History movies

Vibe

Steady Stylish Intense Measured High-pressure

Overview

Several years after leaving the orphanage, to which her father never returned for her, Gabrielle Chanel finds herself working in a provincial bar. She's both a seamstress for the performers and a singer, earning the nickname Coco from the song she sings nightly with her sister. A liaison with Baron Balsan gives her an entree into French society and a chance to develop her gift for designing.

Themes

Class inequality, Women independence, Fashion as rebellion, Social status pressure, Self determination, Entrepreneurial ambition

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.

Vibe

Realistic Tense Dry Restrained Clinical

Overview

Taking over Leeds United, Brian Clough's abrasive approach and his clear dislike of the players' dirty style of play make it certain there is going to be friction. Glimpses of his earlier career help explain both his hostility to previous manager Don Revie and how much he is missing right-hand man Peter Taylor.

Themes

Abrasive management style, 1970s leadership clash, Cup competition pressure, Squad rebuilding under pressure, Board risk management, Sports controversy impact

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

The story of Giancarlo Siani, a journalist killed by the Neapolitan Mafia in 1985.

Vibe

Intimate Bleak Restrained Deliberate Measured

Overview

As the only legitimate heir of England's King William, teenage Victoria gets caught up in the political machinations of her own family. Victoria's mother wants her to sign a regency order, while her Belgian uncle schemes to arrange a marriage between the future monarch and Prince Albert, the man who will become the love of her life.

Themes

Family political bargaining, Marital alliance strategy, Succession under pressure, Autonomy vs influence, Public scrutiny and reform, Institutional independence

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Claustrophobic Bleak Restrained Deliberate

Overview

Bobby Griffith was his mother's favorite son, the perfect all-American boy growing up under deeply religious influences in Walnut Creek, California. Bobby was also gay. Struggling with a conflict no one knew of, much less understood, Bobby finally came out to his family.

Themes

Grief and coping, Coming out under pressure, Religious intolerance, Parental influence on sexuality, Advocacy after loss, Homophobia in faith communities

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Tense Raw Claustrophobic Atmospheric

Overview

"Notorious" is the story of Christopher Wallace. Through raw talent and sheer determination, Wallace transforms himself from Brooklyn street hustler (once selling crack to pregnant women) to one of the greatest rappers of all time: The Notorious B.I.G. Follow his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectations - redefining our notion of "The American Dream."

Themes

Class ascent under pressure, Industry promises vs reality, Street credibility vs fame, Family and loyalty, Rivalry and violence, Media pressure on artists

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Tense Steady Brutal Bleak

Overview

Based on a true story, during World War II, four Jewish brothers escape their Nazi-occupied homeland of West Belarus in Poland and join the Soviet partisans to combat the Nazis. The brothers begin the rescue of roughly 1,200 Jews still trapped in the ghettos of Poland.

Themes

Leadership under pressure, Collective resilience under oppression, Intergroup tension and unity, Mutual aid and endurance, Antisemitism confrontation within ranks, Protecting refugees and supplies

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Tense Claustrophobic Bleak Dry

Overview

Max Manus is a Norwegian 2008 biographic war film based on the real events of the life of resistance fighter Max Manus (1914–96), after his contribution in the Winter War against the Soviet Union. The story follows Manus through the outbreak of World War II in Norway until peacetime in 1945.

Themes

Resistance under occupation, Deception and propaganda, Clandestine networks, Survival guilt, Collective sacrifice, Idealism vs pragmatism, Moral ambiguity under war

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Tense Deliberate Fast-paced Intense

Overview

The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

Themes

Racial integration in music, Ambition and exploitation, Gatekeeping in music, Business vs artistry, Opportunity and risk, Urban race relations

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.