Best Movies About The Holocaust On Netflix

From Steven Spielberg, starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall
Rated R

"Schindler's List" (1993) is a historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg that tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during World War II. Schindler, who initially profited off of the Nazi war machine, is eventually moved by the atrocities he witnesses in the concentration camps and works tirelessly to save as many people as he can. The film stars Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes, and follows Schindler's journey from a profiteer to a humanitarian.

From Roberto Benigni, starring Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano
Rated PG-13

Life Is Beautiful is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni. The film follows the story of Guido (Benigni), a Jewish Italian book shop owner, who is forced to take drastic measures to protect his son, Giosuè (Giorgio Cantarini), from the horrors of a concentration camp during World War II. With the help of his quick wit and an imaginative approach to a difficult situation, Guido is able to distract his son from the horrors of his experience. The film is ultimately a story of a father’s love, as he is willing to risk his life for the sake of his son.

From Roman Polanski, starring Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Emilia Fox
Rated R

The Pianist is a 2002 biographical drama directed by Roman Polanski. The film stars Adrien Brody in the lead role of Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman, a survivor of the Holocaust. The story follows Szpilman’s journey during the Nazi occupation of Poland, beginning in 1939 when he is separated from his family and forced to live in the Warsaw Ghetto. He manages to escape the ghetto, and spends the remainder of the war hiding in the ruins of Warsaw. Despite incredible suffering, starvation, and fear, Szpilman is determined to survive. The film is based on Szpilman’s autobiographical novel, The Pianist, and is a tribute to the strength of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity. It won the Academy Award for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor (for Adrien Brody).

From Stanley Kramer, starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich
Rated Approved

Judgment at Nuremberg is a 1961 drama film directed by Stanley Kramer. It tells the story of a group of German justices who are put on trial by the United States after World War II for crimes against humanity. The film follows the proceedings of the trial, which are presided over by an American judge and features witnesses from both sides of the conflict. The film focuses on the conflict between justice and morality as the judges must decide whether or not to convict the defendants of their crimes. The film stars Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Richard Widmark, and Judy Garland, among others. In the end, most of the defendants are found guilty, yet some walk free due to a lack of sufficient evidence. The film highlights the complexity of the situation and serves as a reminder of the horrors of World War II.

From Quentin Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, Mélanie Laurent
Rated R

Inglourious Basterds is an action-adventure war film directed by Quentin Tarantino, released in 2009. The plot follows a group of Jewish-American soldiers, nicknamed the "Basterds", who are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Nazi-occupied territory of France during World War II. Led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), the Basterds' mission is to take down the Nazi regime by any means necessary. Along the way, they are joined by a young German actress and undercover agent, Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent), who is determined to avenge the death of her family by killing Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler. Through a series of daring acts of defiance and revenge, the Basterds join forces with a theater owner and her projectionist, as well as a British film critic-turned-spy, to orchestrate a daring plan to take down the Reich. In the end, the Basterds succeed in their mission and turn the tide of the war.

From Oliver Hirschbiegel, starring Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler
Rated R

Downfall is a 2004 German-language biographical war drama directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and co-written by Bernd Eichinger. The film stars Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler and chronicles the events during the last ten days of the Nazi leader's life in his Berlin bunker during the Battle of Berlin in 1945. The film uses archival footage and explores the psychological drama between Hitler, his staff, and his followers as his dream of a German victory spirals increasingly out of reach. The film focuses on the physical and emotional stress of the Nazi elite and their struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy in the face of total destruction. It also examines the role of propaganda in Nazi Germany and the effect it had on Hitler's followers.

From Sidney Lumet, starring Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Brock Peters, Jaime Sánchez
Rated Approved

The Pawnbroker is a 1964 American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Rod Steiger. The film is about a Jewish pawnbroker, living in The Bronx, who is forced to confront his tragic past and his feelings of survival and guilt following the Holocaust. It follows the story of Sol Nazerman, a Holocaust survivor and pawnbroker who is emotionally numb and detached from the world around him. He struggles to make a living and live a normal life, while continually haunted by the trauma he experienced in Nazi concentration camps. As the film progresses, Nazerman must face his painful past as he is forced to confront his own inner demons. Ultimately, he is able to find redemption from his guilt and suffering, and move on with a newfound sense of hope.

From Paul Verhoeven, starring Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn
Rated R

Black Book is a 2006 Dutch-German war thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in 1944 during the German occupation of the Netherlands, the story follows Jewish-Dutch resistance fighter Rachel Stein as she attempts to discover the fate of her family, and to take revenge on the Nazi's. When Rachel joins a resistance group, she is given the code name "Ellis de Vries" and has to infiltrate the Nazi's by posing as a German cabaret singer. As Ellis, she is tasked with gathering intelligence about their activities. In the process, she falls in love with a Nazi officer and discovers the true horrors of the war. The film follows Rachel's journey as she embarks on a mission of survival and revenge. With the help of her resistance group, she must find a way to bring the Nazi's to justice and to find her family. Along the way, she must confront and overcome the violence and evil of the Nazi regime.

From Agnieszka Holland, starring Solomon Perel, Marco Hofschneider, René Hofschneider, André Wilms
Rated R

Europa Europa is a 1990 German/French/Polish war drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland. It is based on the true story of Solomon Perel, a Jewish German boy who survives World War II by masquerading as an Aryan. The film follows Perel, who is separated from his family at the start of the war when the Nazis invade Poland. In order to survive, he joins a Nazi youth organization and is eventually sent to a school in Germany, where he attempts to pass himself off as an ethnic German. Throughout the war, Perel must constantly remain vigilant and hide his true identity, while dealing with his own conflicting emotions about his situation. He must also reconcile his loyalty to his family and his identity as a Jew with his desire to survive. The film follows Perel's journey through the war, as he changes identities and constantly struggles to stay alive. In the end, Perel manages to find his way back to his family and is reunited with them in the aftermath of the war.

From Alan J. Pakula, starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin
Rated R

Sophie's Choice is a 1982 American drama film directed by Alan J. Pakula starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Peter MacNicol. The film is based on the 1979 novel of the same name by William Styron and tells the story of Sophie Zawistowski (Streep), a Polish immigrant living in Brooklyn in 1947. Sophie is forced to make an agonizing decision between her two children when she arrives at Auschwitz. The film follows Sophie as she struggles with her emotional trauma and her relationship with her lover Stingo (Kline). The film is a powerful exploration of the Holocaust and the lingering effects of trauma on Sophie and those around her.

From Stefan Ruzowitzky, starring Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach
Rated R

The Counterfeiters is an award-winning 2007 German-Austrian drama film based on the true story of Operation Bernhard, a secret Nazi plan during World War II to destabilize the British economy by flooding it with forged Bank of England pound notes. The film follows Jewish counterfeiter Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) who is sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1936, where he is forced to produce counterfeit money for the Nazi regime. As the war progresses, Sorowitsch realizes that he may be the only one capable of saving himself and his fellow Jewish prisoners from certain death. With the help of a young artist and a moral SS officer, he uses his professional expertise to put together a plan that might just save their lives.

From George Stevens, starring Millie Perkins, Shelley Winters, Joseph Schildkraut, Richard Beymer
Rated Approved

From Costa-Gavras, starring Ulrich Tukur, Mathieu Kassovitz, Ulrich Mühe, Michel Duchaussoy
Rated Not Rated

From Edward Zwick, starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos
Rated R