As long as there have been stories, there have been stories about war. Whether the focus is on the heroism of those involved, the pointless nature of war itself or the suffering of innocents caught up in the carnage, there’s no denying that war makes for gripping drama. The best war stories manage to remind us that in war there can be no real winners, and if you’re looking for the best war stories, then look no further than SBS On Demand.
Into the White
Everybody loves a war movie where enemies are forced to work together to survive against a common foe. Inspired by actual events, Into the White is the story of two flight crews – one German, one British – who after shooting each other’s planes down, find themselves sharing the same cabin in the middle of a savage storm in Norway. Trapped inside by the snowstorm, they divide the cabin in half, only to realise that if they’re going to have any hope of surviving, they’re going to have to work together. Gripping and atmospheric, the small scale only intensifies the tension, as whatever happens between them inside the cabin, outside the war rages on.
All Quiet on the Western Front
Based on the classic novel, this is the story that really drove home the futility and meaninglessness of World War One. Following five school friends who happily enlist in the German army after a barrage of militaristic propaganda, they’re shipped off to France where they fight and die over a small stretch of mud criss-crossed by trenches. Brutal wounds, amputations and senseless carnage are commonplace as one by one, the friends fall victim to the horrors of war. Made by Hollywood in the wake of the Vietnam War, this adaptation is both surprisingly realistic and relentlessly anti-war; where other anti-war films like Catch-22 () have played up the absurdity of war, this presents it as nothing more than a machine that ruthlessly chews up the young.
White Tiger
Moby Dick but with Soviet troops battling a powerful and possibly unstoppable Nazi tank? What’s not to like? While this is a high concept worthy of Hollywood (and it’s a wonder it hasn’t been remade), this Russian film is based on fact: tank warfare in WWII was in part a matter of constant technical one-upmanship, and the arrival of the Tiger on the Russian front was a serious setback to Soviet forces. But is the White Tiger that comes to dominate wounded amnesiac tank commander Ivan Naydenov (Aleksey Vertkov) controlled by a human crew, or is it a supernatural symbol of war itself?
Zero Dark Thirty
America’s War on Terror has inspired few film classics to date, but Zero Dark Thirty – which looks at one CIA agent’s decade-long quest to track down Osama Bin Laden – is at the top of that very short list. Dealing with such a charged topic, it’s hardly surprising it was controversial at the time; President Obama doesn’t rate a mention, while its depiction of torture tends towards the now discredited “brutal but necessary” view. But director Kathryn Bigalow directs the action scenes with skill and style, and Jessica Chastain’s portrayal of the driven Maya Harris is never less than compelling. It’s an essential big-picture view of American thinking through this tumultuous period; a useful companion piece is Stop-Loss () which focuses on the suffering of US troops trapped in a War on Terror that will never let them go.
Downfall
You may think you know this film from the thousands of “Hitler rants” clips, but Hitler and his Nazi inner circle are only background players here. Set in Berlin as Germany’s defeat looms, early on, Hitler rants and raves to his dwindling followers – including his innocent, sheltered secretary Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara), but this is really a searing look at the horrors Hitler’s regime brought down on his nation. Berlin falls to Soviet troops, Hitler commits suicide, and civilians and military alike are forced into a desperate attempt to flee through the ruins of his failed empire.
Jirga
Years after accidentally killing a civilian during a raid on a small village in Afghanistan, a former Australian soldier returns to the region to look for the family to ask forgiveness and pay compensation. But finding them will be no easy task now that the area has fallen back into the hands of the Taliban. Filmed on location in Kandahar Province, it was written in conjunction with Afghan refugees and features largely improvised dialogue, giving it an almost documentary feel. With Afghanistan now back under the control of the Taliban, it’s an important look at a country that’s once again increasingly closed off from the world.
Transit
Based on a 1944 novel about a man attempting to flee France after its invasion by the Nazis, director Christian Petzold (who directed ) retains the action but surreally shifts the setting to what is clearly present-day Europe. The result is a disturbingly current look at the plight of those fleeing conflict, as Georg (Franz Rogowski) takes the identity of a dead author in the hope of getting safe passage to neutral Mexico. Instead, he finds himself increasingly entangled in the lives of his fellow refugees trying to flee, including the wife of the dead man whose papers he’s carrying.
Incendies
One of the first features from Denis Villeneuve, director of Dune, this Academy Award-nominated film tells the story of Canadian twins who travel to the Middle East after the death of their mother in the hope of uncovering the truth about a mysterious brother they never knew existed and a father they thought was dead. What they discover is a grim tale of civil war dragged out over a decade, with families torn apart by conflicting beliefs and culture. Brutal, shocking and powerful, it works both as a gripping and twisty thriller, and as a reminder of the futility of conflict based simply on religion.
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