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Welcome to StudioBinder’s screenplay library, your ultimate destination for the most compelling and thought-provoking free drama movie scripts. Immerse yourself in a world of raw emotions, powerful performances, and deeply human stories. Our handpicked collection showcases the best of dramatic storytelling, delving into the complexities of life, relationships, and personal journeys. Prepare to be moved and captivated as you delve into the depths of cinematic drama. Enjoy!

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Written By: John Ridley (screenplay), based on the book by Solomon Northup 

Synopsis: In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

crime, drama

12 Angry Men

Written By: Reginald Rose 

Synopsis: A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence.

Written By: Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (screenplay), based on the book by Aron Ralston 

Synopsis: A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

“2001: A Space Odyssey” Opening Scene  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Stanley Kubrick & Arthur C. Clarke 

Synopsis: After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, mankind sets off on a quest to find its origins with help from intelligent supercomputer H.A.L. 9000.

drama, musical

8 Mile

Written By: Scott Silver 

Synopsis: A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.

drama, comedy

Adaptation

How Charlie Kaufman Twist Real Life  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Charlie Kaufman (screenplay), based on the book by Susan Orlean 

Synopsis: A lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.

comedy, drama

Almost Famous

Written By: Cameron Crowe 

Synopsis: A high-school boy is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone Magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.

Written By: Alan Ball

Synopsis: A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.

drama, crime

American History X

Written By: David McKenna 

Synopsis: A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.

comedy, crime, drama, tv

Barry (Pilot)

Written By: Alec Berg & Bill Hader 

Synopsis: A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.

Written By: Charlie Kaufman 

Synopsis: A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.

drama, fantasy

Big Fish

Written By: John August (screenplay), based on the novel by Daniel Wallace 

Synopsis: A frustrated son tries to determine the fact from fiction in his dying father's life.

crime, comedy, drama

The Big Short

Written By: Charles Randolph & Adam McKay (screenplay), based on the book by Michael Lewis 

Synopsis: In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the US mortgage market. In their research they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.

drama

Birdman

Written By: Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Nicolás Giacobone & Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo

Synopsis: A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.

drama, crime

BlacKkKlansman

Written By: Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz & Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee (screenplay), based on the book by Ron Stallworth

Synopsis: Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, CO, successfully manages to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan branch with the help of a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.

How to Write a TV Show Pilot Script That Sells  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Vince Gilligan and Sam Catlin & Moira Walley-Beckett 

SynopsisDiagnosed with terminal lung cancer, chemistry teacher Walter White teams up with former student Jesse Pinkman to cook and sell crystal meth.



Written By: Vince Gilligan and Sam Catlin & Moira Walley-Beckett

Synopsis: There is a fly loose in the lab. Walt and Jesse must do whatever they can to kill it before it contaminates the meth.

romance, drama

Call Me By Your Name

Written By: James Ivory (screenplay), based on the novel by André Aciman 

Synopsis: In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father's research assistant.

Written By:  Jeff Nathanson (screenplay), based on the book by Frank Abagnale Jr & Stan Redding

Synopsis: Barely 21 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl, becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.

Written By: William Broyles Jr.

Synopsis: A FedEx executive undergoes a physical and emotional transformation after crash landing on a deserted island.

Written By: Herman J. Mankiewicz & Orson Welles 

Synopsis: Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance; 'Rosebud'.

Written By: Craig Mazin 

Synopsis: In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics becomes one of the world's worst man-made catastrophes.

Written By: Robert Towne 

Synopsis: A private detective hired to expose an adulterer finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.

drama, crime

A Clockwork Orange

Written By: Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), based on the novel by Anthony Burgess

Synopsis: In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.

Written By: Charlie Kaufman (screenplay), based on the novel by Chuck Barris

Synopsis: An adaptation of the cult memoir of game show impresario Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell), in which he purports to have been a C.I.A. hitman.

drama

Creed

Written By: Ryan Coogler & Aaron Covington 

Synopsis: The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Written By: Juel Taylor & Sylvester Stallone 

Synopsis: Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.

crime, drama

The Departed

Written By: William Monahan 

Synopsis: An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.

crime, drama

Dog Day Afternoon

Written By: Frank Pierson 

Synopsis: Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.

drama

Doubt

Written By: John Patrick Shanley 

Synopsis: A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.

Euphoria Cinematography Breakdown  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Sam Levinson (teleplay), based on the Israeli Series from HOT that was created by Ron Leshem & Daphna Levin

Synopsis: A look at life for a group of high school students as they grapple with issues of drugs, sex, and violence.



drama, comedy

The Favourite

Written By: Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara 

Synopsis: In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend, Lady Sarah, governs the country in her stead. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.

drama, comedy

The Farewell

Written By: Lulu Wang 

Synopsis: A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.

drama

Fences

Written By: August Wilson 

Synopsis: A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.

thriller, drama

Fight Club

Written By: Jim Uhls (screenplay), based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk

Synopsis: An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soapmaker form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more.

Written By: Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and
Jason Keller 

Synopsis: American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

Written By: Eric Roth (screenplay), based on the novel by Winston Groom 

Synopsis: The presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal and other historical events unfold from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, whose only desire is to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.

Written By: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss (screenplay), based on the book by George Martin

Synopsis: Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.

crime, drama

The Godfather

The Godfather Tragic Ending Analysis  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola 

Synopsis: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

CRIME, DRAMA

Goodfellas

Written By: Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese 

Synopsis: The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob, covering his relationship with his wife Karen Hill and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito in the Italian-American crime syndicate.

Written By: Matt Damon & Ben Affleck 

Synopsis: Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.

romance, comedy, drama

The Graduate

The Graduate Ending Explained  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Calder Willingham & Buck Henry 

Synopsis: A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.

drama, fantasy

The Green Mile

Written By: Frank Darabont (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King

Synopsis: The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.

horror, drama

Hereditary

Written By: Ari Aster 

Synopsis: A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

comedy, drama

Human Nature

Written By: Charlie Kaufman 

Synopsis: A woman is in love with a man in love with another woman, and all three have designs on a young man raised as an ape.

crime, Drama

The Irishman

How Scorsese Opens an Epic  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Steven Zaillian (screenplay), based on the book by Charles Brandt (book by)

Synopsis: An aging hitman recalls his time with the mob and the intersecting events with his friend, Jimmy Hoffa, through the 1950-70s.

Written By: Steven Rogers 

Synopsis: Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

Written By: Eric Roth & Michael Mann 

Synopsis: A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.

thriller, drama

Insomnia

Written By: Hillary Seitz (screenplay), based on the 1997 screenplay by Nikolaj Frobenius & Erik Skjoldbjærg

Synopsis: Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

sci-fi, action, drama

Interstellar

Interstellar Script Explained  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan

Synopsis: A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.

drama, war

Jojo Rabbit

How to Direct a Gut-Punch  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Taika Waititi (screenplay), based on the novel by Christine Leunens

Synopsis: A young boy in Hitler's army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

thriller, drama

Joker

Joker Murray Scene Breakdown  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Todd Phillips & Scott Silver 

Synopsis: In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: the Joker.

romance, comedy, drama

The Lobster

The DARK Humor of Yorgos Lanthimos  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthymis Filippou

Synopsis: In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.

drama

Lion

Written By: Luke Davies (screenplay), based on the novel by Saroo Brierley

Synopsis: A five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple after getting lost hundreds of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

drama, horror

The Lighthouse

Written By: Robert Eggers & Max Eggers 

Synopsis: Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity whilst living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Written By: Michael Arndt

Synopsis: A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.

romance, drama

Little Women

Written By: Greta Gerwig (screenplay), based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott

Synopsis: Jo March reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the March sisters - four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.

romance, drama

Lost in Translation

Written By: Sofia Coppola 

Synopsis: A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.

Written By: Todd Louiso and Jacob Koskoff & Michael Lesslie (screenplay), based on the play by William Shakespeare 

Synopsis: Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

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Written By: Matthew Weiner

Synopsis: A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.

Written By: Kenneth Lonergan 

Synopsis: A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.

drama, romance

Marriage Story

Written By: Noah Baumbach 

Synopsis: Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

drama

Minari

Written By: Lee Isaac Chung 

Synopsis: A Korean family starts a farm in 1980s Arkansas.

Written By: Barry Jenkins & Tarell Alvin McCraney

Synopsis: A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

drama, comedy

Network

Written By: Paddy Chayefsky 

Synopsis: A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit.

drama, comedy

Nebraska

Written By: Bob Nelson 

Synopsis: An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.

Why Anton Chigurh is the Perfect Antagonist  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (screenplay), based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy

Synopsis: Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.

drama, romance

On the Waterfront

Written By: Budd Schulberg 

Synopsis: An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

thriller, drama

Parasite

3 Act Story Structure with Save the Cat's Beat Sheet  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Bong Joon Ho & Jin Won Han 

Synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.

Written By: Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope (screenplay), based on the book by Martin Sixsmith 

Synopsis: A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.

Written By: Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan (screenplay), based on the novel by Christopher Priest 

Synopsis: After a tragic accident, two stage magicians engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.

crime, drama

Pulp Fiction

A Masterclass in Tarantino Directing Subtext and Tension  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary 

Synopsis: The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Written By: Ronald Bass & Barry Morrow (screenplay), based on the story by Barry Morrow

Synopsis: Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.

Written By: Scott Z. Burns 

Synopsis: Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.

crime, drama

Reservoir Dogs

Written By: Quentin Tarantino 

Synopsis: When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

drama, crime

Road To Perdition

How Sam Mendes Tells a Complete Story in ONE Shot  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: David Self (screenplay), based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins & Richard Piers Rayner

Synopsis: A mob enforcer's son witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.

musical, drama

Rocketman

Written By: Lee Hall 

Synopsis: A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.

drama

Rocky

Written By: Sylvester Stallone

Synopsis: A small-time boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavy-weight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

comedy, romance, drama

The Room

Written By: Tommy Wiseau 

Synopsis: Johnny is a successful bank executive who lives quietly in a San Francisco townhouse with his future wife, Lisa. One day, putting aside any scruple, she seduces Johnny's best friend, Mark. From there, nothing will be the same again.

Written By: Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson 

Synopsis: The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.

Crime, drama

Scarface

Written By: Oliver Stone 

Synopsis: In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

Written By: Frank Darabont (screenplay), based on the short story "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

Synopsis: Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.

drama, tv, crime

The Sopranos (Pilot)

Written By: David Chase 

Synopsis: New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.

romance, drama

The Spectacular Now

Written By: Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (screenplay), based on the novel by Tim Tharp

Synopsis: A hard-partying high school senior's philosophy on life changes when he meets the not-so-typical "nice girl."

action, drama

Stand By Me

Written By: Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans (screenplay), based on the novel by Stephen King 

Synopsis: After the death of one of his friends, a writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.

Written By: Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff & S. Leigh Savidge &
Alan Wenkus & Andrea Berloff

Synopsis: The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.

drama, tv, sci-fi

Stranger Things (Pilot)

Stranger Things Cinematography Breakdown  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Matt Duffer & Ross Duffer 

Synopsis: When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief and his friends must confront terrifying supernatural forces in order to get him back.

noir, drama

Sunset Boulevard

Written By: Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder & D.M. Marshman Jr.

Synopsis: A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.

Written By: Charlie Kaufman

Synopsis: A theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

drama, crime

Taxi Driver

How Scorsese Directed De Niro in the Iconic Taxi Driver Scene  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Paul Schrader 

Synopsis: A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action by attempting to liberate a presidential campaign worker and an underage prostitute.

drama, romance

Titanic

How James Cameron Directed the Titanic Sinking Scene  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: James Cameron 

Synopsis: A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

How PT Anderson Directs Dominance and Disgrace  •  Subscribe on YouTube

Written By: Paul Thomas Anderson (screenplay), based on the novel by Upton Sinclair

Synopsis: A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.

Written By: Martin McDonagh

Synopsis: A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

western, drama

True Grit

Written By: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen (screenplay), based on the novel by Charles Portis

Synopsis: A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.

drama, sci-fi

The Truman Show

Written By: Andrew Niccol 

Synopsis: An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.

drama, comedy

The Two Popes

Written By: Anthony McCarten 

Synopsis: Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.

comedy, drama

Up in the Air

Written By: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner (screenplay), based on the novel by Walter Kirn

Synopsis: Ryan Bingham enjoys living out of a suitcase for his job, travelling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by the presence of a potential love interest, and a new hire.

Written By: Damien Chazelle

Synopsis: A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.

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