The best drama films, according to hackers
8 drama films were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended drama film with the badge. Each figure is 2 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Exceptional, favorite, memorable film
People praise its absorbing, easy-to-rewatch story of injustice; critics find it schmaltzy, manipulative and clichéd.
All 8 drama films, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shawshank Redemption | 18 | 8 | 69% | 5 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Good Will Hunting | 10 | 5 | 67% | 3 | — | — |
| 3 | Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky | 9 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | — |
| 4 | The Lives of Others | 8 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | Margin Call | 7 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | Fight Club (1999 film) | 7 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| 7 | Apocalypse Now | 6 | 2 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
| 8 | Barry Lyndon | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same drama film in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to drama films that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.