This year’s best drama films feature a girl who really wants to get her period, a man trying to kill his wife’s family, two childhood friends reconnecting, the man who created the atomic bomb and a giant nuclear lizard that may or may not be related to that atomic bomb.

Here are our picks for the Top 5 Drama Movies of 2023.

5. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

I’d never heard of the book by Kelly Fremon Craig, which Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is based upon, and when I did do a little reading on this film, I assumed the American coming-of-age story might not work here in Australia. But even with New York City, the heavily religious families and a school system I don’t quite understand, the human elements of the film always shine through. At its heart, this is just a film about a young girl and her mother trying to find their place in the world. Stellar performances make it a heartwarming, charming, and amusing film worth checking out. 

– Dylan

4. Godzilla Minus One

It’s not often that the human story in a kaiju movie is the most appealing part, but that is very much the case in Godzilla Minus One. Kōichi Shikishima is an interesting character to follow as the kamikaze pilot who fled his duty tries to rebuild a life for himself while dealing with the shame of his cowardice. The film gets you invested in the family unit that he has built, and when Godzilla starts to be a threat to them, you are genuinely concerned for them. It is a really smart film that questions some of the cultural and tactical choices Japan made in WWII. Proof that any long-running franchise can still deliver something new and exciting.

– Ashley

3. Killers of the Flower Moon

The final scene cements Killers of the Flower Moon above being just another Martin Scorsese classic. As things begin to wrap up, and as we assume the villains of this horrific crime would surely get their punishment, and the history books would tell the tale as such, we skip ahead to a radio drama some years later; it’s here we find out that not only did the criminals and murders get to live out their lives in relative peace, but the story of the Osage people and their mass annihilation from a handful of people was washed away into a tale last produced as a radio play. Scorsese himself takes to the stage to end the film and add the final moments in this epilogue expands beyond the boundaries of the film screen, as he acknowledges that he has made an entertainment product off the Osage people, but also that stories like this need to be told.

– Dylan

2. Oppenheimer

After the tepid reaction to Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s standing amongst the best directors working today was called into question. Oppenheimer should put any of those doubts to bed. What is, at first glance, a biopic about Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb, is every bit a Nolan picture as his more action and VFX-filled films. From his fantastic use of non-linear storytelling to the stellar performances he gets from his stacked ensemble cast to the incredible visuals, including the atomic bomb test, this may be one of Nolan’s finest works yet.

1. Past Lives

A compelling character drama from start to end. A beautiful story of two childhood friends who reconnect at different times in their lives to potentially rekindle their connection. With a stellar central trio of Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, director Celene Song is able to tell this semi-autobiographical story that feels very specific but touches on many universal themes and ideas. It’s an incredibly moving film.

– Ashley