The 30 Best Drama Movies of 2023 (So Far)

With 2022 behind us, we have another year of must-watch movies to look forward to. If you're anything like me, the drama category holds a special place in your heart and, luckily, there are plenty of new titles slated for release in 2023. You'll find a few sad movies to cry to on this list, in addition to crime thrillers that will keep you guessing and biopics if you're interested in learning something new. From Christopher Nolan's buzzed-about Oppenheimer to the epic conclusion of the Magic Mike series, these are the best drama movies of 2023 to put on your watchlist.

'A Man Called Otto'

Releases: January 13, 2023

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Juanita Jennings

Based on the bestselling Swedish novel A Man Called Ove, Tom Hanks stars as the titular Otto, a grumpy old man who's given up on life after the death of his wife. But when a fun-loving new family moves in next door, his attitude on life soon begins to change. 

'Saint Omer'

Releases: January 13, 2023

Starring: Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Thomas de Pourquery, Adama Diallo Tamba, Valérie Dréville, and Xavier Maly

Based on a real-life 2016 court case, this acclaimed narrative debut from documentary filmmaker Alice Diop follows Rama (Kagame), a young novelist covering the trial of an immigrant mother accused of infanticide.

'Women Talking' 

Releases: January 20, 2023

Starring: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Frances McDormand, Jessie Buckley

Films based on true stories always carry significant weight, and Women Talking is no different. The story revolves around a group of secluded women who must grapple with their religion after being brutally attacked. 

'When You Finish Saving the World' 

Releases: January 20, 2023

Starring: Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Alisha Boe, Jay O. Sanders

You may know Finn Wolfhard as one of the nerdy kids from Stranger Things, but the young actor is branching out into a bit more serious work. This A24-produced film sees Wolfhard star alongside Julianne Moore as mother-son pair Ziggy and Evelyn who are both clueless on how to interact with one another. 

'Alice, Darling'

Releases: January 20, 2023

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Charlie Carrick, Kaniehtiio Horn, Wunmi Mosaku, Mark Winnick

In this psychological thriller, Anna Kendrick stars as a women in a deeply toxic relationship who attempts to get some much-needed time away from her partner on a girl's trip. Things go wrong, however, when he unexpectedly shows up.  

'Magic Mike's Last Dance'

Releases: February 10, 2023

Starring: Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek, Caitlin Gerard, Gavin Spokes

We get to see the Channing Tatum strip and dance one last time in the conclusion of the Magic Mike series. This time around, Mike is heading to London to put on a steamy dance showcase. 

'Sharper'

Releases: February 17, 2023

Starring: Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Moore, John Lithgow

While much of this Apple TV+ film is being kept under wraps, we do know that it's about a con artist who takes on Manhattan's billionaires. Judging by the teaser trailer, it might be best to go into this film knowing as little as possible. 

'Creed III' 

Releases: March 3, 2023

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Selenis Leyva

In his directorial debut, Michael B. Jordan returns to the ring in the third installment of the Rocky spin-off series, Creed. Boxing star Adonis Creed is set to face off against an old childhood friend Damian Anderson, played by Jonathan Majors (a major rising star set to play the villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). 

'Inside'

Releases: March 10, 2023

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Gene Bervoets, Eliza Stuyck

This thriller drama is almost a completely one-man show starring Willem Dafoe as a high-end art thief. When a heist goes wrong, the thief finds himself trapped in a penthouse and must use his wits to survive.   

'A Good Person' 

Releases: March 24, 2023

Starring: Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, Molly Shannon, Chinaza Uche, Celeste O'Connor

With Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman at the helm of this drama, you know it's going to be a good one. Pugh stars as Allison, a woman with a perfect life until everything falls apart after a tragic car accident. 

'A Thousand and One'

Releases: March 31, 2023

Starring: Teyana Taylor, Aaron Kingsley Adetola, Aven Courtney, Josiah Cross, and William Catlett

This acclaimed indie film stars Teyana Taylor as a mother returning home from prison who kidnaps her six-year-old son out of foster care so they can build their life together.

'Chevalier'

Releases: April 7, 2023

Starring: Lucy Boynton, Minnie Driver, Samara Weaving, Marton Csokas,
Kelvin Harrison Jr.

This period piece tells the true story of Joseph Bologne, the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, who soon rises in the ranks of French aristocracy with his incredible musical talent. 

'How to Blow Up a Pipeline'

Releases: April 7, 2023

Starring: Ariela Barer, Lukas Gage, Kristine Froseth, Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane, Jayme Lawson, Marcus Scribner, Jake Weary, and Irene Bedard

This thrilling film based on Andreas Malm’s book of the same name follows a group of environmental activists as they resort to drastic means to protect the Earth.

'Sanctuary'

Releases: May 19, 2023

Starring: Margaret Qualley and Christoper Abbott

When the heir to a hotel empire tries to end his contract with the dominatrix who has primed him for success, the pair battles it out for power and control in this psychological thriller/rom-com.

'The Little Mermaid'

Releases: May 26, 2023

Starring: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Jacob Tremblay, and Daveed Diggs

The live-action adaptation of Disney's beloved animated film stars Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.

'You Hurt My Feelings'

Releases: May 26, 2023

Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies, Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed and Jeannie Berlin

In this dramedy, Louis-Dreyfus plays a novelist whose marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her therapist husband give his honest reaction to her latest book.

'Reality'

Releases: May 29, 2023

Starring:  Sydney Sweeney, Marchánt Davis, and Josh Hamilton

This play adaptation is based on the real-life FBI interrogation transcript of Reality Winner, who was imprisoned for over five years after leaking an intelligence report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

'Past Lives'

Releases: June 23, 2023

Starring: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro

This gorgeous film by Celine Song follows a reunion between two childhood sweethearts as they contemplate their relationship and life's what-ifs.

'Earth Mama'

Releases: July 7, 2023

Starring: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander, Doechii, Keta Price, Olivia Luccardi, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Dominic Fike, Bokeem Woodbine

Oakland rapper Tia Nomore leads this acclaimed film as Leaf, a pregnant single mother trying to reclaim custody of her two children in foster care.

'The Lesson'

Releases: July 7, 2023

Starring: Daryl McCormack, Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy, Stephen McMillan, and Crispin Letts

A rising writer (McCormack) takes a teaching post with the legendary, mercurial writer J. M. Sinclair (Grant) in the wake of the tragic death of Sinclair's son, in this gothic literary thriller.

'Oppenheimer' 

Releases: July 21, 2023

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh 

One of the most anticipated films of 2023 has to be Christopher Nolan's star-studded Oppenheimer, a biopic on J. Robert Oppenheimer, aka the scientist who created the atomic bomb. 

'Problemista'

Releases: August 4, 2023

Starring: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton, RZA, Isabella Rossellini, Greta Lee, Spike Einbinder, Laith Nakil, Larry Owens, and Meg Stalter

Comedian Julio Torres writes, directs, and stars in this surrealist comedy about an aspiring toymaker from El Salvador who takes a job with unhinged art world pariah Elizabeth (Swinton) in order to keep his visa and stay in the U.S.

'Shortcomings'

Releases: August 4, 2023

Starring: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Debby Ryan, Tavi Gevinson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jacob Batalon, and Timothy Simons 

In Randall Park's directorial debut, a struggling Bay Area filmmaker (Min) begins to explore what he wants from his life when his girlfriend (Maki) moves to New York for an internship.

'The Pod Generation'

Releases: August 11, 2023

Starring: Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rosalie Craig, Vinette Robinson, Kathryn Hunter, Rita Bernard-Shaw, and Megan Maczko

This sci-fi satire stars Clarke and Ejiofor as an NYC couple in the near future who embark on a high-tech journey to start a family via a mobile, artificial womb, (a.k.a. the title's "pod").

'Challengers'

Releases: September 15, 2023

Starring: Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor

Zendaya plays Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach for her husband Art (Faist), in this dramedy film from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino. After Art ends up on a losing streak, he is forced to play against his childhood best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend (O’Connor), rekindling a tense love triangle.

'Killers of the Flower Moon' 

Releases: October 20, 2023

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio make for one hell of a pair in film. In their sixth feature film working together, DiCaprio stars as an FBI detective sent to Oklahoma to investigate the murders of several members of the Osage tribe. 

'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' 

Releases: November 17, 2023

Starring: Hunter Schafer, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth

Prepare to re-enter the Hunger Games world with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In this prequel, Coriolanus Snow, (aka the President Snow we all hated from the original series) mentors and eventually falls in love with the female District 12 tribute during the 10th Hunger Games. 

'The Color Purple'

Releases: December 20, 2023

Starring: Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey, Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Ciara, and Louis Gossett Jr.

Three decades after the acclaimed 1985 film, The Color Purple will return to the big screen through an adaptation of the Tony-winning stage musical.

'Maestro'

Releases: TBA in 2023

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Jeremy Strong, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman 

Bradley Cooper is in the director's chair and the lead role in Netflix's Maestro. The biopic details the love story of American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia over 30 years. 

'Ferrari'

Releases: TBA in 2023

Starring: Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Gabriel Leone, Sarah Gadon, Jack O'Connell, and Patrick Dempsey

Adam Driver will portray former race-car driver and entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari in the eponymous film, directed by Heat's Michael Mann. The biopic will follow the automobile founder throughout the late 1950s as he deals with family problems ahead of the infamous 1957 Mille Miglia race.