Best movies like The Birthday
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The four sequences in the film cover four days in a life of young Warsaw lad in September 1938, 1939, 1943 and 1944. In the first sequence Jurek decides not to study in the Sorbonne but enlists in a Polish military school instead. In the second sequence the war starts and Warsaw is occupied. In the third sequence he works in the underground resistance. The final sequence takes place during the Warsaw uprising.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 35
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like The Birthday (1980):
Similar in 77%
Colonel Kwiatkowski (1995)
Plot Summary:
In 1945, military doctor Andrzej Kwiatkowski pretends to be a communist army colonel in order to save innocent people from Stalinist imprisonment and to get the heart of the girl he's in love with.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 934
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, History, Romance, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: crying
Similar in 81%
Holy Week (1995)
Plot Summary:
During the Nazi era, a Jewish woman on the run takes a trolley which passes near the Warsaw ghetto, where the uprising battle is taking place, and some passengers are struck by stray bullets. They take temporary refuge in an empty building, and there she has a chance meeting with her ex-fiancé. He offers to put her up--that is, hide her--for a few days. He's now married, a professional who lives in an idyllic suburb reached by a trolley that runs through the woods. His wife seems more committed to putting up the fugitive than he is. The story involves the neighbors, the building owner who avoids involvement and seeks solace in classic poetry, and the super and his suspicious wife.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 222
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Poland, Germany, France
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 78%
Siberian Exile (2013)
Plot Summary:
An epic tale of Poles, Ukrainians, Jews who are deported to Russia. Their fate is shown from the perspective of a young boy Staszek, who goes to Siberia with his family and neighbors from a small village in the eastern Polish borderlands. Together with his companions he starts hard struggle for survival, where the most fearsome opponent turns out to be terrible, merciless nature... Circumstances force the boy to reevaluate his life and grow up faster. Soon he will have to learn the essential struggle for survival and make decisions that will where rate will be life of his relatives. He will also have to choose between love for the Jewish Zinnia and the Russian Luybka.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 345
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Poland, Russia
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, thought provoking, touching, suspense
Similar in 78%
Group Portrait with a Lady (1977)
Plot Summary:
The story follows the life of a regular German women Leni Gruyten during the 1930s and 1940s. Through her interactions with friends, family and other people she knows, the regular folks' perception of the Nazi era is shown. (IMDb).
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 381
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: France, West Germany
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: epic, pre war
Similar in 90%
The Inheritance (1980)
Plot Summary:
In this standard Hungarian drama, the effects of sterility and jealousy on a marriage are played out against a backdrop of World War II and the rising Nazi persecution of Jews. Director Marta Meszaros usually focuses on issues like pregnancy, middle-age, and other topics without questioning the broader picture. In this drama, Sylvia (Lili Monori) cannot have children, and she convinces married Jewish woman Irene (Isabelle Huppert) to have a child and then give the child to her for adoption. The plan works but it also backfires. The way in which the child was adopted causes friction between Sylvia and her husband, and to make matters worse, Sylvia's husband falls in love with Irene. A crisis looms when he asks his jealous wife to give Irene her identity papers because Jews are being deported and Irene will die without their help.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 390
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: France, Hungary
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 83%
The Ring with a Crowned Eagle (1992)
Plot Summary:
A Polish Resistance fighter who survived the Nazi years cannot accept the new Communist power.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 316
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Poland, France, UK
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
Jamilya (1969)
Plot Summary:
The film is based on the story of the same name by Soviet writer Chinghiz Aitmatov. It is set in a remote Kirghiz village during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). A young wife of a soldier, Djamilya, fell in love with Daniar, a wounded war veteran living in her village. Daniar reciprocates her feelings. But suddenly Djamilya receives a letter from her husband with the news of his forthcoming return from the hospital. This forces the lovers to make a final decision. Years later, their young friend, Seid, who was a witness to their beautiful, albeit uneasy, love, reminisces about this wonderful couple….
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 300
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: black and white
Similar in 75%
Wherever You Are... (1988)
Plot Summary:
An Uruguayan diplomat brings his new wife with him on a business trip to Poland in the summer immediately preceding the outbreak of World War II.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 120
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Poland, UK, West Germany, France, Italy
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: pre war
Similar in 83%
The Mother of Kings (1987)
Plot Summary:
Made in 1982, shelved for five years. Story opens with Lucja Krol's husband under the tram. She gives birth to her fourth son on the floor of their new apartment. Neighbor Wiktor, a communist intellectual, befriends the poverty-stricken family but is soon arrested and sent to jail. During the war Lucja narrowly escapes a Nazi roundup at the black market. Her sons hold ardent Communist meetings in their apartment, with her blessing. Lucja works hard, but without complaint. After the war, Klemens is inexplicably arrested, accused by the new regime of being a collaborator. Wiktor, now a high-ranking party member, trying to defend him, himself falls into disgrace. Klemens is tortured to "confess" and dies in jail, a Communist to the end. Lucja is never told about his fate.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 303
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: intellectual, pre war
Similar in 76%
Godzina W (1980)
Plot Summary:
Tells the story of a very memorable in Warsaw - August 1, 1944. The Germans have been withdrawing for some time, everyone is waiting for the signal of the Polish uprising to start.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 81
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 77 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 83%
The Night (1992)
Plot Summary:
The film explores the Arab-Israeli conflict as seen through the experiences of an Arab family in newly-liberated city of Quneitra, headed by a resistance fighter.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 158
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Syria
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
Glory Sky (1962)
Plot Summary:
Two stories set in northern Greece during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 256
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Greece
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
Plot Summary:
Poland's winning battle against Soviet Russia as seen through the eyes of two young protagonists, Ola and Jan. She is a Warsaw cabaret dancer, while he is a cavalry officer and poet who believes in socialist ideals.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: captivating, tense, suspense, factual
Similar in 80%
The Last Note (2017)
Plot Summary:
The execution of 200 Greek resistance fighters by the German occupiers on May 1st, 1944 in Kaisariani, as reprisal for the Greek Resistance ambush against Nazis.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Greece
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: touching, suspense, psychological, sincere, rough, political, social
Similar in 87%
Germany Pale Mother (1980)
Plot Summary:
Germany 1939. Hans and Lene marry the day before the war breaks out, and Hans is sent to the Eastern front. During a bombing raid their daughter Anna is born. The house is destroyed and Lene and Anna moves in with relatives in Berlin. Hans survives the war but he is not the same person as in 1939, and he and Lene find it difficult to live together again.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 825
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: West Germany
Duration: 152 min
Plot tags: art house, bleak, serious, realistic, disturbing, gloomy, semi autobiographical, fairy tale, masterpiece
Similar in 87%
Snow and Fire (1991)
Plot Summary:
While the Nazis occupied most of France, Jacques (Vincent Perez) has been active in the liberation underground. Now that the Allies have freed a significant portion of their country from German control, he and his buddy Michel (Matthieu Roze) can join the Free French army and fight with them to help bring about the downfall of the German empire. Both of them are quite young men, and their first love turns out to be the same woman, a lovely nurse named Christiane (Geraldine Pailhas). Michel woos her first, and she becomes pregnant by him. However, she is much more interested in Jacques, even though she is considering marrying an American solely for practical reasons.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 135
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: France
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, emotional, realistic
Similar in 80%
A Year of the Quiet Sun (1984)
Plot Summary:
Shortly after WWII an American soldier (Norman) and a Polish refugee (Emilia) fall in deep love. Eventually he will return to USA and both expect that she will soon follow him. Emilia's mother is sick but would recover by available medicine. Somehow the mother but not Emilia knows that there will only be one ticket. Realising that Emilia would never abandon her, the mother secretly throws away the daily doses given her by Emilia - and dies.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Poland, Italy, West Germany
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: contemplative, intellectual, depressing, atmospheric, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 82%
Strange Gardens (2003)
Plot Summary:
Lucien, 14, can’t understand why his father, a serious and respected teacher, makes a fool of himself by dressing up as a clown and giving a show. André, Lucien’s father’s best friend, feels for the teenager and decides to reveal something from their mutual past that will explain the reason for Lucien’s father’s strange behavior.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 84%
The Zone of Interest (2023)
Plot Summary:
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: USA, UK, Poland
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: experimental
Similar in 82%
Warsaw 44 (2014)
Plot Summary:
A beautiful story about youth, love, friendship and the pursuit of adventure during the bloody and brutal reality of the Warsaw Uprising.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: realistic, romantic, captivating, psychological, tense, suspense, social
Similar in 76%
Time of Honor (2008)
Plot Summary:
Days of honor is a Polish World War II television drama series, broadcast on TVP2 since September 7, 2008.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 783
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, exciting
Similar in 79%
Japan's Longest Day (1967)
Plot Summary:
Following the detonation of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese military and the government clash over the demand from the Allies for unconditional surrender. Minister of the Army Anami leads the military officers who propose to fight on, even to the death of every Japanese citizen. Emperor Hirohito, however, joins with his ministers in asking the unthinkable, the peaceful surrender of Japan. When the military plots a coup to overthrow the Emperor's civilian government, Anami must face the choice between his desires and loyalty to his Emperor.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 989
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: political
Similar in 82%
1939 Battle of Westerplatte (2013)
Plot Summary:
This harrowing war film is an epic dramatization of the first battle of World War II. The Battle of Westerplatte that began on 1 September 1939 will forever be remembered as the one that announced the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. Over one week, fewer than 200 Polish soldiers fought against heavy German bombardment and in the process came to symbolize the power of resistance. As the violence rages, a complex battle of a more personal nature plays out between two Polish commanders over how to best lead their men. Amid the bloodshed, they must ask themselves – should they fight until the last man standing or surrender in the face of overwhelming odds? What unfolds is a stirring exploration of the fight against the forces of tyranny.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 956
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Poland, Lithuania
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, bleak, serious, gloomy
Similar in 86%
In Love and War (2001)
Plot Summary:
After being released from an Italian prison, British officer Eric Newby (Blue) must find his way out of Italy before the Germans come. However, he is injured on the way and is left behind from his fellow soldiers. He is helped out by the local Italians, and he meets Wanda (Bobulova), a beautiful local girl who helps him learn Italian so he can escape. Slowly, their small friendship turns into a romance, but with the Germans looking for Eric, they are kept apart, not knowing what will happen.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 435
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, romantic, captivating, period drama
Similar in 85%
Stones for the Rampart (2014)
Plot Summary:
To be defeated and not be - a victory. This is the motto that life is guided by three young friends: Alek, Sophy and Rudy. Scouts, high school graduates high school in Warsaw drifting ambitious plans for the future broken through September 1939. Entering adulthood in a very dramatic times, which puts them a choice - to survive at any cost, or to join the fighting for a free homeland, risking everything. The boys brought up in patriotic homes, shaped by the ideals of scouting, they decide to fight. They become soldiers, and although every scrape with death, they can live a full life.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Poland
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 76%
Winter in Wartime (2008)
Plot Summary:
During World War II in the freezing Netherlands winter of 1944/1945 the western Netherlands are in the grip of a famine. Many people move east to provide for their families. Fourteen year old Michiel can't wait to join the Dutch resistance, to the dismay of his father, who, as mayor, works to prevent escalations in the village.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Netherlands, Belgium
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: tense, exciting, serious, realistic, captivating, sexy, sad, stylized, gloomy, tear jerker
Similar in 78%
Abandoned Houses, Empty Homes (2000)
Plot Summary:
A war movie that takes place in Finnish Karelia in 1944.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 309
Genere: Drama, War
Country: Finland
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 75%
April 9th (2015)
Plot Summary:
In the early morning of April 9th 1940 the Danish army is alerted. The Germans have crossed the border; Denmark is at war against Europe's strongest army. In Southern Jutland Danish bicycle- and motorcycle companies are ordered out, to against all odds, hold back the forces until the Danish reinforcements can be mobilized. In the fatal hours, we follow second lieutenant Sand and his bicycle company - they will as the first Danish soldiers meet the enemy in combat on April 9th 1940.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Denmark
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, tense, suspense, suspenseful
Similar in 75%
A Bag of Marbles (2017)
Plot Summary:
In occupied France, Maurice and Joseph, two young Jewish brothers left to their own devices demonstrate an incredible amount of cleverness, courage, and ingenuity to escape the enemy invasion and to try to reunite their family once again.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France, Canada, Czech Republic
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, art film
Similar in 87%
The Edelweiss Pirates (2004)
Plot Summary:
Im Kölner Stadtteil Ehrenfeld lebt eine Gruppe von Arbeiterkindern kurz vor Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs ihren ganz eigenen Alltag. Die selbsternannten „Edelweißpiraten“ träumen von einer gerechten Welt und sehnen sich nach der unbeschwerten Vergangenheit. Sie rebellieren gegen das Naziregime. (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edelwei%C3%9Fpiraten_(Film)).
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 565
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: Germany, Netherlands
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, bleak, serious, independent film