Dramas based on real life on Netflix
Last updated April 20, 2024
Unconditional
2012 | NR | 4.4 out of 5 StarsThis Christian-oriented drama based on real events describes a woman's search for her husband's killer, and her slow return to faith afterwards. Reunited with an old friend, the bereaved widow is inspired by his mission to help inner-city children.
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My Way
2011 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsThis fact-based wartime drama follows two young men, one Korean and one Japanese, whose athletic rivalry ends with the start of World War II. Captured by the Soviets, both men escape but are separated, only to meet again in the D-Day invasion.
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Forever Strong
2008 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsRick (Sean Faris) is a star player on his dad's rugby team until a DUI lands him in a reformatory. While he's serving his sentence, tough rival coach Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole) allows him to play for his team, which helps Rick straighten up his act. Upon his release, however, Rick becomes a pariah to his former teammates and even his father when he refuses to divulge Gelwix's strategies. Sean Astin co-stars in this inspiring true story.
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Braveheart
1995 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsEnraged at the slaughter of Murron (Catherine McCormack) -- his new bride and childhood love -- legendary Scottish warrior William Wallace (Mel Gibson, who also directed the film) slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule. With vivid battle scenes and a heaping portion of legend, Gibson's epic won five Oscars, including Best Picture.
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Maria Di Nazaret
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsIn this biographical drama, the young Mary of Nazareth grows up as just another young Israelite working in the olive groves under Roman occupation. Following her life, the film captures the weight of Mary's fated role as the Mother of God.
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The Legend is Born: Ip Man
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsThis martial arts biopic follows the early years of Ip Man -- the master who would one day become Bruce Lee's mentor -- as he perfects his Wing Chun style of combat against a small army of villainous foes.
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Soul Surfer
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsFrom director Sean McNamara comes this inspiring film that dramatizes the real-life story of Bethany Hamilton, a Hawaiian teen who bravely returns to competitive surfing after losing her left arm in a vicious shark attack.
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Maria Di Nazaret
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsMary, Mother of God. Mary is an ordinary young woman who works in the olive groves and spends time with her friends. If she only knew that these three little words -- Mother of God -- would one day be synonymous with her name. Humbled by the role she is asked to play as the mother of the Messiah, she unwaveringly fulfills the mission assigned to her. An ordinary girl chosen for an extraordinary role unlike any other.
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The Young Victoria
2009 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsEighteen-year-old British royal Victoria ascends to the throne and is romanced by future husband Prince Albert in this lush period film that chronicles the early years of the British monarch's larger-than-life reign.
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Mao's Last Dancer
2010 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsA delegation from Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy selects 11-year-old peasant villager Li Cunxin to study ballet in far-off Beijing, where he trains for seven grueling years to become one of China's greatest dancers. His efforts win him the opportunity to dance in America, opening his eyes to a new love and the possibility of a dramatic defection from China in this remarkable true story based on Cunxin's autobiography.
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Lawrence of Arabia
1962 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis Oscar-winning epic tells the true story of T.E. Lawrence, who helped unite warring Arab tribes to strike back against the Turks in World War I. This lush, timeless classic underscores the clash between cultures that changed the tide of war.
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The Wave
2008 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsTo give his students a real-world example of how dictatorships can grow powerful, a high school teacher starts a social experiment that gives some of his students a strong advantage while leaving others subservient and powerless.
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The Lady
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsBased on the inspiring true story, this epic yet intimate biopic tells the story of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's leading pro-democracy reformer who was held under house arrest for 15 years, and her English husband, who worked tirelessly for her release.
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The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
1958 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIngrid Bergman stars as Gladys Aylward, a real-life missionary who goes to China during the Sino-Japanese War. As the hostile Chinese begin to trust her, she takes on an arduous task: guiding 100 children through enemy territory and into safety.
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The Pursuit of Happyness
2006 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsWill Smith earned an Oscar nomination for an inspiring performance opposite his real-life son Jaden in this tearjerker about a struggling single parent who's determined to build a better life for his family. Chris Gardner (Smith) is smart and talented, but his dead-end salesman job barely pays the bills. When he and his son are evicted, they face trying times as a desperate Chris accepts an unpaid internship at a stock brokerage firm.
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Glory
1989 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsLoosely based on the letters of Union commander Col. Robert G. Shaw, this Academy Award-winning drama follows the first group of African-Americans to serve in combat during the Civil War -- and shows how they helped turn the tide of the war.
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Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis biopic chronicles how the shrewd Virgin Queen assumed the throne of a nation in turmoil, stabilized the economy, earned her subjects' devotion and manipulated a succession of suitors to political advantage.
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The World's Fastest Indian
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis fact-based drama stars Anthony Hopkins as quirky New Zealander Burt Munro, a 67-year-old grandfather who flies across Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats and attempts to break into the record books on his customized Indian Scout motorcycle.
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We Bought a Zoo
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn this adaptation of Benjamin Mee's memoir about buying and saving a run-down zoo, the locale shifts from Britain to southern California. However, the wacky spirit of the original is retained, complete with escaped tigers and a zoo crew of misfits.
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The Way Back
2010 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsAfter narrowly escaping from a wretched World War II Siberian labor camp, a small band of multinational soldiers desperately undertakes a harrowing journey to traverse Siberia, the Gobi Desert and the Himalayas on foot.
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Coach Carter
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsSamuel L. Jackson stars in the true story of high school basketball coach Ken Carter, who controversially puts school before sports and benches his entire undefeated team because of poor academic performance.
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United
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsA devastating plane crash in 1958 left the Manchester United football squad with only four surviving team members still able to play, as recounted in this moving drama that finds the team and community struggling to recover from the tragedy.
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Jet Li's Fearless
2006 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsJet Li stars as real-life martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia, a world-class Chinese fighter who dreams of continuing his father's legacy and restoring pride in his nation. But as Huo's sparring skills grow, so does his ego.
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A Royal Affair
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn 18th-century Denmark, the unstable King Christian VII neglects his young queen, Mathilde, who falls in love with his German physician, Struensee, an intellectual whose advocation of reform transforms the country but brings about his own downfall.
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Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis biopic chronicles how the shrewd Virgin Queen assumed the throne of a nation in turmoil, stabilized the economy, earned her subjects' devotion and manipulated a succession of suitors to political advantage.
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