a magician. To their surprise, he gamely complies.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 8.5
Runtime: 02:06:34
Netflix ID: 81281461 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This intense drama follows the marriage of Marianne and Johan as it deteriorates when Marianne learns of Johan's infatuation with another woman.

Year: 1973
IMDb: 8.5
Runtime: 02:43:04
Netflix ID: 60035371 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Accompanied by a German bounty hunter, a freed slave named Django travels across America to free his wife from a sadistic plantation owner.

Year: 2012
IMDb: 8.4
Netflix rating: 4.3/5
Runtime: 02:45:23
Netflix ID: 70230640 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This tense and sordid tale chronicles the rise and fall of a casino owner, his friend and Mafia underboss, and an ex-prostitute with expensive taste.

Year: 1995
IMDb: 8.2
Netflix rating: 4/5
Runtime: 02:51:11
Netflix ID: 70019012 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This Oscar-winning drama charts the life and work of famed economist John Forbes Nash Jr., a brilliant man plagued by the anguish of mental illness.

Year: 2001
IMDb: 8.2
Netflix rating: 4/5
Runtime: 02:15:40
Netflix ID: 60021793 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A medieval knight heads home after years of combat. When the black-robed figure of Death confronts him, the knight challenges him to a game of chess.

Year: 1957
IMDb: 8.2
Runtime: 01:37:17
Netflix ID: 70127971 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

An FBI agent makes it his mission to put cunning con man Frank Abagnale Jr. behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.

Year: 2002
IMDb: 8.1
Netflix rating: 3.9/5
Runtime: 02:21:06
Netflix ID: 60024942 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Curmudgeonly Korean War vet Walt confronts his Hmong immigrant neighbors when the family's son tries to steal his beloved 1972 Gran Torino.

Year: 2008
IMDb: 8.1
Netflix rating: 4.2/5
Runtime: 01:51:44
Netflix ID: 70105600 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This biopic chronicles the life and times of iconic Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh, who led an armed resistance against the British in the 1920.

Year: 2002
IMDb: 8.1
Runtime: 02:35:45
Netflix ID: 60033227 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

With a disfigured face and barely perceptible speech, John Merrick endures ostracizing behavior as a sideshow attraction in mid-19th century England.

Year: 1980
IMDb: 8.1
Runtime: 02:03:42
Netflix ID: 60011111 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When Chris and his son are evicted, they face trying times as a desperate Chris accepts an unpaid internship at a stock brokerage firm.

Year: 2006
IMDb: 8
Netflix rating: 4/5
Runtime: 01:57:25
Netflix ID: 70044605 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Dora, who writes letters for illiterate people at Rio de Janeiro's railroad station, feels compelled to help a 9-year-old locate his estranged father.

Year: 1998
IMDb: 8
Runtime: 01:49:23
Netflix ID: 8177424 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This acclaimed biopic follows country singer Johnny Cash from his hardscrabble days on an Arkansas farm to his time inside Memphis's Sun Studios.

Year: 2005
IMDb: 7.8
Netflix rating: 3.9/5
Runtime: 02:15:48
Netflix ID: 70023968 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A 23-year-old Che Guevara motorcycles across South America with friend Alberto, a trek that crystallizes the future revolutionary's political beliefs.

Year: 2004
IMDb: 7.8
Netflix rating: 3.8/5
Runtime: 02:00:40
Netflix ID: 60034802 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This stirring drama follows the first African-Americans to serve in combat during the Civil War -- and shows how they helped turn the tide of the war.

Year: 1989
IMDb: 7.8
Netflix rating: 4/5
Runtime: 02:02:12
Netflix ID: 547335 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This cinematic spectacle -- winner of 11 Oscars -- follows society girl Rose and penniless artist Jack as they fall in love just as tragedy strikes.

Year: 1997
IMDb: 7.8
Netflix rating: 3.8/5
Runtime: 03:14:51
Netflix ID: 1181461 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In this Merchant-Ivory period drama, a dutiful butler dedicates himself to tending his lord's house, turning a blind eye to his Nazi sympathies.

Year: 1993
IMDb: 7.8
Netflix rating: 3.7/5
Runtime: 02:14:15
Netflix ID: 60011325 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Born into poverty and sold by his mother to a street vendor, a 5-year-old boy becomes India's first marathon-running champion despite his youth.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.8
Runtime: 01:35:22
Netflix ID: 80165849 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Seven-year-old Adrian enjoys an idyllic childhood with his single mother in Salzburg, until her heroin habit threatens their joyful existence.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.8
Runtime: 01:43:04
Netflix ID: 80177694 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Traumatized, violent and yearning for love, 9-year-old Benni bonds with a gruff mentor as child-services workers struggle to find her a home.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 7.8
Runtime: 02:00:08
Netflix ID: 81071573 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A South Central Los Angeles high schooler struggles to please his father and to stay straight in a community polluted by drugs, violence and racism.

Year: 1991
IMDb: 7.7
Netflix rating: 3.9/5
Runtime: 01:52:12
Netflix ID: 328438 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In this biopic, Jamie Foxx portrays rhythm and blues legend Ray Charles, who rose from obscurity and overcame his struggles to become world famous.

Year: 2004
IMDb: 7.7
Netflix rating: 3.9/5
Runtime: 02:32:17
Netflix ID: 70001994 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

As his esteem grows in the world of physics, Stephen Hawking's body is ravaged by ALS, forcing his increasing dependence on his devoted wife, Jane.

Year: 2014
IMDb: 7.7
Netflix rating: 3.9/5
Runtime: 02:03:25
Netflix ID: 80000644 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A courageous 11-year-old Afghan girl disguises herself as a boy and takes on odd jobs to provide for her family when her father is arrested.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 01:33:24
Netflix ID: 80217121 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A moving portrayal of the 2006 train bombings in Mumbai, this Indian drama follows the interconnected stories of several strangers.

Year: 2008
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 02:14:45
Netflix ID: 70106268 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When an aspiring singer develops a passionate relationship with a seasoned musician, her career begins to soar as his vices trigger a downward spiral.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 02:15:42
Netflix ID: 80221908 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Three intrepid teens roam the streets of Beirut in the midst of civil war, filming on a Super 8 camera and reckoning with the pains of growing up.

Year: 1999
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 01:45:33
Netflix ID: 60000513 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Weighed down by a dark secret, IRS agent Ben Thomas tries to improve the lives of seven strangers in need of a second chance.

Year: 2008
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix rating: 3.9/5
Runtime: 02:03:13
Netflix ID: 70104313 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In this lyrical account of the 1942 battle for Guadalcanal, several soldiers become a tight-knit group as they each struggle with the horrors of war.

Year: 1998
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 02:50:35
Netflix ID: 18171134 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Technical troubles scuttle the Apollo 13 mission in 1971, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew in this chronicle of a true story.

Year: 1995
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix rating: 4/5
Runtime: 02:19:46
Netflix ID: 262866 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

An aging Irishwoman teams with a floundering journalist to find the son she was forced to give up for adoption 50 years ago.

Year: 2013
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix rating: 4/5
Runtime: 01:38:03
Netflix ID: 70293789 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Leonardo DiCaprio portrays eccentric tycoon Howard Hughes, who turned a small fortune into a massive one by building Hollywood and aviation empires.

Year: 2004
IMDb: 7.5
Netflix rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 02:50:08
Netflix ID: 70011213 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A persistent 10-year-old wishes for a new bicycle so she can beat her friend (a boy) in a race. But it's going to take some ingenuity to get one.

Year: 2012
IMDb: 7.5
Netflix rating: 3.8/5
Runtime: 01:36:54
Netflix ID: 70258293 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A Jewish couple and their daughter emigrate from Germany to Kenya to escape the Nazis and are forced to adapt to life on an unfamiliar continent.

Year: 2001
IMDb: 7.5
Netflix rating: 3.6/5
Runtime: 02:15:34
Netflix ID: 60026143 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This drama is based on the true story of Marie-Louise Girard, a French woman put to death for performing unlawful abortions -- an occupation she stumbles into when a friend asks for her assistance in ending a pregnancy.

Year: 1989
IMDb: 7.5
Runtime: 01:47:36
Netflix ID: 70001748 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This Oscar-winning biopic focuses on painter Frida Kahlo's relationship with her husband and her controversial political and sexual reputation.

Year: 2002
IMDb: 7.4
Netflix rating: 3.8/5
Runtime: 02:02:55
Netflix ID: 60024997 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When an American couple vacationing in Morocco falls victim to a random act of violence, a series of events unfolds across four countries.

Year: 2006
IMDb: 7.4
Netflix rating: 3.4/5
Runtime: 02:23:29
Netflix ID: 70045866 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Feisty New York writer Helene mails a note to a small London bookshop, sparking a touching and humorous correspondence with reserved bookseller Frank.

Year: 1986
IMDb: 7.4
Netflix rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 01:39:22
Netflix ID: 60023132 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Living in Alexandria during World War II, an Egyptian teen enamored with American films dreams of making it in Hollywood.

Year: 1979
IMDb: 7.4
Runtime: 02:11:07
Netflix ID: 60001801 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When Rosalie reconnects with her old flame, Cesar becomes insanely jealous and attempts to drive David away but a complicated love triangle soon forms.

Year: 1972
IMDb: 7.4
Runtime: 01:50:46
Netflix ID: 60026444 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Maj. Dellaplane is a military man in World War I who takes on the unenviable, emotionally painful task of sifting through the bodies of men killed in the Verdun countryside and helping their relatives identify them.

Year: 1989
IMDb: 7.4
Runtime: 02:11:16
Netflix ID: 70012338 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In 1990s Paris, radical AIDS activists push for new policies while finding love and facing deaths from the devastating disease. Based on true events.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.4
Runtime: 02:17:07
Netflix ID: 81324407 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Eighteen-year-old British royal Victoria ascends to the throne and is romanced by future husband Prince Albert in this lush period film.

Year: 2009
IMDb: 7.3
Netflix rating: 4.1/5
Runtime: 01:44:36
Netflix ID: 70095147 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This entertaining docudrama traces the life and career of Italy's Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti and his party's long chokehold on Italian politics.

Year: 2008
IMDb: 7.3
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Runtime: 01:58:13
Netflix ID: 70100556 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Director Steven Spielberg takes on the towering legacy of Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his stewardship of the Union during the Civil War years.

Year: 2012
IMDb: 7.3
Runtime: 02:29:55
Netflix ID: 70251896 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When a young woman's body is found frozen in a ditch, a series of flashbacks and interviews show the possible reasons why she ended up deceased.

Year: 1985
IMDb: 7.3
Runtime: 01:41:13
Netflix ID: 1084996 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Escorted by a Christian cabbie, a divorced Shiite mother takes a risky journey to war-torn Lebanon to find her missing 6-year-old son.

Year: 2007
IMDb: 7.2
Netflix rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 01:38:43
Netflix ID: 70084188 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A wealthy married woman and a female department store clerk begin a forbidden affair in the 1950s that leads to both heartache and liberating joy.

Year: 2015
IMDb: 7.2
Netflix rating: 3.4/5
Runtime: 01:58:31
Netflix ID: 80058700 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Two girlfriends on holiday in Spain become smitten with the same artist, unaware that his insanely jealous ex-wife is about to re-enter the picture.

Year: 2008
IMDb: 7.1
Netflix rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 01:36:35
Netflix ID: 70097585 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

While spending summer with her family in the mountains, 17-year-old Frances falls in love with the resort's free-spirited dance instructor.

Year: 1987
IMDb: 7
Netflix rating: 3.8/5
Runtime: 01:40:31
Netflix ID: 445386 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Tracing every year of socialist activist Rosa Luxemburg's remarkable career, this documentary draws on thousands of pages of her own correspondence.

Year: 1986
IMDb: 7
Netflix rating: 3.6/5
Runtime: 01:56:59
Netflix ID: 80010203 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Sam is killed by a mugger, but his love for his girlfriend, Molly, endures beyond the grave as Sam's spirit tries to warn Molly that she is in danger.

Year: 1990
IMDb: 7
Netflix rating: 3.6/5
Runtime: 02:06:37
Netflix ID: 60010395 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Long past his heyday, a still-virile boxer tries to reconnect with his daughter as he confronts the onset of a terminal, degenerative neural disorder.

Year: 2015
IMDb: 7
Netflix rating: 3/5
Runtime: 01:49:09
Netflix ID: 80082749 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In a Swiss village in 1971, men write the rules -- and a fed up housewife launches a suffrage campaign ahead of a referendum on women's right to vote.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7
Runtime: 01:36:26
Netflix ID: 80189869 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Residents of a small town learn of the state government's plans to build a nuclear plant as doubts rise, protests spark and a local politician steps up.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 7
Runtime: 02:02:36
Netflix ID: 81435605 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Privileged Harvard jock Oliver sparks the anger of his steely, demanding father by falling in love with and marrying a plebeian Radcliffe student.

Year: 1970
IMDb: 6.9
Netflix rating: 3.5/5
Netflix ID: 60020297 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

After her father dies, Hannah notices that her mother is acting very strangely. A look back at her mother's troubled childhood yields explanations.

Year: 2003
IMDb: 6.8
Netflix rating: 3.6/5
Runtime: 02:15:38
Netflix ID: 70018270 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This true story chronicles the journey of Indian boxer Mary Kom, who overcame a disapproving father and other obstacles to become a world champion.

Year: 2014
IMDb: 6.8
Netflix rating: 3.8/5
Runtime: 01:54:58
Netflix ID: 80015785 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Financially ruined, separated from her children and desperate for a fresh start, Judy Garland embarks on a series of sold-out London concerts in 1968.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 6.8
Runtime: 01:57:59
Netflix ID: 80223104 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This fictionalized Silvio Berlusconi biography paints a surreal portrait of the former Italian Prime Minister’s excesses while on the comeback trail.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 6.7
Runtime: 02:30:59
Netflix ID: 80211651 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Kidnapped by guerrillas in Beirut, a French photojournalist refuses to yield his dignity despite being tortured and brainwashed by his captors.

Year: 1991
IMDb: 6.7
Runtime: 01:33:30
Netflix ID: 81344068 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A young man who rises to the top of the South Carolina Ku Klux Klan decides to walk away with the help of an unexpected ally. Based on real events.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 6.6
Runtime: 01:57:15
Netflix ID: 80240857 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Released from a 30-year prison sentence in Iran, a poet embarks on a search for his wife, who believes he's been dead for decades. Based on true events.

Year: 2012
IMDb: 6.5
Runtime: 01:31:34
Netflix ID: 81314928 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, navigates a career destined to change the rules of leadership and politics.

Year: 2011
IMDb: 6.4
Netflix rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 01:44:59
Netflix ID: 70189282 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Barney Panofsky, a Jewish Canadian television producer, reflects in flashbacks on three strange decades of his life -- and three wives.

Year: 2011
IMDb: 6.4
Runtime: 02:14:00
Netflix ID: 70129177 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

After spending much of his adult life in New York, an affable economist returns home to Buenos Aires and tries to reconnect with his aloof father.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 5.7
Runtime: 01:20:48
Netflix ID: 80104237 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Eleven-year-old Amy starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 2.3
Runtime: 01:36:24
Netflix ID: 81111198 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

An elderly music teacher who gives piano lessons to prisoners finds a prodigy in a young inmate and devotes herself to developing that talent.

Year: 2006
Netflix rating: 3.6/5
Runtime: 01:55:24
Netflix ID: 70098886 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In a trial that shocks Italy, former Mafia insider Tommaso Buscetta turns informant against his powerful crime family in this fact-based drama.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 02:25:41
Netflix ID: 81405362 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A former child singer, traumatized by his experiences, becomes a recluse, nurturing his hurt until a woman comes into his life and really hears him.

Year: 2020
Runtime: 01:31:46
Netflix ID: 81020106 · Watch on Netflix

In 1963, a former SS officer who orchestrated the murders of thousands of Jews is put on trial – but what follows is a grave miscarriage of justice.

Year: 2020
Runtime: 02:12:09
Netflix ID: 81324781 · Watch on Netflix

Two buddies just getting by in life discover a radio network at the forefront of a student movement, sparking a new political awareness inside of them.

Year: 2004
Runtime: 01:47:05
Netflix ID: 81303789 · Watch on Netflix

When the aging Monsieur Arnaud, a retired judge, offers to help Nelly, a beautiful young divorcée, pay her debts by hiring her to work as his secretary, he stifles an obvious attraction for her that erupts when she courts his young publisher.

Year: 1995
Runtime: 01:46:36
Netflix ID: 70023793 · Watch on Netflix

In this historical epic based on the ancient tale of Romulus and Remus, the brothers rise to power amidst warring tribes during the 8th-century B.C.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 02:07:23
Netflix ID: 81405352 · Watch on Netflix

When two university students meet in West Germany during the 1960s, their relationship blurs the lines between love, politics, and revolution.

Year: 2011
Runtime: 02:05:38
Netflix ID: 81394887 · Watch on Netflix

In this update of the Alfred Döblin novel, Francis is an undocumented West African man who seals his fate when he falls in with a German drug dealer.

Runtime: 03:03:36
Netflix ID: 81048770 · Watch on Netflix

When an unassuming watchmaker learns that his son is the primary suspect in a murder case, he launches his own investigation.

Year: 1974
Runtime: 01:45:00
Netflix ID: 70022996 · Watch on Netflix

In 1970s Naples, a hit man emerges from retirement with a dark mission: He wants to enlist four hired guns to avenge the killing of his son.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 01:42:19
Netflix ID: 81405355 · Watch on Netflix

A Jewish girl and her family flee from Berlin and make their way around Europe in an attempt to escape the Nazi occupation. Based on a true story.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 01:58:59
Netflix ID: 81349555 · Watch on Netflix