History backdrop

History movies

Period pieces that transport you back in time, recreating the events and figures that shaped our past.

Subgenres include: Historical Event, Biographical History, Political History.

My Best Friend Anne Frank

1. My Best Friend Anne Frank

History War Drama Biographical History Historical Drama
6.3
20211h 43min

Overview

Based on the real-life friendship between Anne Frank and Hannah Goslar, from Nazi-occupied Amsterdam to their harrowing reunion in a concentration camp.

Themes

Survival under occupation, Loss and separation, Fragile friendship under pressure, Children in wartime, Displacement and endurance, Hope amid upheaval

Available on

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

Hinterland

2. Hinterland

Thriller Drama History
6.2
20211h 38min

Overview

Vienna, 1920. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has collapsed. Peter Perg returns home from the Great War, after years of captivity. But the Vienna he comes home to is nothing like the place he once knew. The new Austrian Republic thrives on social and artistic freedom, but anti-democratic movements and unemployment loom overhead. A stranger in his hometown, his life takes a turn for the worse when one of his former comrades is murdered. Suddenly the mysterious killings of veterans are mounting. Personally connected to the victims, Perg decides to bring the killer to justice. He finds an ally in the cool-headed forensic doctor Theresa Körner, with whom he has a deeper, shared history. Their investigation leads them into the darkest corners of the city, as they confront a brutal and systematic killer and intrigues from within the police force. But when the killer’s net closes around Perg himself, he faces the moral dilemma of his life.


Leave No Traces

3. Leave No Traces

Drama History Thriller
7.1
20212h 40min

Overview

In 1983, communist Poland is shaken by the case of high school student Grzegorz Przemyk, who is beaten to death by police. The only witness of the beating becomes the number one enemy of the state.


The Eyes of Tammy Faye

4. The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
6.6
20212h 6min

Overview

From the 1960s to the 1980s, evangelist Jim Baker and his ambitious wife, Tammy Faye, rose from humble beginnings to build an empire based on big-time evangelical Christianity--only for the couple to fall from grace because of some all-too-human sins.

Themes

Public scrutiny and accountability, Power struggles within institutions, Wealth and faith merging, Addiction and vulnerability, Relationships under fame, Media influence and religious branding

Available on

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

Margrete: Queen of the North

5. Margrete: Queen of the North

History Drama
6.6
20212h

Overview

1402. Queen Margrete I has gathered the Nordic kingdoms in a union, ruled through her adopted son, Erik. But a conspiracy is in the making and Margrete finds herself in an impossible dilemma that could shatter her life's work: The Kalmar Union.


Farha

6. Farha

Drama History War
8.0
20211h 32min

Overview

Palestine, 1948. After the withdrawal of the British occupiers, tensions rise between Arabs and Jews. Meanwhile, Farha, the smart daughter of the mayor of a small village, unaware of the coming tragedy, dreams of going to study in the big city.


The Mad Women's Ball

7. The Mad Women's Ball

Thriller Drama History
6.7
20212h 2min

Overview

A woman who is unfairly institutionalized at a Paris asylum plots to escape with the help of one of its nurses. Based on the novel 'Le bal des folles' by Victoria Mas.


The War Below

8. The War Below

War Drama History
6.5
20211h 37min

Overview

During World War I, a group of British miners are recruited to tunnel underneath no man's land and set bombs from below the German front in hopes of breaking the deadly stalemate of the Battle of Messines.


Delicious

9. Delicious

History Comedy Drama Satire Entertainment Industry Drama
7.0
20211h 52min

Overview

France, 1789 - just before the Revolution. When talented chef Manceron is dismissed from his prestigious position by the Duke of Chamfort, he loses the taste for cooking. But when he meets the mysterious Louise, together they decide to create the very first restaurant in France.

Themes

Class inequality, Betrayal and deception, Community over privilege, Dining as protest, Innovation against tradition

Available on

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

The Champion

10. The Champion

Drama History War
6.7
20211h 31min

Overview

It is 1940. The first transport of prisoners arrives at the newly created concentration camp Auschwitz. One of them is Tadeusz “Teddy” Pietrzykowski, pre-war boxing champion of Warsaw. The camp officers force him to fight in the ring for his and other prisoners’ lives. However, his every win strengthens the hope that Nazis are not invincible. Auschwitz officers notice the growing resistance. The confrontation with the authorities of the camp becomes inevitable.