Psychological drama

Psychological drama or psychodrama is a sub-genre of drama that places emphasis on psychological elements. It often overlaps with other genres such as crime, fantasy, black comedy, and science fiction, and it is closely related with the psychological horror and psychological thriller genres. Psychological dramas use these genres' tropes to focus on the human condition and psychological effects, usually in a mature and serious tone. Psychological dramas explore thematic elements such as abandonment, coming-of-age problems, denialism, disability, distorted sequences, dysfunctional relationships, human sexuality, mental disorders, mood swings, odd behaviors, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological abuse, psychedelic art, social issues, and other serious discussions that highlighted the characters' portrayal. 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), and The Master (2012). Hideaki Anno - A Japanese filmmaker whose best known work, Neon Genesis Evangelion, delves into heavy psychological themes in its latter half. 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), 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). 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 to psychological drama films such as Persona (1966). 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).