Balloon
2018 · TMDB 7.5/10 · 487 votes
Two families attempt a daredevil plan to escape the GDR with a homemade hot air balloon, but it crashes just before the border. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Curated by SceneIt · United States
Inspiring Movies
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
How we chose these titles
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.
The Battle of Algiers
1966 · TMDB 7.9/10 · 905 votes
Paratrooper commander Colonel Mathieu, a former French Resistance fighter during World War II, is sent to Algeria to reinforce efforts to squelch the uprisings of the Algerian War. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Assassination
2015 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 282 votes
In Japanese-occupied Korea, three freedom fighters are assigned a mission to assassinate a genocidal military leader and his top collaborator. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Best of Enemies
2019 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 491 votes
Centers on the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater, an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Swimmers
2022 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 651 votes
From war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics, two young sisters embark on a risky voyage, putting their hearts and their swimming skills to heroic use. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Russian Ark
2002 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 509 votes
A ghost and a French marquis wander through the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, encountering scenes from many different periods of its history. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Queen Margot
1994 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 427 votes
Paris, Kingdom of France, August 18, 1572. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Girl with the Needle
2024 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 370 votes
Struggling to survive in post-WWI Copenhagen, a newly unemployed and pregnant young woman is taken in by a charismatic elder to help run an underground adoption agency. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
First They Killed My Father
2017 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 718 votes
A 5-year-old girl embarks on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Message
1976 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 404 votes
In sixth-century Mecca, Prophet Muhammad receives his first revelation from God as a messenger. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Bloody Sunday
2002 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 362 votes
The dramatised story of the Irish civil rights protest march on January 30 1972 which ended in a massacre by British troops. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2007 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 1,295 votes
Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French fashion bible Elle magazine, has a devastating stroke at age 43. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Diary of Anne Frank
1959 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 376 votes
The true, harrowing story of a young Jewish girl who, with her family and their friends, is forced into hiding in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
The Magdalene Sisters
2002 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 478 votes
Three young Irish women struggle to maintain their spirits while they endure dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a Magdalene Sisters Asylum. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
No
2012 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 476 votes
In 1988, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, due to international pressure, is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
T-34
2018 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 956 votes
In 1944, a courageous group of Russian soldiers managed to escape from German captivity in a half-destroyed legendary T-34 tank. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Land of Mine
2015 · TMDB 7.8/10 · 1,487 votes
In the days following the surrender of Germany in May 1945, a group of young German prisoners of war is handed over to the Danish authorities and subsequently sent to the West Coast, where they are ordered to remove the more than two million mines that the Germans had placed in the sand along the coast. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Coal Miner's Daughter
1980 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 285 votes
Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Barefoot Gen
1983 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 260 votes
A story about the effect of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
Quo Vadis, Aida?
2021 · TMDB 7.7/10 · 481 votes
Bosnia, July 1995. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.