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.
1977 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 952 votes
The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2016 · TMDB 7.1/10 · 4,716 votes
CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1998 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 1,512 votes
The story of the ascension to the throne and the early reign of Queen Elizabeth the First, the endless attempts by her council to marry her off, the Catholic hatred of her and her romance with Lord Robert Dudley. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1983 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 986 votes
At the dawn of the Space Race, seven test pilots set out to become the first American astronauts to enter space. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2025 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 250 votes
After writing for Cahiers du cinéma, young Godard decides making films is the best film criticism. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1985 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 1,553 votes
Tells the life story of Danish author Karen Blixen, who at the beginning of the 20th century moved to Africa to build a new life for herself. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1997 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 3,152 votes
Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedition in 1939. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2017 · TMDB 8.0/10 · 1,193 votes
May, 1980. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1991 · TMDB 7.6/10 · 2,456 votes
Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2022 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 356 votes
The true story of Mamie Till Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who, in 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2023 · TMDB 7.7/10 · 604 votes
Denmark, 1755. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2011 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 914 votes
A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1985 · TMDB 7.7/10 · 2,006 votes
An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2011 · TMDB 7.9/10 · 456 votes
During the invasion of Normandy the photograph of a slim Korean man in German uniform was found. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2013 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 3,521 votes
Author P.L. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2006 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 812 votes
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2019 · TMDB 7.4/10 · 2,762 votes
Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime by sloppy FBI work and sensational media coverage. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
2016 · TMDB 7.3/10 · 2,006 votes
A young woman's desperate search for her abducted boyfriend draws her into the infamous Colonia Dignidad, a sect nobody ever escaped from. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1970 · TMDB 7.2/10 · 609 votes
In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.
1999 · TMDB 7.7/10 · 1,460 votes
The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes. This title fits the list's theme and selection thresholds.