"Baumbach achieves the impossible: a screaming match that is both devastating and hilarious. The 'marriage fight' scene—where Charlie tells Nicole he wishes she were dead—is the most accurate depiction of how love curdles into contempt. Johansson’s monologue about falling out of love and Driver’s rendition of 'Being Alive' are career peaks. Bring tissues, but also bring a lawyer." — Variety User Review (Average Viewer): "This was too real. My parents divorced when I was twelve. The scene where the court-appointed evaluator visits the apartment gave me PTSD. Brilliant, but I can never watch it again." 4. The Father (2020) Genre: Psychological Drama Director: Florian Zeller Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman

The impoverished Kim family schemes their way into the employment of the wealthy Park family by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals. But as their lies mount, a violent, class-driven clash erupts in a modernist house with a hidden basement.

This film reignited the public conversation about divorce. Unlike melodramas where one spouse is evil, Marriage Story shows two good people hurting each other because the legal system incentivizes cruelty.

"A horror film for the rational mind. Zeller adapts his own play with cinematic flair, using continuity 'errors' to mirror neural decay. Hopkins delivers the performance of a lifetime—by turns charming, terrified, and childishly cruel. When he breaks down in the final scene, whimpering for his mother, you are not watching acting; you are watching a man disappear." — IndieWire (A-) User Review (Average Viewer): "I called my dad immediately after. This film explains why my grandfather looked scared of the wallpaper. It is not sad; it is existentially terrifying. Hopkins deserves every award." 5. CODA (2021) Genre: Coming-of-Age Drama Director: Sian Heder Starring: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin

A quiet banker, Andy Dufresne, is wrongly sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary. Over two decades, he navigates brutality, corruption, and friendship with a fellow inmate named Red, all while maintaining a sliver of hope.

Ruby is the only hearing member of a deaf family (CODA stands for Child of Deaf Adults). She wants to pursue singing at Berklee College of Music, but her family relies on her to run the fishing boat and translate for the world.

Parasite is the first non-English film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It popularized the idea that a drama could be tense, funny, sad, and terrifying within the same scene.