Curated by SceneIt · United States
This SceneIt list helps you quickly choose acclaimed dramas and true-story favorites with an uplifting arc. Results are selected for the United States and balance audience response with practical watchability.
Updated 2026-08-03 · Ratings from TMDB
We rank eligible titles using TMDB audience ratings, vote confidence, relevance to the theme, and current popularity. Ratings can change as new votes are added.
2003 · TMDB 8.0/10 · 614 votes
After a fateful encounter in the summer of 1966, the lifepaths of two brothers from a middle-class Roman family diverge, intersecting with some of the most significant events of postwar Italian history in the following decades. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1998 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 693 votes
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2018 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 1,140 votes
Young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2009 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 503 votes
The battle of Red Cliff continues and the alliance between Xu and East Wu is fracturing. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2015 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 279 votes
In 1925 Korea, Japanese rulers demand the last remaining tiger be killed. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2019 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 1,609 votes
In 1894, French Captain Alfred Dreyfus is wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Devil’s Island penal colony. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1956 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 410 votes
Widowed Welsh mother Anna Leonowens becomes a governess and English tutor to the wives and many children of the stubborn King Mongkut of Siam. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2004 · TMDB 8.0/10 · 782 votes
When two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1989 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 413 votes
In 1415, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1969 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 340 votes
The life of the revered 18th-century Armenian poet and musician Sayat-Nova. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1990 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 281 votes
A Jewish boy separated from his family in the early days of WWII poses as a German orphan and is taken into the heart of the Nazi world as a 'war hero' and eventually becomes a Hitler Youth. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2017 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 906 votes
The behind the scenes story of the life of A.A. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2011 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 291 votes
After the death of their father, two siblings are raised by their father's best friend. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2001 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 488 votes
At the Wannsee Conference on January 20, 1942, senior Nazi officials meet to determine the manner in which the so-called "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" can be best implemented. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2019 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 1,295 votes
Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2016 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 1,637 votes
Based on the story of Jesse Owens, the athlete whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2009 · TMDB 8.1/10 · 642 votes
Bobby Griffith was his mother's favorite son, the perfect all-American boy growing up under deeply religious influences in Walnut Creek, California. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1966 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 293 votes
Covering only the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis, vignettes include: Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden until their indulgence in the forbidden fruit sees them driven out; Cain murdering his brother Abel; Noah building an ark to preserve the animals of the world from the coming flood; and Abraham making a covenant with God. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2021 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 568 votes
Lucien de Rubempré, a young, lower-class poet, leaves his family's printing house for Paris. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2009 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 1,074 votes
As the only legitimate heir of England's King William, teenage Victoria gets caught up in the political machinations of her own family. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.