Best movies like Heart of Fire
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Eritrea during the independence war against Ethiopia. Awet's mother left her when she was only a little girl and now she is growing up - in the midst of the upheaval - in an orphanage in Asmara. Her sense of justice is in evidence at an early age; as a young girl she is always trying to assert herself and protest against injustice. Several years later, her father - whom she believed lost - takes her away to live with his new family. But Awet is not welcome; her father torments her and finally gives her and her sister to one of Eritrea's liberation armies. The two girls are brought to a camp where they are to be trained as soldiers. There Awet experiences friendship, solidarity, and enthusiasm for the ideals of freedom. But her dream is shattered when she realizes that her heroes are committed to a brutal brothers' war against another liberation army. Confronted with death and fanaticism, Awet has to resort to her 'heart of fire', her courage and her conscience, to find a way out of.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 225
Genere: Biography, Drama, War
Country: Germany, Austria, France
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, exciting, tense, captivating
Best tv shows and movies like Heart of Fire (2008):
Similar in 87%
Morning Dew (2008)
Plot Summary:
The Ethiopian intellectual Anberber returns to his native country during the repressive totalitarian regime of Haile Mariam Mengistu and the recognition of his own displacement and powerlessness at the dissolution of his people's humanity and social values. After several years spent studying medicine in Germany, he finds the country of his youth replaced by turmoil. His dream of using his craft to improve the health of Ethiopians is squashed by a military junta that uses scientists for its own political ends. Seeking the comfort of his countryside home, Anberber finds no refuge from violence. The solace that the memories of his youth provide is quickly replaced by the competing forces of military and rebelling factions. Anberber needs to decide whether he wants to bear the strain or piece together a life from the fragments that lie around him.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 612
Genere: Drama
Country: Ethiopia, Germany, France
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, realistic, rough
Similar in 76%
Dog Jack (2010)
Plot Summary:
"Dog Jack" is the story of a slave boy and his dog who escape the master's plantation, join the union army, and have to face their former master on the battlefield. The story is inspired by the historical true-life adventures of the beloved mascot of the Pennsylvania 102nd, who was so prized by his regiment for his skills in battle that he was twice exchanged for a Confederate prisoner of war.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 168
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, uplifting, bleak, independent film
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Point of Honor (2015)
Plot Summary:
At the start of the Civil War, a prominent Virginia family makes the controversial decision to defend the South while freeing all of their slaves, pitting the family against one another and testing their strength, courage and love.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 608
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 56 min
Plot tags: captivating, stylized, tense, serious, historical drama, realistic, independent film
Similar in 75%
Marooned in Iraq (2002)
Plot Summary:
During the war between Iran and Iraq, a group of Iranian Kurd musicians set off on an almost impossible mission. They will try to find Hanareh, a singer with a magic voice who crossed the border and may now be in danger in the Iraqi Kurdistan. As in his previous films, this Kurdish director is again focusing on the oppression of his people.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Iran
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, sentimental, realistic, road movie, islamic
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Ode to My Father (2014)
Plot Summary:
Amid the chaos of refugees fleeing the Korean War in December 1950, a young boy, Duk-soo, sees his fate change in the blink of an eye when he loses track of his younger sister and he leaves his father behind to find her. Settling at Gukje Market in Busan, Duk-soo devotes himself to his remaining family, working all manner of odd jobs to support them in place of his father. His dedication leads him first to the deadly coal mines of Germany, where he meets his first love, Youngja, and then to war-torn Vietnam in this powerful generational epic about one man’s personal sacrifices.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: South Korea
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, touching, serious, captivating, social, sad, sentimental, epic, extraordinary
Similar in 82%
Missing in America (2005)
Plot Summary:
A haunted Vietnam veteran, living in exile in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, is faced with a life-changing decision after he is visited by a former platoon member and his young Amerasian daughter.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: psychological, realistic, touching, emotional, captivating, serious, contemplative, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 77%
In Flanders Fields (2014)
Plot Summary:
The story of the Boesman family's attempt to survive in the city of Ghent during the first world war focusing on each of the five family member's different experiences.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Belgium
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, touching, costume drama
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Adanggaman (2000)
Plot Summary:
In West Africa during the late 17th century, King Adanggaman leads a war against his neighboring tribes, ordering his soldiers to torch enemy villages, kill the elderly and capture the healthy tribesmen to sell to the European slave traders. When his village falls prey to one of Adanggaman's attacks, Ossei manages to escape, but his family is murdered except for his captured mother. Chasing after the soldiers in an effort to free her, Ossei is befriended by a fierce warrior named Naka.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 197
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Switzerland, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Italy
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: disturbing, thought provoking, serious, suspenseful, tense, atmospheric, captivating, realistic, contemplative, baroque
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The World Made Straight (2015)
Plot Summary:
In a rural Appalachian community haunted by the legacy of a Civil War massacre, a rebellious young man struggles to escape the violence that would bind him to the past.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, tense, neo noir, suspenseful, independent film, psychotronic
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The Feast of the Goat (2005)
Plot Summary:
Urania Cabral returns to Santo Domingo, after several years, and remembers her and her family's relationship to Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican dictator, as well as the events surrounding his assassination.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 881
Genere: Drama
Country: Dominican Republic, Spain, UK
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, rough, epic, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, social
Similar in 83%
Cadence (1990)
Plot Summary:
As punishment for drunken, rebellious behavior, a young white soldier is thrown into a stockade populated entirely by black inmates. But instead of falling victim to racial hatred, the soldier joins forces with his fellow prisoners and rises up against the insanely tyrannical and bigoted prison warden.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: inspirational, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 88%
Almayer's Folly (2011)
Plot Summary:
A tale of an occidental merchant, Kaspar Almayer, whose dreams of riches for his beloved daughter, Nina, collapse under the weight of his own greed and prejudice.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 808
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: realistic, atmospheric, psychological, captivating, bleak, serious, emotional
Similar in 85%
Drift (2013)
Plot Summary:
In the 70s two brothers battle killer waves, conservative society and ruthless bikers to kick-start the modern surf industry.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: Australia
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, serious, tense, twisted, vintage
Similar in 89%
Bashu, the Little Stranger (1989)
Plot Summary:
During the Iran-Iraq War, Bashu, a young boy loses his house and all his family. Scared, he sneaks into a truck that is leaving the area. He gets off the truck in the Northern part of the country, where everything from landscape to language is different. He meets Naii, who is trying to raise her two young children on a farm, while her husband is away. Despite cultural differences, and the fact that they do not speak the same language, Bashu and Naii slowly form a strong bond Written by Sam Tabibnia.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Iran
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: inspirational, islamic, serious, realistic
Similar in 88%
The Man Who Will Come (2009)
Plot Summary:
A group of Italian villagers struggle to survive during a tumultuous time in 1943, debating how much assistance to give the partisans with the impending arrival of the Germans. Based on True Events.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Italy
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, atmospheric, bleak, realistic, twist ending
Similar in 76%
A Little Pond (2009)
Plot Summary:
The Korean war does not start well for the US. They are being routed by the North Koreans and In July 1950, the early stage of the Korean War, at the Jugok Village in the middle of the Korean Peninsula, Chang-yee and his friends grow excited over the amateur singing contest knowing nothing about what is going on around them. At the time, the US Army keeps losing and are pushed back to the village, evacuating all villagers to head south. The villagers took refuge like going on a picnic believing that the US Army is protecting them, they just follow their orders moving south bound.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 286
Genere: Drama, War
Country: South Korea
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, bleak, captivating
Similar in 81%
Faith of My Fathers (2005)
Plot Summary:
Faith of My Fathers is based on the story of Lieutenant Commander John McCain's experiences as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years during the Vietnam War, interleaved with his memories of growing up in a heritage rich with military service.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 643
Genere: Biography, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, captivating, disturbing, suspense, bleak, realistic, cult film
Similar in 84%
11.25: The Day He Chose His Own Fate (2012)
Plot Summary:
On November 25th 1970, a man committed ritual suicide inside the Tokyo headquarters of the Japanese Ministry of Defence, leaving behind a legacy of masterpieces and a controversy that echoes to this day. The man was Yukio Mishima, one of Japan's greatest and most celebrated novelists. With four members of his own private army - the Tatenokai - Mishima had taken the commandant hostage and called upon the assembled military outside the Ministry to overthrow their society and restore the powers of the Emperor. When the soldiers mocked and jeered Mishima, he cut short his speech and withdrew to the commandant's office where he committed seppuku - the samurai warrior's death - tearing open his belly with a ceremonial knife before being beheaded by one of his colleagues. What was Mishima truly trying to express through his actions? And what did he witness during his final moments?.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 249
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, serious, exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, offbeat, contemplative
Similar in 77%
Young Winston (1972)
Plot Summary:
This historical drama is an account of the early life of British politician Winston Churchill, including his childhood years, his time as a war correspondent in Africa, and culminating with his first election to Parliament.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, realistic, exciting, tense, factual, captivating, historical drama, tension, suspense
Similar in 85%
The Holy Land of Tyrol (2010)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 1800s when Napoleon’s French ruled Europe, the film follows young Austrian carpenter Franz and his Bavarian wife, Katharina as an unforeseen event forces them to flee from Augsburg, Bavaria for Franz’s family home in Tyrol, Austria. Tyrolian sentiment is rising strongly against Napoleon and trouble is stirring. In no time it sweeps up Franz and his brothers along with the whole town.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 181
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Germany, Italy
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: epic, realistic, serious, captivating, psychological, exciting
Similar in 87%
Private Peaceful (2012)
Plot Summary:
Set in the fields of Devon and the WW1 battlefields of Flanders, two brothers fall for the same girl while contending with the pressures of their feudal family life, the war, and the price of courage and cowardice.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, realistic, crying, weeping, period drama
Similar in 77%
The Yellow Birds (2017)
Plot Summary:
Two young soldiers, Bartle and Murph, navigate the terrors of the Iraq war under the command of the older, troubled Sergeant Sterling. All the while, Bartle is tortured by a promise he made to Murph's mother before their deployment.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: tense, thought provoking, captivating, suspense, realistic, disturbing, sad
Similar in 89%
The Iron Triangle (1989)
Plot Summary:
Based on the diary of an unknown Viet Cong soldier, this film provides a sympathetic look at a Viet Cong soldier who protected a captured American soldier whom he believed did not kill him when the American had the opportunity. Written by John Sacksteder.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 532
Genere: Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, suspenseful, exciting, serious, independent film, bleak, captivating, cult film
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April Captains (2000)
Plot Summary:
Story of the 1974 coup that overthrew the right-wing Portuguese dictatorship--which continued the fascist policies of long-time dictator Antonio Salazar--and of two young army captains who were involved in it.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Portugal, Spain, Italy, France
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, thought provoking, realistic, inspirational, political
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Henri 4 (2010)
Plot Summary:
A wide-ranging, energetic period piece tracing the rise of the Protestant Henry of Navarre as he goes from battlefield warrior to France's beloved King Henri IV. Director Jo Baier's epic is a classically entertaining adventure, albeit one with more than a little bloodshed and frequent bawdy sexual interludes. In late 16th-century France, Catholics and Protestant Huguenots were at war. Seemingly seeking peace, the French dowager queen, Catherine de Medici summons Henry to her court to have him marry her daughter, uniting the two warring factions. However, the Catholics slaughter the Protestant wedding guests in what became known as the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre and Henry-now married-must use all his guile to both stay alive and maneuver for the throne. [Written by Palm Springs International Film Festival].
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, War
Country: Germany, France, Austria, Spain
Duration: 155 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, captivating, psychological, twisted, exciting, rough, bleak, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
The Sleeping Voice (2011)
Plot Summary:
Pepita travels to Madrid to be near her sister Hortensia who is pregnant and in prison. Hortensia is sentenced to death. The execution will not be carried out until after the baby is delivered. Pepita tries everything to stay the execution, but when unsuccessful she goes to the prison everyday to make sure Hortensia's son goes with her and not into an orphanage.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Spain
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, emotional, suspenseful, political, intense, bleak, realistic
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Innocent Voices (2004)
Plot Summary:
A young boy, in an effort to have a normal childhood in 1980's El Salvador, is caught up in a dramatic fight for his life as he desperately tries to avoid the war which is raging all around him.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Thriller, War
Country: Mexico, USA, Puerto Rico
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: sincere, emotional, political, uplifting, captivating, realistic, inspirational, depressing, intense, hispanic
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Too Young the Hero (1988)
Plot Summary:
WWII drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 540
Genere: Biography, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic
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The End Is My Beginning (2010)
Plot Summary:
When an extraordinary man who has lived through all is approaching his end, he decides to call his son to join him for the last time at his home in Tuscany. His intention is to share some valuable conversations about his life as a press correspondent in Southeast Asia, about the political and social changes which he has seen, and about the spiritual transformation he has experienced in recent years. But for him the most important is to show his son how he is preparing for the last great adventure of a lifetime.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 654
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Germany, Italy
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, contemplative, talky
Similar in 78%
Che: Part Two (2008)
Plot Summary:
After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: Spain, France, USA, Germany
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: political, inspirational, suspense, talky, factual, atmospheric, sincere, serious, captivating, realistic