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.
1980 · TMDB 7.8/10 · 746 votes
Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. 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.
1959 · TMDB 7.7/10 · 939 votes
The deep conversation between a Japanese architect and a French actress forms the basis of this celebrated French film, considered one of the vanguard productions of the French New Wave. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1955 · TMDB 7.8/10 · 499 votes
Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. 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.
1988 · TMDB 7.0/10 · 667 votes
The story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2019 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 2,158 votes
Following the death of his wife, Ip Man travels to San Francisco to ease tensions between the local kung fu masters and his star student, Bruce Lee, while searching for a better future for his son. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2005 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 1,123 votes
The story of journalist Edward R. 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.
2019 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 794 votes
Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter faces the threat of execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1928 · TMDB 8.0/10 · 1,101 votes
A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2004 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 684 votes
When college coach Herb Brooks is hired to helm the 1980 U.S. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1977 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 490 votes
It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2016 · TMDB 7.8/10 · 594 votes
Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis falls in love with a fishmonger while working for him as a live-in housekeeper. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2014 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 2,340 votes
"Selma," as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2015 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 546 votes
Spain, 2003. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1987 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 445 votes
A French housekeeper with a mysterious past brings quiet revolution in the form of one exquisite meal to a circle of starkly pious villagers in late 19th century Denmark. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2005 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 462 votes
In 1943, as Hitler continues to wage war across Europe, a group of college students mount an underground resistance movement in Munich. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2005 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 941 votes
France, 1914, during World War I. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2018 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 503 votes
Germany, 1945. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.