Historical Event backdrop

Historical Event movies

Stories centered on a specific real-world event or crisis, tracking cause, consequence, and human cost.

An Officer and a Spy

1. An Officer and a Spy

History Drama Thriller Historical Event Historical Drama
7.2
20192h 12min

Overview

In 1894, French Captain Alfred Dreyfus is wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Devil’s Island penal colony.

Themes

Institutional corruption and reform, Media influence on justice, Military justice vs political interference, Scapegoating and antisemitism, Loyalty vs public duty, Public advocacy and rehabilitation

Available on

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

While at War

2. While at War

Drama History War Historical Event Historical Drama
6.9
20191h 48min

Overview

Salamanca, Spain, 1936. In the early days of the military rebellion that began the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), writer Miguel de Unamuno supports the uprising in the hope that the prevailing political chaos will end. But when the confrontation becomes bloody, Unamuno must question his initial position.

Themes

Political repression, Leadership legitimacy under pressure, Moral dilemma, Spanish civil war, Academic autonomy vs control, Ideological polarization

Available on

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

Waiting for the Barbarians

3. Waiting for the Barbarians

Drama History Historical Drama Historical Event
5.9
20191h 54min

Overview

At an isolated frontier outpost, a colonial magistrate suffers a crisis of conscience when an army colonel arrives looking to interrogate the locals about an impending uprising, using cruel tactics that horrify the magistrate.

Themes

"movie: waiting for the barbarians. genres: drama, History, Drama, History main themes: colony, Torture, Desert, Colony, Torture, Desert full keywords list: colony, Torture, Desert, Colonization, East asia. concept analysis: the film explores the moral complexities of colonialism and the impact of imperial violence on both oppressors and the oppressed. it serves as a poignant reflection on the nature of power, Compassion, And the consequences of inhumanity."

Available on

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

Official Secrets

4. Official Secrets

Thriller History Drama Political Thriller Historical Event
7.3
20191h 52min

Overview

The true story of British intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun who—prior to the 2003 Iraq invasion—leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing member states into voting for war.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Whistleblower consequences, Legal process under secrecy, State secrecy vs accountability, War legitimation and manipulation, Media exposure and public scrutiny

Available on

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

A Hidden Life

5. A Hidden Life

History Drama War Historical Event World War II
7.4
20192h 53min

Overview

Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter faces the threat of execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II.

Themes

Conscience vs authority, Moral duty under pressure, Ostracism and social isolation, Religion as inner strength, Family resilience under repression

Available on

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

Hotel Mumbai

6. Hotel Mumbai

Thriller History Drama Action Historical Event
7.6
20192h 3min

Overview

Mumbai, India, November 26, 2008. While several terrorists spread hatred and death through the city, others attack the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Both hotel staff and guests risk their lives, making unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and keep everyone safe while help arrives.

Themes

Trauma and memory, Survival under siege, Duty under pressure, Cooperation under threat, Civilian resilience, Collective courage

Available on

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

The First King

7. The First King

History Drama Historical Event Tragic Drama
6.5
20192h 3min

Overview

Romulus and Remus, two shepherds and loyal brothers, end up taking part to a journey that will lead one of them to be the founder of the greatest nation ever seen. However, the fate of the chosen one will pass from killing his own brother.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Power under pressure, Political maneuvering, Loyalty and dissent, Public legitimacy under threat, War as diplomacy

Available on

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

Kursk

8. Kursk

Drama History Thriller Action Historical Event
6.6
20181h 58min

Overview

Barents Sea, August 12th, 2000. During a Russian naval exercise, and after suffering a serious accident, the K-141 Kursk submarine sinks with 118 crew members on board. While the few sailors who are still alive barely manage to survive, their families push for accurate information and a British officer struggles to obtain from the Russian government a permit to attempt a rescue before it is late. But general incompetence are against all their efforts.

Themes

External aid hesitancy, Bureaucracy vs rescue, Families press for information, Military competence under doubt, Survival under extreme deadlines, Political tension during crisis

Available on

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

The Photographer of Mauthausen

9. The Photographer of Mauthausen

Drama History Thriller Historical Event Historical Drama
6.7
20181h 51min

Overview

Spanish photographer Francesc Boix, imprisoned in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, works in the SS Photographic Service. Between 1943 and 1945, he hides, with the help of other prisoners, thousands of negatives, with the purpose of showing the freed world the atrocities committed by the Nazis, exhaustively documented. He will be a key witness during the Nuremberg Trials.

Themes

Survival under oppression, Duty under risk, Memory against erasure, Evidence through photography, Witness to atrocities

Available on

Netflix
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Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

22 July

10. 22 July

Crime Drama History Thriller Historical Event
6.8
20182h 23min

Overview

On 22 July 2011, neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 young people attending a Labour Party Youth Camp on Utøya Island outside of Oslo. This three-part story focuses on the survivors, the political leadership of Norway, and the lawyers involved.

Themes

Survivor resilience, Collective trauma, Neo-nazism ideology, Summer camp context, Legal ethics, State accountability

Available on

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