Best Historical Movies I Watched for the First Time Last School Year (2024-25)
Hi friends! Those of you who have been following my writing journey for some time know that I like to do a blog post every summer with the best history-related movies I watched for the first time over the last school year. Even though I’m not technically in school, I like to start a new planner every year in July. For this post I look over my previous planner where I record all the movies I’ve watched and books I’ve read. There were some truly excellent movies last year I’m looking forward to sharing with you!
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.
“It takes courage to face the dark.” So says German pastor Martin Niemöller in the movie Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. This movie is about one of those rare men who showed incredible courage in the face of great evil in Nazi Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who became involved in the Resistance against Hitler. Not only was this my favorite movie from last year, it just might be my favorite movie of any year. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of my favorite heroes from history, and this movie does an amazing job telling his story. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie with so many powerful quotes and rich themes naturally woven in. The timing and details of a few events were altered a bit, but for the most part it’s kept accurate to the true story. Overall, I thought this was an excellent movie about what it looks like to follow Christ and show real faith and courage in a time of great darkness. You can read my full review of it, including a content description, here.
Valkyrie
“We have to show the world that not all of us were like Hitler.” Another movie set in Nazi Germany, this one is about Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and some of the other Germans who risked everything in an attempt to save their country from the madness of Hitler. It’s very accurate to the true story, down to even some of the smallest details, which is largely why I thought it was so good. While this is a mainstream film (released in 2008), many of the real men featured in the movie were Christians, and their faith and principles do come through in the movie.
Note: there is a little bit of language in this movie, but this can be filtered through the Enjoy Movies Your Way app. Also, there are two suicides; the camera turns away without actually showing it, but it’s obvious what’s going to happen. You can read the PluggedIn review here for a full content description.
Waiting for Anya
This movie is set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. The story follows a shepherd boy, his family, and others in his village who risk their lives to help Jewish children get to safety. We also learn the heart-wrenching story of a Jewish man and his little daughter and are introduced to a German corporal who is questioning what he is doing and why. I thought it was a very well-done movie with beautiful scenery, an excellent screenplay, and a compelling cast of characters. While not an explicitly Christian film, there are some Christian messages (such as loving your neighbor and valuing life) in it. We see characters attend Mass, and they seem to have at least a basic biblical worldview. And while there are a couple of very sad parts (including an innocent boy getting shot), for the most part, it’s a family-friendly movie.
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
One more movie set in Nazi Germany (I’ve been doing a lot of research on this time period lately for my writing!). This one is about German university student Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans who were arrested after writing and distributing leaflets that told the truth about the war and the crimes of the Nazis. I loved Sophie’s courage and boldness as she told her Nazi interrogator why she had done what she did, and her faith and convictions that motivated her. One of the themes that stood out to me was that Sophie and Hans were, as she put it, “fighting with words.” As a writer, I loved the reminder that words are powerful. If you don’t mind watching a movie in German with English subtitles and are ready to handle the mature subject matter (it’s mostly just talked about and implied, not actually shown), I definitely recommend it.
Sight
This excellent movie tells the true story of Dr. Ming Wang who fled Communist China and became a renowned eye surgeon in the U. S. I don’t cry often in movies, but I was moved to tears by this one! There are some very sad and disturbing parts, but no graphic violence or other inappropriate content. (You can read the PluggedIn review here for a full content description.) I loved the themes of learning to see and helping others see–not just physically, but spiritually–and trusting God even when things do not go as we had hoped. And there were also some funny parts interspersed which I enjoyed. Overall, I thought this movie was a beautifully told story of light overcoming darkness.
Between Borders
This movie tells the true story of an Armenian family who sought refuge first in Russia and then in America during the collapse of the Soviet Union. At one point in the movie, a prejudiced Russian police officer says to an Armenian man, “You’re not white. You’re not black. You’re not so brown either. What are you?” And my six-year-old niece, sitting next to me watching it, said, “I’m a person.” And I thought, How much sorrow and misery our world would have been spared if throughout history more people saw others as my six-year-old niece does–simply as a person. “For in Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Gentile, Russian or Armenian, black, brown, or white, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.” (My paraphrase of Galatians 3:28). I thought this was a great movie. There were several powerful themes, but the two that stood out to me the most were (1.) true hope and peace are only found in Jesus and (2.) to live in a free country is something to be grateful for and never take for granted. For the most part, this was a very family-friendly movie–the only content warnings to be aware of are some very brief violence (not graphic at all) and prejudice shown through derogatory statements/threats/insults/verbal abuse, etc.
Cabrini
“Rats have it better than the children of Five Points. And no one cares.” Those words are spoken by a woman who lives among the impoverished Italian immigrants in Five Points, New York, in the late 1800s/early 1900s. This movie is about someone who did care, a nun known by the name Mother Cabrini. She came over to America from Italy and worked tirelessly to help orphaned Italian children. This movie is excellently done in every regard. While I’m not Catholic, the message of this movie, that everyone is created equal by God and Jesus calls us to love the poor, is one that I will wholeheartedly promote. As far as any content warnings to be aware of, there is a little bit of violence and a lot of prejudice/derogatory name-calling, etc.
Documentaries:
The Mosaic Church
This was a very interesting documentary about the discovery of the oldest Christian church found to date, unearthed beneath an Israeli prison. I love learning about the early church (I’ve written a historical fiction series about the first-century Christians), so I greatly enjoyed this documentary. I was freshly reminded of how Christianity truly transformed the world.Lunatic Farmer
I’ve enjoyed reading Joel Salatin’s writing for a while now and very much enjoyed this documentary about how he got started farming and his philosophy on farming for the glory of God.
What about you? Have you seen any of these movies? What are some good movies you watched recently? Leave a comment below!
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