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10 Holocaust Movies That Will Move You To Tears

The Holocaust represents one of humanity’s darkest chapters – a devastating period defined by hate and genocide. The word “Holocaust” comes from Greek, meaning 鈥榙estruction by fire鈥�.

This term chillingly captures the atrocities committed against Jews, Roma, homosexuals, and other groups persecuted by Nazi Germany’s fascist regime in the 1930s and 40s.

The culmination of years of antisemitism, the Holocaust saw innocent victims subjected not just to prejudice, but unimaginable cruelty through mass murder in concentration camps, gas chambers, mass shootings, and other inhumane acts.

Though Hitler and the Nazis were ultimately defeated in 1945, the horrific memories endure as solemn lessons of the dangerous consequences of unchecked bigotry taken to its most evil extreme.

The raw emotions and human stories of this painful history have been impactfully translated through art, more so cinema. This article will therefore highlight 10  powerful movies about the Holocaust, from Schindler’s List to Jojo Rabbit that are sure to get you tearing up.

1. Schindler鈥檚 List (1993)

Few directors have impacted generations of filmgoers like Steven Spielberg, and his masterful Schindler’s List stands as one of his most acclaimed achievements.

Winner of seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, Schindler’s List tells the incredible true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved over 1,000 Jewish lives by employing them in his factories during WWII.

Liam Neeson delivers a powerful performance as Schindler, whose initial wartime profiteering transforms into altruism through knowing the endangered Jews as people.

Filmed in stark black-and-white, Spielberg brings unsparing realism to scenes of life in the Krak贸w ghetto and the Plaszow labor camp, juxtaposing chilling atrocities against acts of courage and humanity.

2. Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds stands out as a revisionist masterpiece, a film that dares to take creative liberties while never losing sight of the horrifying reality of the Nazi regime.

Tarantino’s signature blend of dialogue-driven humor, sudden bursts of violence, and a touch of the surreal creates a unique cinematic experience that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

The film follows two intertwined storylines: Shosanna Dreyfus, a young Jewish woman seeking vengeance against the Nazis who killed her family, and the “Basterds,” a group of Jewish-American soldiers led by the ruthless Aldo Raine, who is on a mission to scalp Nazis.

Despite its fantastical elements, such as the idea of burning down a Nazi cinema, the film never shies away from depicting the brutality of the Holocaust.

The opening scene, in particular, is a harrowing portrayal of the Nazi SS carrying out a raid on a Jewish farmhouse, leaving the audience with a stark reminder of the atrocities committed during the war.

3. Son of Saul (2015)

L谩szl贸 Nemes’s 2015 masterpiece, Son of Saul, stands as a harrowing and profoundly moving testament to just how inhumane the Holocaust was.

Set amidst the chaos of Auschwitz-Birkenau, this Hungarian film follows Saul Ausl盲nder, a Sonderkommando member tasked with the unspeakable act of cremating the bodies of his fellow Jewish prisoners after they had been in the gas chambers.

When Saul discovers the body of a young boy he believes to be his son, he becomes fixated on giving him a proper Jewish burial amidst the death camp’s atrocities.

Shot in continuous close-ups, the film immerses the viewer in Saul’s claustrophobic and emotionally detached reality, as he navigates the unimaginable horrors that surround him.

The camera’s unwavering focus on Saul’s face, etched with anguish and a haunting stillness, conveys the profound impact of the Holocaust on individuals, stripping away the sweeping narratives and focusing on personal tragedy.

4. The Pianist (2002)

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Roman Polanski’s masterpiece, The Pianist, is a harrowing and unforgettable cinematic experience that delves into the depths of the adversities faced by Jews under the Nazi regime.

The film follows the true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist who witnesses firsthand the horrors of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw and the systematic extermination of his people.

Through Adrien Brody’s profoundly moving performance, we witness Szpilman’s transformation from a sheltered and privileged artist to a hunted man, forced to endure the unimaginable brutality of the Holocaust.

As he narrowly escapes capture and seeks refuge in the desolate ruins of Warsaw, Szpilman clings to his music as a source of solace and hope.

5. The Counterfeiters (2007)

The Austrian film The Counterfeiters grippingly explores the impossible ethical choices faced by Jewish prisoners enlisted by the Nazis for a special forced labor camp project.

Based on a true story, it follows Salomon Sorowitsch, a talented Jewish counterfeiter imprisoned after creating false documents to help fellow Jews escape Germany. Ironically, his skills attract the attention of the SS, who put him in charge of an operation to produce millions in fake foreign currency to fund the Nazi war effort.

Faced with easier conditions and protection from death in exchange for aiding the very regime exterminating his people, Sorowitsch walks an excruciating moral tightrope to help as many prisoners survive as possible.

The Counterfeiters highlights the agonizing compromise and collateral guilt weighing on even unwilling participants in the Holocaust.

6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

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Through the innocent eyes of Bruno, an eight-year-old boy whose father is appointed commandant of a concentration camp, the film explores the themes of innocence, friendship, and the devastating consequences of prejudice.

Bruno’s curiosity leads him to befriend Shmuel, a Jewish boy who lives on the other side of the barbed wire fence that separates the camp from the outside world. Their friendship, though forbidden and ultimately heartbreaking, serves as a beacon of hope amidst the darkness of the Holocaust.

As Bruno grows increasingly aware of the realities of the camp, he struggles to reconcile his newfound knowledge with his father’s authority and the propaganda he has been fed.

7. The Reader (2008)

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The Reader provides a morally ambiguous portrait of how guilt reverberated long after WWII through the story of Michael and Hanna, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet.

As a teenager in post-war Germany, Michael has an affair with the much older Hanna, only later to discover she was an SS guard. Decades after the war, Hanna is put on trial for war crimes.

However, a secret shame from her past complicates the justice pursued against her. Without redeeming Hanna’s actions, The Reader illustrates how the Holocaust disturbed human psyches and societies for generations.

Even peripheral characters like Michael are profoundly affected by history’s long shadow. Winslet won an Oscar for her performance portraying Hanna鈥檚 complexities and hidden trauma.

8. The Grey Zone (2001)

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The Grey Zone (2001) stands apart for its unflinching portrayal of the moral complexities faced by Jewish Sonderkommandos, prisoners tasked with operating the gas chambers and crematoria at concentration camps.

Directed by Tim Blake Nelson and based on his own play, the film delves into the depths of human psychology, exploring the choices individuals make in the face of unimaginable atrocities.

The film follows Auschwitz鈥檚 twelfth Sonderkommando which was one of the thirteen consecutive 鈥淪pecial Squads鈥� of Jewish prisoners forced to help in the killing of fellow Jews. The film gives a look into the infamous Auschwitz death camps and the dilemma these Jews were put into.

9. Sophie鈥檚 Choice (1982)

As far as movies about the Holocaust go, few films have garnered as much critical acclaim and audience resonance as Alan J. Pakula’s 1982 masterpiece, “Sophie’s Choice.”

Based on William Styron’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, the film tells the harrowing tale of Sophie, a Polish Catholic woman, and the agonizing choices she has to make to save her two children from the Nazis’ gas chambers.

Recognized as Meryl Streep鈥檚 best performance in her industrious career, she won her second Academy Award (her first as Best Actress) for her poignant betrayal of the haunted Sophie.

The film’s unflinching portrayal of Sophie’s trauma and the excruciating decision she is forced to make leaves an indelible mark on the viewer.

10. Jojo Rabit (2019)

Taika Waititi鈥檚 Jojo Rabbit is a rather unorthodox Holocaust film that takes the rarely attempted approach of dark comedy and satire to convey the horrors of WWII through innocent eyes.

Set in Nazi Germany, the movie tells the story of Jojo Betzler, a young boy who idolizes Hitler and dreams of becoming a member of the Hitler Youth.

New Zealand director Taika Waititi himself stars as an imaginary Hitler who absurdly mentors 10-year-old German boy Jojo, satirizing blind nationalism in the early days of Nazi Germany.

However, Jojo’s fanaticism is tested when he discovers a Jewish girl hiding in his home, and his childlike friendship with her opens his young mind to humanity amidst senseless hatred.

While irreverent humor punctuates the plot, Jojo Rabbit still captures the everyday terrors of living under fascism through glimpses of concentration camps and executions.

While the world rejoiced over the defeat of Hitler and the Nazis, the memories of the Holocaust lingered, etched into the collective conscience of humanity. Art, and cinema in particular, has produced some of the most poignant and thought-provoking portrayals of the Holocaust, capturing the depths of human suffering and resilience.

This article delves into ten such films but it should be noted that there are other brilliant films about the Holocaust that did not make the list.