Best drama from the 80s
The catalogue's drama films from 1980–1989, ranked by audience score. We bias against the cinephile-canonical picks (Letterboxd top-250) — if you've already seen the obvious entries, scroll past the first row.
Twin Peaks
paranoiddreadslow burn
Grave of the Fireflies
foreign gembittersweetgut punch
Cinema Paradiso
foreign gembittersweettender
Once Upon a Time in America
bittersweetepicslow burn
Dead Poets Society
bittersweettenderuplifting
Tomorrow's Joe The Movie
foreign gembittersweettender
Come and See
foreign gemdreadgut punch
Scarface
gut punchneon soakedpitch black
Full Metal Jacket
cerebraldreadparanoid
Paris, Texas
bittersweetslow burntender
Decalogue I
foreign gembittersweetcerebral
Anne of Green Gables
bittersweetcozytender
Das Boot
foreign gemdreadraw
Space Runaway Ideon: Be Invoked
foreign gemepicgut punch
The Elephant Man
bittersweetdreadtender
Amadeus
bittersweetcerebraltender
Ran
foreign gemgut punchslow burn
The Man Who Planted Trees
foreign gembittersweetcozy
Pink Floyd: The Wall
bittersweetgut punchsurreal
Heart of a Dog
foreign gembittersweetoutsider
Where Is The Friend's House?
foreign gemslow burnbittersweet
Raging Bull
body horrorgut punchparanoid
The Plague Dogs
gut punchoutsiderdread
Stand by Me
bittersweettender
His Motorbike, Her Island
foreign gembittersweettender
Kagemusha
foreign gemepicslow burn
Fanny and Alexander
foreign gembittersweetepic
Nostalgia
foreign gembittersweetcerebral
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
foreign gemneon soakedsurreal
The King of Comedy
outsiderpitch blackunhinged