History movies

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.

Overview

Fleeing from the Russian secret police, a young Estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical education teacher at a local school. The past however catches up and puts him in front of a difficult choice.

Overview

Set in early 19th century Wallachia, Romania, a policeman, Costandin, is hired by a nobleman to find a Gypsy slave who has run away from his estate after having an affair with his wife.

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Realistic Intimate Bleak Restrained Deliberate

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

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Realistic Tense Intense Measured Oppressive

Overview

"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

Themes

Civil rights pressure, Voting rights struggle, Federal intervention debate, State force deployment, Protest visibility, Legal process tension

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Realistic Tense Claustrophobic Bleak Dry

Overview

Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

Themes

Code breaking pursuit, World war ii pressure, Homophobia prejudice, Cryptography under pressure, Secrecy burden, Intellectual isolation

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Tense Bleak Restrained Deliberate Minimalist

Overview

A young prosecutor in postwar West Germany investigates a massive conspiracy to cover up the Nazi pasts of prominent public figures.

Themes

Institutional complicity, Bureaucratic obstruction, Postwar reckoning, Memory vs justice, Family legacy pressure, Duty vs system

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Realistic Tense Intimate Claustrophobic Restrained

Overview

Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful housekeeper bears an unrequited love for him.

Themes

Class tension via aristocracy, Seaside landlady relationship through secrecy, Public acclaim via exhibition, Unrequited affection by housekeeper, Brothel visit through taboo, Aging artist under public scrutiny

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Realistic Tense Bleak Dry Clinical

Overview

A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California. Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb.

Themes

Investigative journalism, Government complicity, Exposure under threat, Media pushback, Asset forfeiture abuse, Informant networks

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Realistic Intimate Claustrophobic Bleak Relentless

Overview

City of Warsaw, Poland, August 1st, 1944. Citizens have experienced inhuman acts of terror and violence during five long years of Nazi occupation. As the Soviet Army relentlessly approaches, the youngest and bravest among them rise up as one and face tyranny fighting street by street, but the price to pay will be high and hard the way to freedom…

Themes

Loyalty under duress, Resistance under occupation, Personal bonds amid turmoil, Underground networks and trust, Civilian casualties and destruction

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