Biographical History backdrop

Biographical History movies

History told through a real person’s life, focused on turning points, impact, and private tradeoffs.

The Man Who Knew Infinity

1. The Man Who Knew Infinity

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
7.2
20161h 48min

Overview

Growing up poor in Madras, India, Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar earns admittance to Cambridge University during WWI, where he becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories with the guidance of his professor, G.H. Hardy.

Themes

Mentorship under pressure, Economic hardship drives perseverance, Immigrant scholar integration, Racial prejudice in academia, Illness shapes work, Long-distance correspondence

Available on

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

Elvis & Nixon

2. Elvis & Nixon

Drama Comedy History Historical Drama Biographical History
6.3
20161h 26min

Overview

In 1970, a few days before Christmas, Elvis Presley showed up on the White House lawn seeking to be deputized into the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs by the President himself.

Themes

Image politics through perception, Celebrity influence shaping optics, Political optics govern image, Countercultural tension under scrutiny, Youth engagement via spectacle, Performer's confinement underscores power

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Experimenter

3. Experimenter

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
6.6
20151h 37min

Overview

Yale University, 1961. Stanley Milgram designs a psychology experiment that still resonates to this day, in which people think they’re delivering painful electric shocks to an affable stranger strapped into a chair in another room. Despite his pleads for mercy, the majority of subjects don’t stop the experiment, administering what they think is a near-fatal electric shock, simply because they’ve been told to do so. With Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s trial airing in living rooms across America, Milgram strikes a nerve in popular culture and the scientific community with his exploration into people’s tendency to comply with authority. Celebrated in some circles, he is also accused of being a deceptive, manipulative monster, but his wife Sasha stands by him through it all.

Themes

Obedience to authority, Public scrutiny of science, Ethics in research, Career implications of controversy, Social pressure dynamics, Balancing curiosity and caution

Available on

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

Steve Jobs

4. Steve Jobs

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
7.2
20152h 2min

Overview

Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.

Themes

Leadership under pressure, Family versus career, Paternity dispute, Innovation under siege, Credit and recognition, Corporate politics and turnover

Available on

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

Black Mass

5. Black Mass

Drama Crime History Organized Crime Biographical History
6.8
20152h 3min

Overview

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

Themes

Power dynamics, Loyalty under pressure, Institutional corruption, Violence as control, Informant leverage, Surveillance and infiltration

Available on

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

Straight Outta Compton

6. Straight Outta Compton

Drama Music History Historical Drama Music Biopic
7.8
20152h 27min

Overview

In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.

Themes

Freedom of speech, Police harassment, Racial tensions, Power struggles in music industry, Artistic expression under threat, Fame and group dynamics

Available on

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

Colonia

7. Colonia

Drama History Historical Drama Biographical History
7.0
20151h 46min

Overview

A young woman's desperate search for her abducted boyfriend draws her into the infamous Colonia Dignidad, a sect nobody ever escaped from.

Themes

State violence, Authoritarian repression, Dissident persecution, Cult indoctrination, Secret collusion, Gender resilience

Available on

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

Testament of Youth

8. Testament of Youth

History Drama War Biographical History Tragic Drama
7.2
20152h 9min

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

Available on

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

The Imitation Game

9. The Imitation Game

History Drama Thriller War Biographical History
8.0
20141h 53min

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

Available on

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

Mr. Turner

10. Mr. Turner

History Drama Biographical History Historical Drama
6.8
20142h 30min

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

Available on

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