Don't miss out: five legal dramas of recent years worth watching

Legal dramas keep you in suspense, flirt with expectations, and take the plot to places that were hard to imagine. It's perfect if you don't like horror movies and if as a child you imagined yourself as a detective, judge, lawyer, or even a lawbreaker.

OBOZ.UA has collected five legal films released in recent years that can be watched in Ukraine. It was not so easy. But our selection even includes a movie that won the main award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Anatomy of a Fall

dir. Justine Triet (2023)

Where to watch: in cinemas from December 14

Sandra (Sandra Güller - "The Zone of Interest") is a successful writer who has moved to her husband's hometown in the French Alps with their visually impaired son and guide dog. While people come to interview her and order new books, her husband mysteriously falls out of a window.

The French judicial system treats the German wife as the main suspect in the murder. The men in the courtroom analyze her professional life, her sex life, and her relationship with her late husband under a moral "microscope". And they even dive into Sandra's seemingly fictional literature.

This year, the film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the third film by a female director in the history of the festival to win the best film award.

Watch the trailer:

The Last Duel

dir. Ridley Scott (2021)

Where to watch: Megogo

Before Napoleon, Ridley Scott made two films in one year. Both were centered on justice. But The Last Duel is a much more interesting representation of history and its heroes and heroines than the sensational House of Gucci, both of which star Adam Driver (Paterson).

The events unfold during the second stage of the Hundred Years' War, during the so-called Caroline War of 1369-1389. While the knight Jean de Carrouge (Matt Damon - "The Martian") was on a campaign, his wife cheated on him with a former friend. At least that's what the rumors are. He needs to decide who is really right before the duel he has challenged his opponent to.

The movie is divided into three chapters. Each of them tells the same story from different perspectives: the man, his traitorous friend, and finally the woman (Jodie Comer - "Killing Eve"). And only the viewer can decide which side to take in the final duel.

Watch the trailer:

Judas and the Black Messiah

dir. Shaka King (2021)

where to watch: Youtube

Who hasn't heard of the Black Panthers case? Probably everyone has read or seen it at least once somewhere. This film tells the story of a left-wing radical African-American socialist organization that existed from the second half of the 60s to the early 70s of the 20th century.

Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya - "Nope") is the head of the party, which advocates for the rights of African Americans in America. Thanks to his oratorical skills, he manages to unite people, form alliances with rival gangs, conduct neighborhood patrols, and implement the Free Breakfast for Kids program. At the suggestion of the FBI, 17-year-old O'Neill (LaKeith Stanfield - "Knives Out") begins to get closer to Fred. He will bring Judas to the dock and put all the cards on the table.

Watch the trailer:

And Tomorrow the Entire World

dir. Julia von Heinz (2020)

Where to watch: Netflix

The German-French film tells the story of law student Louise (Mala Emde - "303"). After an almost luxurious life with her family, she joins the Antifa movement, which opposes fascism. The script was partly written from the director's personal experience, who was also a member of the association in her younger years and opposed right-wing movements in Germany.

The film contains a lot of violence and a way to counteract violence with violence. The further Louise goes in her political activities, the more dangerous everything around her becomes. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar from Germany.

Watch the trailer:

Pieces of a Woman

dir. Kornél Mundruczó (2020)

Where to watch: Netflix

A young woman loses her first child during a home birth. But who is to blame? Now she has to go through several circles of this purgatory: the hospital offers her to give the stillborn body for medical research, but the whole family is categorically against it. Everyone experiences the tragedy differently. But Martha (Vanessa Kirby - "Napoleon") decides not to give up and go to court.

For this role, three years before her role as Josephine in Napoleon, Vanessa Kirby won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award. Although directed by a man, the film is very sensitive to the theme of motherhood, loss and the strength of women in the face of extremely difficult situations.

Watch the trailer: