WAR - 2025, a list by Royce Bunn

7.7

/769/

66

/20/

67

/16/

4.0

/5351/

98

/50/

83

/13/

4.0

An Iranian filmmaker participates in a series of video calls with a young Palestinian photojournalist who describes her life confined in Gaza during the current regional conflict.

81

8.5

/2231/

80

/97/

82

/21/

4.3

/6828/

94

/49/

91

/19/

2.0

Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther they advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that this war may never end.

80

7.9

/678/

76

/10/

76

/5/

3.8

/1724/

100

/14/

3.0

Intercepted is a journey through Ukraine that reveals the banality of evil behind the Russian invasion with the shocking juxtaposition of two realities: the Ukrainians who have been suffering and resisting the war violence, and the Russian military, and civilians, who have been perpetrating it.

78

IMDb 92

6.9

/19830/

71

/2518/

74

/450/

3.3

/38824/

95

/94/

87

/211/

76

/19/

3.5

age 16+

Returning to the house where his family was brutally murdered during the war, ‘the man who refuses to die’ dismantles it, loads it on a truck, and is determined to rebuild it somewhere safe in their honor. When the commander who killed his family comes back hellbent on finishing the job, a relentless, eye-popping cross-country chase ensues.

77

7.2

/100472/

72

/6610/

70

/1236/

3.5

/492507/

92

/238/

93

/976/

78

/43/

3.0

age 16+

A platoon of Navy SEALs embarks on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event.

73

6.9

/914/

67

/56/

75

/13/

3.2

/3101/

91

/65/

83

/50/

74

/16/

2.5

age 15+

Eight-year-old Bobo grows up on her family farm in Rhodesia in 1980 during the final days of the Bush War to end British colonial rule. Her eyes see conflict, the family's bond to the land, and the lasting wounds that war imprints on those who live through it.

84

71

7.8

/2734/

77

/135/

81

/58/

3.8

/4603/

100

/10/

97

/33/

In the Nanjing Massacre of 1937, in order to save his life, postman A Chang pretended to be a photo developer in a photo studio and developed photos for the Japanese army. He also took in a group of Chinese soldiers and civilians, turning the studio into a temporary shelter. However, in the face of the Japanese army's cruel atrocities, A Chang risked his life to safely transfer the refugees and exposed the evidence of the massacre to the public.

68

6.6

/4384/

67

/193/

69

/69/

3.4

/19739/

67

/150/

94

/101/

52

/28/

2.5

age 13+

94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.

68

6.2

/1671/

62

/205/

64

/119/

3.2

/3196/

Popcorn

84

/18/

3.0

Taishi Wen Zhong led the army of Shang Dynasty including Deng Chanyu and four generals of the Mo Family to Xiqi. With the help of Kunlun immortals such as Jiang Ziya, Ji Fa led the army and civilians of Xiqi to defend their homeland.

66

6.2

/1164/

63

/33/

68

/17/

3.2

/791/

82

/11/

2.5

Inspired by the real life rescue of over 300 British soldiers in 1942, Dongji Rescue is a rousing, action-packed story of heroism on the high seas. When the Japanese warship Lisbon Maru is torpedoed off the coast of Dongji Island, the lives of over 300 British POWs on board are at risk of being claimed by the sea. Their only hope is a small group of defiant Chinese fisherman who will do anything to rescue and protect them from their captors.

66

5.3

/2510/

60

/485/

63

/78/

2.9

/4235/

91

/33/

66

/20/

3.0

When their boat sinks while crossing the Timor Sea during World War II, a troop of young Australian soldiers must find a way to survive the harsh seas on a quickly shrinking raft. Hundreds of miles from anywhere, they must confront interpersonal conflicts, enemy attacks, and the advances of one very large, very hungry great white shark.

78

65

7.9

/4467/

71

/24/

80

/22/

3.8

/5965/

100

/25/

82

/70/

64

/5/

In 1936, as Palestinian villages revolt against British colonial rule, Yusuf navigates between Jerusalem and his rural home, amidst escalating unrest and a pivotal moment for the British Empire.

65

IMDb 15

6.6

/6820/

65

/716/

70

/180/

3.2

/7210/

Popcorn

61

/89/

A German Tiger tank crew is sent on a dangerous mission to rescue the missing officer Paul von Hardenburg from a top-secret bunker behind enemy lines. As they make their way through the lethal no-man's land, they must confront not only the enemy, but also their own fears and inner demons. Fueled by the Wehrmacht's methamphetamine, their mission increasingly becomes a journey into the heart of darkness.

64

5.3

/7082/

59

/767/

68

/202/

2.8

/13934/

65

/23/

86

/154/

age 16+

During the Vietnam War, a recon unit ventures to an isolated jungle valley to uncover the fate of a missing platoon. They soon find themselves in a fight for their lives against an unexpected enemy — prehistoric dinosaurs.

80

60

7.2

/2318/

73

/42/

74

/27/

3.6

/19072/

96

/46/

90

/16/

Over the course of a century, as four girls from different time periods experience their youth on a German farm, their lives become intertwined until time seems to dissolve.

67

56

6.7

/1590/

69

/332/

66

/154/

3.4

/14395/

Kabul, August 15, 2021. US troops are preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan, while the Taliban are marching on the capital to seize power. Amid the chaos, Commander Mohamed Bida and his men are in charge of security at the French embassy, the last Western mission to remain open. Trapped along with 500 people, left to their own devices, the team must reach the airport at all costs. A perilous mission with no guarantee of success to flee the hell of Kabul and rescue what remains of humanity.

67

54

6.8

/13745/

63

/122/

66

/41/

3.0

/3563/

Popcorn

78

/27/

In the 1965 Indo-Pak War, India faces a devastating surprise attack. Wing Commander Ahuja leads a retaliatory strike, but Squadron Leader Vijaya goes missing after a heroic solo engagement against a superior enemy jet. Ahuja spends 23 years seeking the truth and uncovering a cover-up.

76

53

6.6

/1834/

73

/189/

65

/26/

3.5

/1664/

93

/14/

92

/16/

The incredible, untold true story of how a group of prisoners attempt a seemingly impossible escape from the first Nazi death camp in order to provide the first eyewitness account of the Holocaust.

79

53

7.3

/246/

58

/10/

3.8

/1783/

98

/98/

94

/10882/

Seven-time BAFTA Award-winner Steve Coogan plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece Dr. Strangelove. This explosively funny satire, about a rogue U.S General who triggers a nuclear attack. Based on the motion picture directed by Stanley Kubrick, screenplay by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern and Peter George, based on the book 'Red Alert' by Peter George.

53

5.9

/824/

60

/7/

30

/2/

3.3

/3587/

42

/50/

53

/14/

2.5

age 15+

When an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance.

54

46

5.0

/1523/

62

/322/

67

/98/

2.2

/2376/

29

/17/

77

/32/

age 16+

With tensions between North and South Korea, a US helicopter crashes on the North side. The survivors must work together to protect a civilian tech specialist and find their way out without the help of US military support.

76

45

7.0

/24774/

65

/8/

70

/2/

100

/10/

Second Lieutenant and India's youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient, Arun Khetarpal, gave his life fighting for his battalion and the country during the 1971 Battle of Basantar. Ikkis also takes a reflective look at the futility of war through the eyes of Khetarpal's father, who visits his ancestral home in Sargodha and Alma Mater for reunion, which now happens to be in post-partition Pakistan, 30 years later.

67

37

6.2

/265/

63

/19/

73

/41/

3.5

/2992/

Lebanon, 1982. To keep a promise made to an old friend, Georges, an idealistic theater director, travels to Beirut for a project as utopian as it is risky: to stage the play Antigone on the front line, in order to steal a moment of peace from the raging civil war. The characters will be played by actors from different political and religious camps. Lost in a city and a conflict he knows nothing about, Georges is guided by Marwan. As fighting resumes, everything is soon called into question, and Georges, who falls in love with Imane, has to face up to the reality of war.

64

35

7.2

/2859/

63

/22/

50

/1/

3.2

/1151/

73

/11/

Valiant Indian soldiers fight against Chinese troops during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, preventing a potential occupation of Ladakh region in the Battle of Rezang La.

67

34

8.0

/3187/

62

/8/

36

/13/

3.3

/292/

Popcorn

95

/29/

A group of Chinese refugees and straggler soldiers, led by a machinist, defend their mountain town, "Gezhi," against a surprise attack by Japanese reconnaissance troops in a desperate fight using civilian ingenuity against a trained military force.

73

32

6.7

/142/

58

/2/

3.5

/501/

100

/10/

A comprehensive chronicle of the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. How citizens live in wartime, how violence and death condition daily life: from schools in bomb shelters to rehabilitation centers for the maimed; wounds and silences, gestures and words.

70

31

6.8

/294/

73

/10/

80

/8/

3.4

/2588/

63

/16/

Dual timelines explore a Japanese widow's memories spanning post-war Nagasaki in 1950s and England during 1980s Cold War era, unraveling secrets that intertwine her past and present experiences across borders.

78

31

7.9

/234/

77

/4/

66

/7/

3.6

/903/

Popcorn

96

/54/

age 14+

The extraordinary true story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic priest who volunteered to die in place of another man in Auschwitz during World War II.

72

31

6.5

/424/

67

/87/

100

/1/

3.2

/595/

66

/412/

72

/7874/

NSG commando Hanut Singh, scarred by a past mission, defies orders during a temple siege in Gujarat. He leads a risky operation against terrorists demanding a militant's release, while confronting personal demons.

65

30

6.6

/7003/

63

/61/

70

/7/

3.1

/821/

An Indian army officer embarks on a mission leading to India’s most successful counter-terrorism operation in history.

45

30

5.2

/11855/

53

/71/

38

/6/

2.6

/2491/

30

/10/

age 16+

Based on true events that unfolded in 1975, the film chronicles incidents that took place under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, one of the most powerful women in Indian history.

68

29

6.9

/385/

64

/22/

60

/6/

3.8

/1285/

71

/8/

age 15+

Pulitzer Prize-winning conflict photojournalist Lynsey Addario reflects on a career working in some of the world's most dangerous war zones, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

70

29

7.3

/1486/

70

/35/

69

/7/

3.4

/2080/

April 9th, 1940, Norway is under siege. As German warships close in on Oslo, Colonel Birger Eriksen, commander of the undermanned Oscarsborg Fortress, makes a bold decision that changes the course of history.

85

28

7.7

/501/

78

/27/

91

/5/

4.0

/5060/

100

/10/

Fearless and unforgettably creepy. This high-concept production, filmed live at London’s Donmar Warehouse, stars the formidable talents of David Tennant and Cush Jumbo in Shakespeare’s most infamous tragedy.

44

28

3.1

/2002/

45

/93/

59

/46/

2.2

/970/

A portrait of a formidable political figure, unraveling the contrasting facets of an iron-fisted tyrant and a man haunted by fear.

66

28

Trakt

66

/103/

74

/29/

Popcorn

73

/5/

In July 1942, during the Vel’ d’Hiv’ Roundup of Jewish families in Paris, 13 year old Tauba Birenbaum and her parents, who are Polish Jews, find refuge in a tiny room for the next 765 days. Living conditions are tough and they fear being discovered at any moment. But while her parents sink further into despair, Tauba’s fighting spirit shines through. She finds joy in every little thing, from a piano drawn on the floor, to the views of Paris through an open window. Despite extreme circumstances, she will keep hope until the liberation of Paris, and take back control of her life.

55

26

5.2

/443/

60

/108/

62

/24/

3.0

/308/

58

/48/

38

/19/

A Polish spy working for the British during World War II is betrayed and compromised in Warsaw, leaving her no other choice but to descend into a dangerous world of treachery and deception in order to survive.

73

20

7.8

/914/

71

/6/

80

/7/

3.3

/1047/

The valorous story of a battalion at the 1972 Second Battle of Quảng Trị, and the high-stakes negotiations leading to the Paris Peace Accords in 1973.

66

20

6.9

/633/

62

/21/

67

/11/

3.4

/1040/

1942. The State of Finland has formed an alliance with Nazi Germany. An elderly man single-handedly tries to stop a secret attempt by the Finnish State Police to hand over Jewish refugees directly to the Gestapo.

50

20

5.4

/252/

56

/13/

57

/17/

3.0

/386/

36

/14/

40

/7/

In a frontier landscape at the beginning of the 20th century, gunmen descend on a remote farmhouse, determined to exact revenge. Their target, a doctor — alone with his son and daughter — tries desperately to protect his children. Inevitably, bullets fly.

61

19

6.4

/203/

45

/2/

71

/5/

3.2

/2234/

In war-torn Jakarta 1946, a haunted violinist ordered to bomb a colonial theatre sees his plan unravel when a charismatic rebel falls for his wife—jeopardising Indonesia’s freedom and their lives.

64

17

6.7

/385/

61

/33/

63

/14/

3.4

/656/

The civil war rages in the Central African Republic, Linn (35) leads a team of aid workers who are working tirelessly to save lives in a field hospital outside a massive refugee camp. When a Muslim man, persecuted and in mortal danger, seeks refuge, Linn faces a critical decision. A growing mob and Christian militia demand his handover. As the head of security, Linn must act quickly, brutally balancing the safety of her team with the value of a single life. Based on the true events that unfolded during 15 tense hours at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Bangui on Christmas Eve, 2013.

44

15

3.3

/1561/

39

/37/

53

/14/

2.6

/583/

Based on true events set during WWII in Northeast China, an ordinary man is thrust into a turbulent fate against the backdrop of the inhumane bacterial experiments conducted by the Japanese Imperial Army's notorious Unit 731.

56

15

5.4

/74/

58

/9/

55

/11/

2.9

/1168/

In 1940, in France, Jean Chevalin lives with his family in great poverty after deserting the army. Convinced that some people manage better than others, he decides to pretend to be Jewish in order to receive help from smugglers and reach the free zone. This ruse will lead his family on a journey that will gradually dismantle his prejudices.

73

14

7.2

/124/

77

/25/

71

/7/

3.7

/786/

San and Mayu are two schoolgirls living in Okinawa during the closing months of the Pacific War. Together with their classmates, the two friends are drafted into the war effort as nurses for wounded soldiers. When ordered to die for their country, the remaining members of the group escape only to face the harsh environment of a tropical paradise that has become a hellish battlefield.

81

14

8.1

/453/

90

/9/

80

/2/

3.7

/912/

Jens Stoltenberg had planned to step down after nine years in the powerful position of NATO Secretary General. The 65-year-old politician had packed his bags to go home to his wife in Norway, as he had promised her. But then Joe Biden called and asked him to stay another year. Because in a troubled world, an experienced leader is needed more than ever. With unprecedented access, we follow Jens Stoltenberg through his last year as Secretary General of NATO.

45

13

6.4

/155/

35

/2/

55

/2/

3.1

/418/

9

/78/

47

/134/

The son of a veteran named Agus was faced with the shadow of his father's absence, so he grew up to be an undisciplined child. Until the veteran died and made his son follow in his father's footsteps to enter the military world.

69

12

7.3

/509/

61

/5/

74

/5/