5 Must watch Inspirational Biographical Movies

These 5 movies are sure to motivate us, inspire us and stick with us long after the ending scenes.

1. The Impossible (2012)

The Impossible (Spanish: Lo Imposible) is a 2012 English-language Spanish disaster drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez. It is based on the experience of María Belón and her family in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It features British cast Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland.

The film received positive reviews from critics for its direction and its acting, especially for Watts who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

2. Unbroken (2014)

Unbroken is a 2014 American war film produced and directed by Angelina Jolie and written by the Coen brothers, Richard LaGravenese, and William Nicholson. It is based on the 2010 non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. The film stars Jack O’Connell as USA Olympian and army officer Louis “Louie” Zamperini, who survived in a raft for 47 days after his bomber crash-landed in the ocean during the Second World War, before being captured by the Japanese and being sent to a series of prisoner of war camps.

The film had its world premiere in Sydney on November 17, 2014, followed by a London premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square on November 26, 2014. The film was released in the United States on December 25, 2014. It received mixed reviews from critics, though praise was given to O’Connell’s performance, Deakins’ cinematography, sound, and Jolie’s direction. It was a moderate financial success, grossing $163 million worldwide. The film was followed by a sequel, Unbroken: Path to Redemption, in  2018

3. Jungle (2017)

Jungle is a 2017 Australian biographical survival drama film, based on the true story of Israeli adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg’s 1981 journey into the Amazon rainforest. Directed by Greg McLean and written by Justin Monjo, the film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Ghinsberg, with Alex Russell, Thomas Kretschmann, Yasmin Kassim, Joel Jackson, and Jacek Koman in supporting roles. It was released in Australia on 9 November 2017, by Umbrella Entertainment.

It was, “without a doubt, the most thrilling, exhilarating, and inspiring film.

4.Rescue Dawn (2006)

Rescue Dawn is a 2006 American epic war drama film written and directed by Werner Herzog, based on an adapted screenplay written from his 1997 documentary film Little Dieter Needs to Fly. The film stars Christian Bale and is based on the true story of German-American pilot Dieter Dengler, who was shot down and captured by villagers sympathetic to the Pathet Lao during an American military campaign in the Vietnam War. Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Pat Healy, and Toby Huss also have principal roles. The film project, which had initially come together during 2004, began shooting in Thailand in August 2005. Despite critical acclaim, the film was a box office failure.

Watch the movie for  “lush jungle locations in Thailand, eloquent camera work and an unobtrusive but powerful music score” which brought to life the “story of a man in the wilderness battling the elements on his own terms”.

5. Ayla-Daughter of war (2017)

Ayla: The Daughter of War (Turkish: Ayla) is a 2017 Turkish drama film directed by Can Ulkay. It was selected as the Turkish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

The touching real-life tale of a Turkish sergeant who saves a small Korean girl becomes long, heart-tugging fiction in Ayla: The Daughter of War. The story is well-known both in South Korea and in Turkey, and was told in the 2010 South Korean doc Kore Ayla, which inspired the present film. A documentary feeling still persists in Yigit Guralp’s screenplay, which struggles to stay focused while faithfully recounting a passel of real-life incidents.