12 Films I Love That Are Based on a True Story.

I have a soft spot for movies based on true stories. When I was a kid, I primarily watched animated movies, never really going out of my way to watch live-action films. I had been fascinated with history since elementary school, however, when my fifth-grade teacher taught an interactive curriculum surrounding the Civil War. Movies based on true stories allowed me to appreciate live-action films for the first time, as they enhanced my love of history and allowed me to explore subjects I’d never been interested in before. In fact, the primarily dialogue-driven stories I saw in most of these films probably shaped my taste in movies as a whole. To emphasize how much I adore movies like this, I’ve created a top 10 list (or I suppose top 12, for reasons you’ll see within the list) of my personal favorite historical films. These aren’t necessarily the most technically brilliant, epic, or even well-known historical films ever made. These are just films that have a lot of personal meaning to me and that I would personally recommend to anyone who wanted to watch a movie based on a true story.

12. Steve Jobs

Let’s start with the first-ever live-action movie I ever went out of my way to obtain a copy of and watch. Steve Jobs was also the first time I started to take notice of specific elements of filmmaking, namely the writing. Partially because of this film and my attachment to it, Aaron Sorkin is now my personal favorite screenwriter. His incredibly fast-paced and witty writing style grabs you and never lets you go, keeping you invested with nothing more than a heated argument.

Michael Fassbender completely disappears in his role as the titular tech giant, somehow perfectly encapsulating his voice and mannerisms without trying to imitate them. The rest of the acting, particularly from Jeff Daniels, Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, and Michael Stuhlbarg, is also great, and the editing is just as quick and visceral as the screenplay. It’s taken me years to analyze every single line of dialogue because of its fast-paced execution. I’ve always admired how well Sorkin is able to write scripts that feel stylized yet authentic at the same time, and Steve Jobs is a shining example of that ability.

11. The Imitation Game

I honestly don’t think there’s anything I can add to this movie that Chris Stuckmann didn’t beautifully state himself. This is a war film that focuses primarily on conflict without a single character touching a gun. It emphasizes that the work that went on behind the scenes to break Nazi codes was just as important to winning the war as sending soldiers to the battlefield. It’s also an extremely intimate portrayal of a homosexual man struggling with his personal identity in a time where homosexuality was literally illegal. Benedict Cumberbatch is mesmerizing from scene one, and the dynamic between him, Keira Knightley, and the other codebreakers makes this movie so much fun to watch.

A lot of people seem to criticize the changes this movie made to the real-life story of Alan Turing. I personally don’t see the changes as negative. There are no changes that made fun of Turing or tarnished his legacy. The writers didn’t do anything that undermined his efforts in the war or made him unlikable. Even the changes they made to his story honored his significant contributions to the war effort, and to be honest, I think that this movie ultimately helped him gain recognition for his accomplishments. In my opinion, if a biopic’s changes don’t exploit a historical event or person and still portray the tone of the events as accurately as possible, they are justified. To me, this is one of those times where those changes are justified, and The Imitation Game is worth a watch simply to honor and recognize the impact of a man who wasn’t given due credit during his lifetime.

10. 127 Hours

The one word that always comes to mind when I think of this film is intense. The masterful combination of James Franco’s performance and Danny Boyle’s direction puts you directly in the claustrophobic survival situation that Aron Ralston had to endure. The movie demonstrates that even though Ralston was reckless, he was also knowledgeable about the wilderness. Now, he’s stuck in a terrible situation simply because he got unlucky, and he has to use everything he knows to figure out a way to escape his trap.

The movie has to stick with the same character in the same location for the entire runtime. Because of this, the editing goes to great lengths to keep the story interesting, diving into his thoughts, desires, loves, and personal life. The movie isn't very long at only an hour and a half, but frankly, if it had gone on any longer, it would have overstayed its welcome. This is a film that doesn’t need an incredibly epic, long-form story to make the audience care. It only needs to show you the personal thoughts and feelings of a person stuck in a terrible situation and make you experience his pain with him.

As an addendum, I think this is the first and only time the editing of a movie has ever made me thirsty. That’s a pretty awesome accomplishment in and of itself. If you love survival movies, definitely check out 127 Hours.

9. Love and Mercy

This was the first film that actually got me interested in live-action movies as a whole, and it even introduced me to the music of The Beach Boys. The movie does an incredible job of capturing the mind of the musical genius Brian Wilson and how his experimentation with drugs and abusive family life damaged him as a person in more ways than one.

I think everyone who talks about this movie knows how incredible Paul Dano was as the younger Brian Wilson and how he absorbed himself into that role. However, not a lot of people talk about John Cusack as the older Brian Wilson and those that do seem to think he’s lackluster compared to Dano. I will admit that while Dano gave a better performance overall, I felt that Cusack was still fantastic in the movie, and his sequences with Elizabeth Banks were just as important as the scenes with Dano and the Beach Boys (even if their pacing does sometimes lag). Cusack’s sequences highlight how the constant and neverending torture from those he sought approval from made him feel continuously more isolated and separate from the rest of the world.

Special shoutouts need to be given to Paul Giamatti, who gives maybe one of my favorite antagonist performances of all time, and Atticus Ross, whose soundtrack initially annoyed me because it wasn’t “original.” The soundtrack is a mish-mash of a bunch of different Beach Boys songs created into new sounds to represent Brian Wilson’s mental state. Initially, this “lack of originality” annoyed me, but I eventually realized how perfect of a choice it was for capturing the disorientation that Wilson felt once he started experimenting with drugs. I personally believe that Love and Mercy is a phenomenal character study and you should definitely check it out if you’re a fan of The Beach Boys, or even if you’ve never heard of them before.

8 and 7. The Theory of Everything/Jackie

This is the first of two entries where I put two films in the same slot, and there’s a reason for that. To me, it’s not necessarily the movies themselves that are memorable. There’s nothing that stands out about the direction, writing, editing, or most of the technical aspects of The Theory of Everything, and its primary aim is definitely to tug on your heartstrings. Meanwhile, even though the technical craft of Jackie still sticks in my head, I wouldn’t say it was a fantastic film story-wise.

However, the things that really make these movies stand out to me years after seeing them for the first time are the lead performances. For a time, I probably would have considered Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything my personal favorite performance. His capturing of the legendary Stephen Hawking and the progression of his ALS was truly jaw-dropping. I have no idea how he managed to contort himself like that, but it paid off with a performance that heartbreakingly captured how ALS affects the individuals afflicted with it.

Meanwhile, Natalie Portman managed to bring something human to a somewhat distant figure of history. From what I’ve gathered about Jackie Kennedy, she didn’t necessarily demonstrate her emotions to the public all that much. Sure, she wore her bloodstained clothing to show how traumatizing Kennedy’s assassination was, but other than that, she seemed to keep her emotions pretty hidden. Portman’s performance allows for an intimately human look into an incredibly important historical figure that people hadn’t really gotten the chance to see in that light before, at least not to that degree.

In my opinion, both Eddie Redmayne and Natalie Portman excelled in bringing the struggles faced by two amazingly important figures into the limelight, and for their performances alone, I can’t recommend The Theory of Everything or Jackie enough.

6. At Eternity’s Gate

This is possibly the most unique biopic I have ever seen. I remember seeing a review on Amazon that talked about how sickness-inducing the camerawork in this movie was, and I ultimately disagree with that. Although there are one or two scenes that are unintentionally disorienting, for the most part, the odd shot composition serves to highlight the way that Vincent van Gogh saw his constantly shifting world. In my opinion, the cinematography, scenery, and even camerawork are absolutely incredible, and the film itself is wonderfully crafted.

Something about this film that I have never seen anyone else talk about is how it beautifully incorporates language into its story. The characters constantly flip back and forth between English and French. Van Gogh primarily speaks English, and when someone else in this movie speaks English, it demonstrates that they think similarly to him or believe they are helping him. When characters in the film speak French, it communicates that they’re not on the same wavelength as van Gogh and are possibly belittling his creative vision. Seriously, watch the movie from that perspective and you’ll see how the script keeps the meaning of both languages consistent throughout.

Here’s the essential recipe for this movie: Take great cinematography, beautiful scenery, symbolic writing, and a euphoric score and stir them together. Add an emotional story and a fantastic lead performance by Willem Dafoe. Now, you’ve got one of the most haunting yet oddball portraits of an artist that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I first saw it (even though I’ve only seen it once). If you’re interested in Vincent van Gogh, check out the unique vision of At Eternity’s Gate.

5 and 4. Dunkirk/1917

I once again put two different movies in the same slot here because of how similar they are in regards to their impact. Dunkirk was a movie that I had to let grow on me. I initially didn’t like it all that much, but after discussing it with others and watching the film again… and again… and again... it became an incredibly engaging, unique experience. I realized that it wasn’t the kind of war film that made you relate to the situation through in-depth and complex character arcs. It was the kind that used expert camera-work, incredible image and sound editing, and minimal dialogue to put the viewer right in the middle of the war. It forced them to experience the war for themselves, and that in itself is incredibly powerful. Seriously, the gunshots at the beginning of this film startle me every single time I watch it because they sound so realistic.

1917 is more of the film I was expecting Dunkirk would be, with engaging lead character arcs that allow you to relate to their plights. However, it also incorporates the same elements Dunkirk did -- minimal dialogue, fantastic camerawork, and realistic editing -- to make you feel like you’re experiencing the war unfold in front of you. This time, however, you’re not experiencing the war through your own perspective, but through the perspectives of other people. Both of these films are technically brilliant, incredibly acted, and beautifully directed and shot, and both have some of the best sound editing and mixing I’ve ever heard. They’re both intense because of how well they put you right in the middle of a war, something that, in my opinion, no other films have done better.

3. Into the Wild

This is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a character study. I think I was the only one in my entire school who was genuinely captivated by the story of Christopher McCandless. When I first read Jon Krakauer’s book, I thought the decisions McCandless made were incredibly stupid. Going out into the wild with no supplies, barely any food, and with no previous survival experience seemed like one of the dumbest decisions anyone could make. As I kept reading the book, however, I realized I was starting to understand where he was coming from and could even relate to him. His actions may not have been completely justified, but at the core of the situation, his decision was one of longing, wanting to discover new things and explore the world, living his life with no obligations or societal expectations to weigh him down. Even though I’ve never completely agreed with his mentality, I completely understand why he did what he did.

With Emile Hirsch essentially being a reincarnated Christopher McCandless and a directorial style that made this film feel like a documentary in certain aspects, Into the Wild completely absorbs you into the mindset of Christopher as a person. Even if you don’t empathize with him at all, you’re invested in learning about why he acts the way he does. Top it off with incredible performances across the board (except for Kristen Stewart, unfortunately, who has always been my one and only flaw with this otherwise perfect film), Eddie Vedder’s euphoric soundtrack, the gorgeous scenery, amazing establishing of tone, and a timeless exploration of someone sticking a middle finger to society and you’ve got a film that is probably my personal favorite character study movie of all time. In fact, this film may mean more to me personally than any of the other films on this list. Why isn’t this number one, then? Because it’s not my personal favorite film on this list, believe it or not.

2. The Social Network

I considered this film my favorite for many years, and while I’ve seen many films afterward that have had more of a profound impact on me, I still think The Social Network is beyond incredible. Part of the reason why is because this is the film that completely cemented Aaron Sorkin as my favorite screenwriter, with his stylized writing here being one of my personal favorite screenplays of all time.

On every level, this is a film that shouldn’t be as good as it is. I was skeptical when I saw who the main cast members were. I had only seen (or rather heard) Jesse Eisenberg in Rio. I had only heard of Andrew Garfield through the supposedly subpar Amazing Spider-Man reboot films. I thought Justin Timberlake would stick out like a sore thumb in a drama biopic like this. I had never even heard of Armie Hammer before. All of them blew me away with what are my personal favorite performances from all of them, particularly an absolutely snubbed Supporting Actor nod for Andrew Garfield.

This film does something really clever by initially making Mark Zuckerberg the main character and telling the audience to sympathize with him. The film starts shifting its focus over to the much more likable Edward Saverin as you realize that Zuckerberg is a complete jerk. It makes it more interesting to watch such an inhuman character from afar, and much like Steve Jobs, I still catch small minutiae with the dialogue even years after first watching it. My thoughts on how much I love this film do vary each time I watch it, but whenever I think about how great the screenplay is, I just can’t help but geek out.

1. Amadeus

I remember watching the director’s cut of this film for the first time and being ambivalent about it. Sure, it was good, but it didn’t really affect me as much as it seemed to affect everyone else. With the director’s cut, I could feel the three-hour runtime. Eventually, I sought out the theatrical cut of this film and watched it. With that original cut, the two-and-a-half-hour runtime felt more like one-and-a-half.

Everything about this film invested me: its brilliant direction, its clever writing, its satisfying character moments, its euphoric editing and amazing music sequences that highlight the genius of both Mozart and Salieri, and the fantastic lead performances from both Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham, who I personally believe should have won their Oscars together instead of being nominated in the same category.

There are some truly beautiful sequences in this movie that augment my love of both music and film as art forms. Amadeus truly demonstrates how incredible art can be when utilized to its full potential. It beautifully captures the jealousy one can feel when someone overshadows them in an area they once excelled at, and the cat-and-mouse game between Salieri and Mozart is engaging from the very first scene -- especially considering Mozart never seems aware of it. Of all the films that have ever won Best Picture, this is the film I would say is the one I would have least expected to win but deserves it the most. After seeing the theatrical cut, I would argue that this film would go into my top 10 personal favorites of all time. If you love movies, if you love music, if you love history, for the love of God and Mozart, see Amadeus. If you can, please seek out the theatrical cut and maybe check out the director’s cut later. You’ll find yourself much more invested, and that version of the film will stick in the back of your mind for a long time.

These are my picks for my top twelve historical films, those that mean the most to me personally. Please remember this is just my opinion, and I guarantee that you’re going to love other films more than what I included here. I want to know, what are some films based on true stories that you would recommend to anyone? Let me know down in the comments below!