5 best World War II movies of all time

There’s just something about World War II that keeps drawing filmmakers back in. Maybe it’s the sheer chaos of it, or the way it pushed people to their limits, morally, emotionally, everything. Maybe it’s because no matter how many times we revisit it, there’s always more to unpack. More stories hiding in the wreckage.

Some war films go big: explosions, gunfire, sweeping scores. Others slow it down and sit with the people stuck in the middle of it all. Whatever the approach, World War II has inspired some of the most unforgettable films ever made. And here are five that, in our opinion, absolutely nailed it.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

More than a film, Grave of the Fireflies is an experience that slowly gets under your skin and leaves an indelible impression on the soul. It's the story of Seita and Setsuko, two siblings swept up in humanity's brutal defeat and neglect in the chaos after the end of World War II in Japan. This is not the story of countries battling their enemies; rather, this is the story of the blunt forces of starvation clawing at their bellies or the overwhelming and frigid despair when the sheltering rays of hope fade like lost fireflies disappearing from sight.

Most films about World War II glorify the victories and the saving or highlight the atrocities of the Nazis, but Grave of the Fireflies' rare portrayal show something that is often buried between the more grander portrayals of the war; the life of ordinary people who are unwillingly a part of a political massacre in process and how both sides face turmoil in war- regardless of who started it and who's at fault.

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Jojo Rabbit doesn’t ease you in—it punches you with absurdity, then somehow leaves you teary-eyed before you realize what hit you. Set in Nazi Germany, this isn’t your typical World War II film. It follows Jojo, a lonely, impressionable ten-year-old boy who idolizes Hitler, quite literally, since his imaginary best friend is a cartoonish version of the Führer himself. When he discovers a Jewish girl hiding in his attic, everything he thought he knew begins to unravel.

Directed by Taika Waititi, who somehow plays Hitler with both hilarity and horror, the film doesn’t try to be subtle, it’s weird, bold, and heartbreakingly tender in the strangest places. One minute you’re laughing at a ridiculous dance sequence, the next it hurts to watch. It’s messy. Uncomfortable. Oddly beautiful. One of the more unique films made about World War II.

This isn’t just a satire or a coming-of-age tale, it’s a gut-check on how children absorb hate, how fear is taught, and how love can sneak in through the cracks anyway. Jojo Rabbit doesn’t pretend to have neat answers. It just sits with you, in the weird, fragile place between cruelty and hope, and dares you to feel everything at once.

Life is Beautiful (1997)

Life is Beautiful isn’t just some movie, it’s honestly a wild mix of heartbreak and hope you didn’t think could work. Roberto Benigni directs and stars as Guido, a goofy Jewish guy who owns a little bookstore in Italy. He’s charming, a bit goofy, and madly in love with Dora, a schoolteacher who’s way out of his league. Their life is sweet, messy, and full of those stolen moments that feel real, until World War II crashes in and turns everything upside down.

When Guido, Dora, and their son Giosuè get sent to a Nazi concentration camp, you’d expect only despair, but Guido refuses to let the horror crush his kid’s spirit. So he turns the nightmare into a game, convincing Giosuè they’re just earning points to win a tank. It’s heartbreaking and somehow funny, because that’s what love can do when it’s desperate.

Based on a true story and inspired by Benigni’s dad, this movie somehow makes you laugh and cry at the same time. It’s messy, painful, and beautiful, a father’s love wrapped up in a crazy, impossible act of hope.

Dunkirk (2017)

Dunkirk’s not your typical World War II movie. Christopher Nolan drops you right into the madness of World War II’s big evacuation, showing what’s happening on land, at sea, and in the air, all at the same time. There’s barely any talking, just tension building through the visuals and that pounding score that won’t let up. You follow a mix of lost soldiers stuck on the beach, regular folks risking everything by sailing their little boats to help, and Spitfire pilots fighting for survival overhead.

The cast blends fresh faces with some big names, making everything feel gritty and real without spoon-feeding you. Nolan went all in, using real boats, planes, and thousands of extras to nail authenticity. It’s no surprise Dunkirk blew up at the box office and with critics; it’s a raw, edge-of-your-seat story about grit, sacrifice, and just trying to get the hell out alive.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a haunting story told through the eyes of an innocent child who is the son of a Nazi officer. It’s a simple tale on the surface, but the emotions run deep, peeling back the horrors of the Holocaust without showing the harshest details. Based on John Boyne's novel of the same name, the film explores an unlikely friendship between a Jew boy, Schmuel and a Nazi boy who are unaware of the political state of the country and sit across two sides of barbed wire to talk, play and share food. The title is a reference to the striped pajamas that Schmuel wears, a mark of his captivity and his position of inferiority in Nazi Germany.

Set during World War II, the story explores less politics than one might imagine and instead depends on the two boys' friendship to portray the children on two sides, unbeknownst to them, the country is slowly erasing one of them. With stellar performances from Vera Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, and Jack Scanlon, the films are all poignant portrayals of the Holocaust from the eyes of two children, and a climax that will leave you screaming in tears as Bruno and Schmuel stay with you throughout the rolling credits.