The Best Dramas to Watch on a Rainy Day

This is a collection of the best dramas that will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat. They are a collection of my favorites that I love to watch over and over again. Below is a list with the trailers, so you can see if you want to watch them without searching yourself.

There are many elements to a great drama. It needs to have a relatable character with a big problem, an excellent cast and cinematography that build suspense.

I have included a rating system that indicates the movie rating, my age limit suggestions, and quality of script, editing, acting and story. I hope you enjoy watching and reading about some of my favorite dramas. These films are guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings.

If you have any favorites you would like to add, leave them in the comments section.

OTHER FAVORITES

COMEDIES // ROMANTIC COMEDIES // THRILLERS // ACTION FILMS
SCI-FI FILMS // HORROR FILMS // FAMILY FEATURES

Elephant is Gus Van Sant's masterpiece. I recently was introduced to this film and feel it is one that needs to be shared. The film is mainly set at a high school, where hundreds of kids come to learn each day. The movie is filmed like a documentation of one days at the school. The camera seems to follow select students around with very little cuts and seems to show life as it really was.

I believe this film could also fall into other categories, but I do not want to give anything away. What makes it great is the intricate details: the film shows the same event from different perspectives in the most accurate way. If you do not like slow films, however, you may need to choose another film. Elephant is meant to be watched with close attention. Everything in the shots seem to be placed perfectly.

I hope you enjoy this climactic and emotional film, but don't stop halfway through because you aren't getting any action. Wait until the end, when it all makes sense.

This film stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal and is about a woman whose father is a mathematician that passes away while insane. She struggles to understand what drove him to be so crazy, while dealing with other characters that seem to get in the way.

This film is suspenseful from beginning to end and keeps you guessing, while intimately connecting to the main character. I enjoyed this film because it stars some A-list actors that seem to have really dived into their characters' minds.

The film is based on a novel by David Auburn that won the Pulitzer Prize. I love the contrast between math and emotion in this film. Something so concrete held against something so intangible. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This movie is one of the most thought-provoking films I have encountered. It's about a high school teacher and basketball coach that is also a drug addict. While it has the tone of one of those students-end-up-teaching-the-teacher films, it is an absolute drama that has the ability to bring one to tears.

What I love most about this film is the literature. It contrasts what the students are learning to the reality of life in the city. It effortlessly paints an accurate picture of the state of our society in a time when class inequalities seems to echo the same themes of the civil rights movement.

I hope you enjoy this film as much as I do. It is one I can watch over and over again.

Woody Allen is one of my favorite authors and playwrights. In this film, which is totally underrated, he plays with the idea of legacy--or life after death. Scarlett Johanson stars in this mystery.

The film is about a journalist that presumably dies after looking for the next scoop. In fact, he is alive and visits Johanson's character, a journalism student, with the identity of the man who killed him. She attempts to find proof that the man killed him, but begins to form feelings for him.

This movie is great for many reasons, one being the witty script and intelligent story line. I bet you will love this movie after watching how it all pans out. Let me know what you think below.

This film is based on a novel with the same title and is set in Hawaii. George Clooney stars as a business man in O'ahu that is about to sell the land he inherited--the last remaining Native Hawaiian land in the state. While struggling with his decision of who to sell the land to, his wife goes into a coma after getting in a motor boat accident. Soon after, he finds out that she was unfaithful during their marriage and more plot twists ensue.

I don't want to give away anything, so I won't go into too much detail here. If you would like to hear how a Hawaiian liked this film, see my review.

I know you will love this film for the accurate depiction of Hawaiian life and also the amazing script and acting. I think this film deserves some awards, but we'll see what everyone else thinks. If you have seen it and want to add your two cents, do so in the comments section below.

This film is one that will make you want to cry. It is set in the time of the Civil War and stars Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Renee Zellweger. It's about a solider who tries to get home to Cold Mountain after fighting in the war.

This film is an excellent depiction of wartime and how people respond to being alone. Renee Zellweger plays a country girl with the best accent I have heard. She is a rugged farm girl that teaches the main character how to survive on her own.

I love this film for it's emotional storyline and historical narrative. The film is the definition of a great drama and that is why I have chosen it as my classic.