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Notable examples
Film
Early examples
Psychological drama is possibly known one of the fewest and oldest of film subgenres in the early-20th century, with the earliest examples are The Whispering Chorus (1918)[3][4] and
Greed (1924).[5][6] Other early examples of popular psychological drama films in the early-to-mid 20th century include:
Paul Thomas Anderson - An American filmmaker known for his depictions of flawed characters and exploration of subjects and themes such as dysfunctional families, alienation, loneliness and redemption. Known psychological dramas of his include Magnolia (1999), There Will Be Blood (2007),[57] and The Master (2012).[58]
Darren Aronofsky - An American filmmaker, well known for directing some of the most notoriously visceral psychological dramas in the 21st century, such as the
cult classic film, Requiem for a Dream (2000),[60] and others that subjects of actor's career resurgence and deal with melodramatic themes and surrealism in films such as The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan (2010), Mother! (2017), and The Whale (2022).[61][62]
Ingmar Bergman - A Swedish filmmaker, regarded by many as one of the greatest directors in European cinema, who applied his creative and
avant-garde vision[63] to psychological drama films such as Persona (1966).[64]
Bernardo Bertolucci - An Italian filmmaker, who is known for exploring "sexual relations among characters stuck in a psychological crisis" such as in his erotic film Last Tango in Paris (1972).[65]
Akira Kurosawa - A Japanese filmmaker, considered among the greatest directors of all time, who directed psychological dramas such as Drunken Angel (1948)[72][73] and Ikiru (1952).[74]
Yorgos Lanthimos - A Greek filmmaker known for his themes about absurdity, animal cruelty, odd behaviors, dark humors, and unrequited relationships.[75]
Gaspar Noé - An Argentine avant-garde filmmaker shares an attenuated use of narrative, generally assaulting and often illegible cinematography, confrontational subject material, a treatment of sexual behavior as violent rather than mutually intimate, and a pervasive sense of social nihilism or despair, with such his polarizing feature films as I Stand Alone (1998), Irréversible (2002), 8 (2008), Enter the Void (2009), and Vortex (2021).[78][79][80][81]
Steven Soderbergh - An American filmmaker, well known for his independent films featuring explorations of the human condition, such as in his critically acclaimed debut Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989).[82]
Denis Villeneuve - A French Canadian filmmaker, primarily known for directing drama and science fiction films featuring psychological elements[84] such as Maelström (2000),[85]Enemy (2013),[86] and Arrival (2016).[87]
Irrational (2019) - a psychological drama story-driven game made in RPG Maker MV. The story focuses on Lucy, a young woman struggles of living with generalized anxiety.[107]
Rainswept (2019) - an adventure and murder mystery game about an emotional story set in an immersive and atmospheric game world dealing with themes of love, relationships and unresolved trauma.[108]
Memories Of East Coast (2021) - A debut game of an immersive visual novel experience that brings you on a journey through memory, nostalgia and guilt.[109]
This section is empty. You can help by
adding to it. (January 2024)
Notable examples
Film
Early examples
Psychological drama is possibly known one of the fewest and oldest of film subgenres in the early-20th century, with the earliest examples are The Whispering Chorus (1918)[3][4] and
Greed (1924).[5][6] Other early examples of popular psychological drama films in the early-to-mid 20th century include:
Paul Thomas Anderson - An American filmmaker known for his depictions of flawed characters and exploration of subjects and themes such as dysfunctional families, alienation, loneliness and redemption. Known psychological dramas of his include Magnolia (1999), There Will Be Blood (2007),[57] and The Master (2012).[58]
Darren Aronofsky - An American filmmaker, well known for directing some of the most notoriously visceral psychological dramas in the 21st century, such as the
cult classic film, Requiem for a Dream (2000),[60] and others that subjects of actor's career resurgence and deal with melodramatic themes and surrealism in films such as The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan (2010), Mother! (2017), and The Whale (2022).[61][62]
Ingmar Bergman - A Swedish filmmaker, regarded by many as one of the greatest directors in European cinema, who applied his creative and
avant-garde vision[63] to psychological drama films such as Persona (1966).[64]
Bernardo Bertolucci - An Italian filmmaker, who is known for exploring "sexual relations among characters stuck in a psychological crisis" such as in his erotic film Last Tango in Paris (1972).[65]
Akira Kurosawa - A Japanese filmmaker, considered among the greatest directors of all time, who directed psychological dramas such as Drunken Angel (1948)[72][73] and Ikiru (1952).[74]
Yorgos Lanthimos - A Greek filmmaker known for his themes about absurdity, animal cruelty, odd behaviors, dark humors, and unrequited relationships.[75]
Gaspar Noé - An Argentine avant-garde filmmaker shares an attenuated use of narrative, generally assaulting and often illegible cinematography, confrontational subject material, a treatment of sexual behavior as violent rather than mutually intimate, and a pervasive sense of social nihilism or despair, with such his polarizing feature films as I Stand Alone (1998), Irréversible (2002), 8 (2008), Enter the Void (2009), and Vortex (2021).[78][79][80][81]
Steven Soderbergh - An American filmmaker, well known for his independent films featuring explorations of the human condition, such as in his critically acclaimed debut Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989).[82]
Denis Villeneuve - A French Canadian filmmaker, primarily known for directing drama and science fiction films featuring psychological elements[84] such as Maelström (2000),[85]Enemy (2013),[86] and Arrival (2016).[87]
Irrational (2019) - a psychological drama story-driven game made in RPG Maker MV. The story focuses on Lucy, a young woman struggles of living with generalized anxiety.[107]
Rainswept (2019) - an adventure and murder mystery game about an emotional story set in an immersive and atmospheric game world dealing with themes of love, relationships and unresolved trauma.[108]
Memories Of East Coast (2021) - A debut game of an immersive visual novel experience that brings you on a journey through memory, nostalgia and guilt.[109]