War backdrop

War movies

Gritty and poignant depictions of conflict, focusing on the bravery, tragedy, and humanity found on the battlefield.

Subgenres include: Age of Sail & Early Modern Warfare, 19th Century Wars, World War I.

Beasts of No Nation

1. Beasts of No Nation

Drama War Coming-of-Age Drama Modern Conflicts
7.7
20152h 17min

Overview

Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination.

Themes

Loyalty under threat, Childhood under siege, Survival through violence, Dehumanization in war, Militia recruitment and coercion, Trauma and withdrawal

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A War

2. A War

Drama War Modern Conflicts Tragic Drama
7.0
20151h 55min

Overview

Company commander Claus Michael Pedersen and his men are stationed in Helmand, Afghanistan. Meanwhile back in Denmark, with a husband at war and three children missing their father, everyday life is a struggle for Claus' wife Maria. During a routine mission, the soldiers are caught in heavy Taliban crossfire. In order to save his men, Claus makes a decision that ultimately sees him return to Denmark accused of a war crime.

Themes

Work-life tension, Family resilience, Temptation and integrity, Religious coping, Moral accountability

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Eye in the Sky

3. Eye in the Sky

Drama Thriller War Political Thriller Modern Conflicts
7.3
20151h 42min

Overview

A UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates from “capture” to “kill.” As American pilot Steve Watts is about to engage, a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone, triggering an international dispute reaching the highest levels of US and British government over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.

Themes

Political decision making under pressure, Civilian risk and collateral damage, Moral implications of warfare, Due diligence and proportionality, Command hierarchy and accountability, Legal counsel influence

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A Perfect Day

4. A Perfect Day

Comedy Drama War Satire Political Drama
6.8
20151h 46min

Overview

Somewhere in the Balkans, 1995. A team of aid workers must solve an apparently simple problem in an almost completely pacified territory that has been devastated by a cruel war, but some of the local inhabitants, the retreating combatants, the UN forces, many cows and an absurd bureaucracy will not cease to put obstacles in their way.

Themes

Aid work under pressure, Bureaucracy obstructing relief, Interpersonal tensions in teams, Local agency vs external aid, Risk management in conflict zones, Coordination challenges in crises

Available on

Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Son of Saul

5. Son of Saul

War Drama Thriller World War II Historical Drama
7.4
20151h 47min

Overview

In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival trying to save from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son, seeking to give him a proper Jewish burial.

Themes

Disguise and deception, Resistance under oppression, Survival under atrocity, Duty vs kin, Rituals under duress, Sonderkommando role

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Little Boy

6. Little Boy

Comedy Drama War Family Drama World War II
7.3
20151h 46min

Overview

An eight-year-old boy is willing to do whatever it takes to end World War II so he can bring his father home. The story reveals the indescribable love a father has for his little boy and the love a son has for his father.

Themes

Mentorship and growth, Memory and loss, War era family pressures, Faith under trial, Resilience through absence, Prejudice to empathy

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Good Kill

7. Good Kill

Drama Thriller War Mind Game Thriller Modern Conflicts
6.4
20151h 44min

Overview

In the shadowy world of drone warfare, combat unfolds like a video game–only with real lives at stake. After six tours of duty, Air Force pilot Tom Egan now fights the Taliban from an air-conditioned bunker in the Nevada desert. But as he yearns to get back in the cockpit of a real plane and becomes increasingly troubled by the collateral damage he causes each time he pushes a button, Egan’s nerves—and his relationship with his wife—begin to unravel.

Themes

Institutional pressure, Collateral damage tension, Remote warfare ethics, Work life spillover, Stress and coping, Disobedience under orders

Available on

fuboTV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Naked Among Wolves

8. Naked Among Wolves

History Drama War
7.2
20151h 45min

Overview

Taking place at the Concentration camp Buchenwald at the end of March 1945, prisoner Hans Pippig discovers in a carrying case of an incoming prisoner a Jewish child. If reported the three-year-old is sure to die. On the other hand, a violation of the rules of the camp would threaten the long prepared uprising of the concentration camp prisoners against the SS.


Suite Française

9. Suite Française

Drama Romance War Historical Drama Passionate Romance
7.0
20151h 43min

Overview

France, 1940. In the first days of occupation, beautiful Lucile Angellier is trapped in a stifled existence with her controlling mother-in-law as they both await news of her husband: a prisoner of war. Parisian refugees start to pour into their small town, soon followed by a regiment of German soldiers who take up residence in the villagers' own homes. Lucile initially tries to ignore Bruno von Falk, the handsome and refined German officer staying with them. But soon, a powerful love draws them together and leads them into the tragedy of war.

Themes

Loyalty versus survival, Forbidden love under occupation, Occupation and romance, Power dynamics under war, Resistance and collaboration, Family duty under occupation

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Testament of Youth

10. Testament of Youth

History Drama War Biographical History Tragic Drama
7.2
20152h 9min

Overview

Testament of Youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a woman’s point of view. A searing journey from youthful hopes and dreams to the edge of despair and back again, it’s a film about young love, the futility of war and how to make sense of the darkest times.

Themes

War fuels pacifism, Trauma fosters resilience, Loss fuels memory, Education preserves agency, Care nurtures compassion, Gendered wartime roles

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.