Drama as a genre is nebulous. Almost every movie has some form of dramatic content in it, and any movie that isn’t a comedy could reasonably be considered a drama. If a film doesn’t conform to some more specific genre, it can make it hard to market and even harder for it to develop a cult following, since devoted fandoms are generally curtailed to more definitive genres, even if the films themselves can be hard to define. Suffice to say, you’ll find far fewer conventions, festivals, or even Reddit forums devoted solely to capital D dramas. Digressions aside, the indefinable nature of what constitutes a film drama is also what could possibly contribute to some of the films within the genre being forgotten. At least, that’s one theory that could be used to explain why no one seems to remember the six near-perfect dramas listed here.
Among these forgotten dramas are an acclaimed crime film by the writer of Taxi Driver, a Soviet war masterpiece, and films from directors Spike Lee and John Sayles. By any rights, these films should be just as highly regarded as those that have won awards or been showered with continual praise, but they haven’t been. In some cases, it’s due to issues surrounding some of these films’ release strategies, marred by prolonged post-production issues or limited, almost nonexistent, promotion. For others, they simply slipped through the cracks, but all of them are worth more than that. These six movies are all near-perfect dramas that no one remembers but are worth remembering.
‘The Ascent’ (1977)
When it comes to war dramas, particularly those made by Soviet filmmakers, Come and See is the one that has, rightfully, been reclaimed as an overlooked masterpiece, but there’s another war film that’s equally as powerful that hasn’t received the same reclamation. The Ascent was directed by Larisa Shepitko, who was also married to Come and See director Elem Klimov, and it’s another bleak depiction of war, depicted through the lens of a spiritual journey of suffering and sacrifice. It’s a cathartic film made all the more important for being the final one completed by Shepitko before her tragic and untimely death. Shot in the bitter cold of the Russian winter, the film was an exhausting and difficult shoot for the cast and crew, which bleeds through on screen in its punishing narrative. The Ascent is a harsh masterpiece, shot in stark black-and-white, highlighting its tale of hope and despair.
Based on the novella Sotnikov by Basil Bykaû, the film follows two Soviet partisans, Sotnikov (Boris Plotnikov) and Rybak (Vladimir Gostyukhin), who are out in the cold and in search of supplies. They come into conflict with German soldiers and are eventually taken captive, where they are subjected to torture. The journey of the two men is rife with religious allegory, and the film is filled with imagery that conjures images of biblical origin. It’s a story of martyrdom and betrayal, of Jesus and Judas, told through the violence and moral nihilism of war. Even for the agnostic or atheistic, there is plenty of beauty to behold in Shepitko’s powerful imagery and the challenging narrative that sustains it. The Ascent is a war drama that should not be forgotten, and those who watch it likely never will.
‘Blue Collar’ (1978)
Blue Collar was the directorial debut of Paul Schrader, which he was able to do partially based on the success of his breakthrough script for the Martin Scorsese crime classic Taxi Driver. It’s a working-class heist film featuring three incredible lead performances from Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto and a rare dramatic turn by Richard Pryor. It’s a gritty depiction of union corruption as well as blue-collar communities such as those in the Rust Belt, where the film takes place and was shot. Despite its critical acclaim, it has been continually underestimated, much like its characters, and has generally fallen by the wayside, the same as several other directorial efforts by Schrader, such as Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and The Card Counter.
In Detroit, three autoworkers, Zeke (Pryor), Smokey (Kotto) and Jerry (Keitel) have finally had enough of getting a raw deal at the hands of their work and union bosses. They stage a robbery at the union headquarters, which produces more than just cash as they find a ledger detailing the union’s dirty dealings with organized crime. The resulting fallout from the robbery creates even greater fissures between the men that threaten to swallow them up as they face the full retribution from the union powers. Blue Collar is as incendiary and indignant as anything Schrader has written or directed, and the power of its three leads makes it a potent crime drama. Even though its union corruption storyline is inexorably tied to the time and place in which it is set, the themes of oppressed workers fighting against the oppression of the rich and powerful will never be irrelevant or fail to inspire fury.
‘City of Hope’ (1991)
A number of films written and directed by John Sayles have focused on working-class and lower-income communities, such as his acclaimed coal miner drama Matewan, or the political thriller Men with Guns. Much of the filmmaker’s work has flown under the radar, but none quite as low as his richly textured drama set at the intersection of crime, politics and race relations, City of Hope. Set in a fictional city in New Jersey, the sprawling film follows an ensemble cast of characters as they collide over personal and political ambitions, all while crime and corruption tear their city down around them. The film was largely unavailable on streaming or any physical media until only a couple of years ago, which upgraded its completely forgotten status to only half forgotten. It’s another masterpiece by Sayles that deserves far more attention than it’s been given.
At the center of the film’s narrative is Nick (Vincent Spano), a small-time criminal and drug addict whose father is a property developer in conflict with the mayor over a decaying apartment building. Nick’s habits and criminal tendencies get him into hot water with the police, while Alderman Wynn (Joe Morton) has to contend with the political ramifications of an altercation between two Black boys and a professor. These plot threads become increasingly intertwined in Sayle’s portrait of an American inner city and the tangled webs of crime and corruption that wrap around them. City of Hope is one of the director’s best films and, now that it’s more widely available to watch, should be sought out by any viewer who appreciates morally complex dramas.
‘Get on the Bus’ (1996)
Spike Lee is one of the most original and powerful voices in American cinema, having gifted audiences everything from masterpieces like Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X to the 21st-century heist thriller Inside Man to underrated cult films like 25th Hour and Bamboozled. His filmography speaks for itself, but if there’s one film within it that has been completely forgotten, it’s his ’90s drama Get on the Bus. Released in a relative down period in Lee’s career, between Girl 6 and He Got Game, this road movie was given strong support by some major critics but made zero impact during awards season and has otherwise completely receded from public consciousness. It’s as keenly observed and sharply written as Lee’s best films, and the cast simply could not be any better.
Following a large group of Black men on a bus ride from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. for the Million Man March, the film is both a character study of the disparate experiences of black men in America as well as a travel narrative on the state of race relations in the country. Each man on the bus comes with his own lived experiences and prejudices, and despite their shared race and goal on the trip, tension inevitably forms and conflict erupts between them. Additionally, the men discover the alliances and prejudices that exist throughout America as they meet those who wish them well and ill in equal turn. With a cast including Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton, Andre Braugher, and Bernie Mac, every single performer brings their A game to Lee’s beautifully felt and rendered drama that encapsulates a cultural moment in American history that should not be forgotten.
‘Margaret’ (2011)
Between directing the hidden gem You Can Count on Me and the Oscar-winning Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan made the dramatically devastating Margaret. The film wasn’t so much forgotten as it was lost, at least in its original form, for many years. Filmed in 2005, the movie was subject to a lengthy post-production during which Lonergan clashed with Searchlight Studios over the film’s length, which resulted in several lawsuits and even filmmaker Martin Scorsese stepping in to help mediate. A shortened version of the film was eventually released in 2011, but the essential version of the film is the extended director’s cut, which has been made widely available on streaming. It’s Lonergan’s masterpiece of trauma, grief and guilt amid the chaos of a modern American city.
Lisa (Anna Paquin) is a teenager in New York City who inadvertently becomes involved in an accident that causes the death of a woman. From that fateful moment, young Lisa’s life becomes ever more complicated by her interpersonal relationships with family and friends, as well as her involvement in the wrongful death lawsuit of the woman. Margaret is a panoramic viewing experience, capturing the masses of a post-9/11 New York City with vibrancy. While the film’s epic runtime may be a test of emotional endurance, it finds such mournful beauty in its specific depiction of a loss of innocence that makes it a rewarding narrative journey.
‘Leave No Trace’ (2018)
As director Debra Granik‘s heartwrenching follow-up to her Oscar-nominated breakthrough Winter’s Bone, Leave No Trace is just as unvarnished in its approach and even more emotionally impactful in its storytelling. Based on the novel My Abandonment by Peter Rock, which itself was inspired by a true story, the film is a touching father-daughter tale and an empathetic look at post-traumatic stress disorder. At every turn where viewers might expect something more thrilling or sensational, it instead gives them something quietly tragic and undeniably affecting. It’s all thanks to Granik’s sensitive approach to the material, and the note-perfect performances by Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie.
Father Will (Foster) and his teen daughter Tom (McKenzie) live off-the-grid in the wilderness of Oregon, where veteran Will is able to peacefully cope with his unresolved trauma. This existence is threatened by authorities concerned about Tom’s well-being and her need for a community. There are many different avenues a premise like this could turn down, and the potential to become very didactic in its narrative, but it refuses to draw any moral lines and instead treats its characters with grace and consideration. Leave No Trace is undoubtedly one of the greatest films of the last ten years. While its soft and gentle nature may not have won it any awards or allowed it any room amid many louder or more exciting films, it should be remembered and kept among the classics.