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.

The Zookeeper's Wife

1. The Zookeeper's Wife

Drama History War Historical Drama World War II
7.0
20172h 6min

Overview

The account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Survival under occupation, Duty under coercion, Animal sanctuary as cover, Resistance networks and sheltering, Protecting vulnerable lives

Available on

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

Their Finest

2. Their Finest

Romance War Drama World War II Historical Drama
6.8
20171h 57min

Overview

During the Blitz of World War II, a female screenwriter works on a film celebrating England's resilience as a way to buoy a weary populace's spirits. Her efforts to dramatise the true story of two sisters who undertook their own maritime mission to rescue wounded soldiers are met with mixed feelings by a dismissive all-male staff.

Themes

Female leadership under pressure, Gender bias in film, Wartime propaganda ethics, Deception in storytelling, Resilience through cinema, Collaboration vs hierarchy

Available on

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

First They Killed My Father

3. First They Killed My Father

War Drama History Vietnam War Historical Drama
7.2
20172h 16min

Overview

A 5-year-old girl embarks on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Themes

Forced labor systems, Displacement and trauma, Childhood under war, Survival under repression, Propaganda and indoctrination, Family fragmentation and resilience, Memory of genocide

Available on

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

A Bag of Marbles

4. A Bag of Marbles

War Drama World War II Historical Drama
7.3
20171h 53min

Overview

At the beginning of the 1940s, in a France occupied by Nazi forces, lived the Jewish Joffo family. Happy and tight-knit, she sees her future darken when all members of the family are forced to wear the yellow star. Fearing the worst, the parents organized their family to flee to the free zone in the south of the country. Maurice, twelve years old, and Joseph, ten years old, will therefore leave alone in order to maximize their chances of finding their older brothers already settled in Nice. The brothers left to their own devices demonstrate an incredible amount of cleverness, courage, and ingenuity to escape the enemy invasion and to try to reunite their family once again.

Themes

Protecting kin amid upheaval, Reunion under threat, Family separation under occupation, Ingenuity for survival, Youth resilience and resourcefulness, Courage under invasion

Available on

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

In This Corner of the World

5. In This Corner of the World

Drama Animation Romance War History
7.8
20162h 10min

Overview

Japan, 1943, during World War II. Young Suzu leaves her village near Hiroshima to marry and live with her in-laws in Kure, a military harbor. Her creativity to overcome deprivation quickly makes her indispensable at home. Inhabited by an ancestral wisdom, Suzu impregnates the simple gestures of everyday life with poetry and beauty. The many hardships, the loss of loved ones, the frequent air raids of the enemy, nothing alters her enthusiasm…

Themes

Family resilience, Wartime rationing, Domestic labor under war, Postwar rebuilding, Adoption as survival, Air raid drills

Available on

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

The Mountain II

6. The Mountain II

War Drama
8.2
20162h 15min

Overview

In a desolate war zone where screams of the innocent echo, on the very line between disaster and valor, 7 Maroon Berets will dance with death.


At War for Love

7. At War for Love

War Drama Comedy Romance
6.9
20161h 39min

Overview

It's 1943 and World War II is raging in Europe. In New York, Arturo and Flora the daughter of a restaurant owner are in love, but she is promised in marriage to the son of a Mafia boss. There is a way around this, but to be able to marry Flora, Arturo needs to get permission from her father, who lives in a village in Sicily. Arturo doesn't have any money, so the only way he can get to Sicily is to enlist in the U.S. Army, which is preparing for a landing on the island.


Hacksaw Ridge

8. Hacksaw Ridge

Drama History War Historical Event World War II
8.1
20162h 19min

Overview

WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Themes

Faith guiding action, Ostracism under pressure, Religious pacifism vs duty, Healing through medical work, Conscientious objection, Sacrifice and rescue

Available on

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

Hatred

9. Hatred

War Drama History
7.6
20162h 30min

Overview

Summer of 1939. Zosia is a young Polish girl who is deeply in love with Ukrainian Petro. Their great love will be put to the test when her father decides to marry her to a wealthy widower Skiba. Right after wedding she is left alone because her husband is drafted to the Polish army for the war with Germany. Meanwhile, tensions grow due to Jews, Poles, and Ukrainians living side by side.


Mine

10. Mine

War Thriller Modern Conflicts Survival Thriller
5.8
20161h 47min

Overview

After a failed assassination attempt, a soldier finds himself stranded in the desert. Exposed to the elements, he must survive the dangers of the desert and battle the psychological and physical toll of the treacherous conditions.

Themes

Duty vs survival, Loss and endurance, Memories amid trauma, Fate and luck, Desert isolation under pressure, Human connection under duress

Available on

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