30 Thought-Provoking Dramas Exploring Diverse Human Journeys in 2009

The Maid

2009 • 97 min

Drama, Comedy

Raquel has worked as the live-in housekeeper for a comfortable family for years, but the monotonous routine is wearing her down. Increasingly reliant on painkillers, she begins playing pranks and avoiding work to provoke the family's college-aged daughter and new…

6.7

7.3

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+15

The Vintner's Luck

2009 • 121 min

Fantasy, Drama, Romance

Set in 19th century France, this fantasy romance follows Sobran, a young peasant winemaker. His life is significantly impacted by three women: his wife Celeste, Baroness Aurora de Valday, and Xas, an angel.

4.6

5.6

17+

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Before You Say 'I Do'

2009 • 87 min

Comedy, Romance, Drama

After accepting George Murray's proposal, Jane Gardner becomes increasingly uneasy, haunted by a terrifying vision of her wedding to Doug – a wedding that occurred just that day and involved his infidelity with the wedding coordinator. Following a car accident,…

5.6

6.0

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The Eclipse

2009 • 88 min • Budget $3M

Drama, Horror

Michael, a widower, struggles to care for his two children while grieving his wife's death and haunted by frightening visions. Volunteering at a literary festival, he connects with Lena, a compassionate author of supernatural stories, who offers to help him…

6.0

6.1

17+

Stream on

Kurbaan

2009 • 161 min • Budget $7M • Box office $6M

Crime, Drama, Romance

A young Indian couple, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, relocate to the suburbs hoping for a better life in America. Their pursuit of the American dream takes a dangerous turn when they unexpectedly find themselves caught in a terrorist…

4.8

5.7

3some

2009 • 94 min • Box office $146K

Romance, Drama

Jaime tries to help his friend Marcos with his impotence by arranging a date with their mutual friend Josita. The date doesn't go as planned, so Jaime steps in to assist. What begins as a casual encounter between the three…

6.0

5.6

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The String

2009 • 93 min

Romance, Drama

After years in France, Malik returns to Tunisia grappling with grief over his father, a secret he can't share with his mother, and lingering childhood fears. His worries begin to ease when he develops feelings for Bilal, the quiet houseboy…

6.7

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Stricken

2009 • 105 min • Budget $4M

Drama

Stijn, a handsome advertising star, works with his friend Frenk and a womanizer. They decide to start their own agency. Stijn marries Carmen, a colleague who tolerates his constant one-night stands. They have a child and move to the countryside,…

5.9

6.8

New York

2009 • 153 min

Crime, Drama, Thriller

Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City, "New York" is a story about friendship. Omar, experiencing his first time abroad, discovers and embraces America through the perspectives of his American friends, Sam and Maya. The film follows these…

6.2

6.8

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The Temptation of Kimono

2009 • 85 min • Budget $10

Drama, Romance

Mikage is set to marry Youiti next year and plans to live with his parents. However, Youiti's father assaults Mikage, ripping her kimono and raping her. Adding to her shock, Mikage discovers that Youiti, the man she loves, is having…

5.5

4.8

Motherhood

2009 • 90 min • Budget $5M • Box office $726K

Comedy, Drama

A mother of two in Manhattan is busy planning her daughter’s sixth birthday party, unaware of the obstacles she will encounter in trying to make the celebration happen.

5.0

4.6

13+

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44 Inch Chest

2009 • 95 min

Drama, Crime

Devastated by his wife's affair, Colin's friends decide to take matters into their own hands. They kidnap the wife's lover, intending to give Colin a chance for revenge.

5.4

5.8

17+

Stream on

Amreeka

2009 • 96 min • Box office $2M

Drama

To build a brighter future for her son Fadi, divorced Muna Farah moves from Palestine to rural Illinois, arriving as America is grappling with the aftermath of the Iraq War. Muna and Fadi must now rebuild their lives, finding support…

6.7

7.0

13+

Father of My Children

2009 • 111 min

Drama

Grégoire Canvel enjoys a seemingly perfect life: a loving wife, three children, and a fulfilling career as a film producer. He dedicates himself to finding talented filmmakers and creating movies that are authentic and true to life. However, his respected…

6.7

6.8

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Dev.D

2009 • 144 min • Budget $1M • Box office $7M

Comedy, Drama, Romance

After a breakup with his childhood sweetheart, a privileged young man turns to drugs and alcohol for comfort.

7.0

7.9

Enter the Void

2010 • 161 min • Budget $13M • Box office $754K

Fantasy, Drama

A young American drug dealer and addict named Oscar lives in Tokyo with his prostitute sister, Linda. The film follows Oscar's spirit as it journeys through life after death. He relives memories of his parents before they died, witnesses his…

7.3

7.2

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El estudiante

2009 • 95 min • Box office $170K

Drama

A 70-year-old man retires to the picturesque town of Guanajuato, Mexico, where he pursues a long-held dream by enrolling in university. There, he connects with a younger generation, and they find common ground through the novel *Don Quijote de la…

7.7

7.1

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Undertow

2009 • 100 min

Drama, Romance

A married fisherman grapples with the conflict between his love for his husband and his feelings for another man, all within the constraints of his community's deeply held customs.

7.4

7.7

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Taking Woodstock

2009 • 120 min • Budget $30M • Box office $9M

Music, Comedy, Drama

Elliot Tiber and his family unintentionally became key to the success of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. When Elliot learns a nearby town revoked a permit for a hippie music festival, he contacts the festival producers hoping to boost…

6.2

6.7

17+

Stream on

Five Minutes of Heaven

2009 • 89 min • Box office $364K

Crime, Drama, Thriller

This is the story of Alistair Little, a former member of the Ulster Volunteer Force. Twenty-five years after Little killed Joe Griffin's brother, the media orchestrates a planned meeting between the two men.

6.1

6.5

17+

Stream on

Sorority Wars

2009 • 95 min

Comedy, Drama, Family

Katie, a college freshman, has been prepared her entire life to follow in her mother's footsteps and join the Deltas. However, when Katie chooses to audition for a different sorority, a full-scale rivalry between the houses erupts.

6.0

5.7

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The Greatest

2009 • 99 min • Budget $6M • Box office $987K

Drama

Rose and Bennett were deeply in love until a car accident tragically took Bennett's life. He leaves behind a grieving mother, father, and younger brother, leaving Rose feeling isolated. With no family to support her, Rose discovers she's pregnant and…

6.2

6.6

17+

Stream on

Harry Brown

2009 • 103 min • Budget $7M • Box office $10M

Thriller, Crime, Drama

A retired veteran and widower seeks retribution for his close friend's death, delivering his own brand of justice.

6.8

7.2

17+

Stream on

+10

The Soloist

2009 • 109 min • Budget $60M • Box office $38M

Drama, Music

In Los Angeles, a journalist searching for a story connects with a homeless musician who once studied at Juilliard.

6.7

13+

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The Young Victoria

2009 • 105 min • Budget $35M • Box office $29M

Drama, History, Romance

Teenage Victoria, the sole heir to the English throne, finds herself navigating complex family politics. Her mother pressures her to sign a document granting regency powers, while her Belgian uncle plots a marriage between Victoria and Prince Albert, a union…

7.2

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Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

2009 • 112 min

Science Fiction, Action, Drama

After a failed initial attack on the Twelve Colonies, the Cylons, specifically two Number Ones (Cavils) secretly aboard the ships Galactica and Caprica, must now find a way to eliminate the remaining human population.

6.8

7.0

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Death Note Relight 2: L's Successors

2009 • 100 min

TV Movie, Thriller, Animation

The next person to take on the role of L must analyze L's loss if he wants to succeed where L failed. At the SPK headquarters, he asks the Japanese task force to declare war on Light. This is a…

7.4

7.1

Desert Flower

2009 • 120 min • Box office $14M

Drama

This is the story of a Somali nomad who, at 13, was sold into marriage. Shortly after, she fled Africa and eventually became a successful American supermodel. Now 38, she works as the UN's leading spokeswoman against female genital mutilation.

7.6

7.3

17+

Stream on

Oscar and the Lady in Pink

2009 • 105 min • Box office $1M

Drama, Family

When 10-year-old Oscar overhears his doctor and parents, he learns he has only weeks to live. Upset, he isolates himself, speaking to no one but Rose, a vibrant woman in pink he meets at the hospital. As Christmas nears, Rose…

6.5

7.0

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Invictus

2009 • 134 min • Budget $60M • Box office $122M

Drama, History

Following apartheid's end, President Nelson Mandela recognizes deep racial and economic divisions within South Africa. Hoping to unite the country through sport, he inspires the nation's rugby team as they achieve a historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup…

7.2

7.3

13+

Stream on