When thinking of the term “war movie,” it probably conjures up images where people are engaged in combat. Plenty of war movies do indeed focus on the experiences that soldiers have while fighting, as this can often be the most exciting or emotional way to make one. Soldiers, after all, experience all the death and devastation firsthand, and if war movies are trying to be captivating or particularly in-your-face about the horrors of warfare, focusing on combat is the best approach.
But the war genre is not solely defined by the experience of combat, and not all war movies have to be action-packed, either.The following war movies all take place in the aftermath of a war, with minimal, if any, scenes showing things that happened while fighting was ongoing. They all manage to be effective and often emotionally devastating,driving home the ways in which wars impact those still alive, even once combat is officially over.
10’The Best Years of Our Lives' (1946)
Director: William Wyler
The Best Years of Our Livesis a war movie, a romance, anda drama, highlighting the latter two genresover the first. It was released the year after World War II officially ended and is a cathartic and moving film about how various U.S. soldiers readjust to their civilian lives. The film is very bittersweet because it shows the joy and hardships that come with coming home, with all sorts of emotions explored over a nearly three-hour runtime.
It’s easy to see howThe Best Years of Our Liveshit home for viewers back in the 1940s, with the film’s overall success in capturing this particular point in history leading to seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. When watched today,The Best Years of Our Livesis a fascinating and engrossing time capsule, and an example of how to tell a story all about World War II that takes place after the conflict itself had ended.
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9’Lessons of Darkness' (1992)
Director: Werner Herzog
Not only isLessons of Darknessone ofWerner Herzog’sbest documentaries, but also up there with his best work overall. It runs for less than an hour and feels like it bridges the gap between documentary and essay film. It is perhaps comparable to something likeKoyaanisqatsiin its approach to capturing something without relying too much on conventions like essays or narration.
The entire experience is hard to describe, butLessons of Darknessis nevertheless effective as an exploration of the destruction wrought on the oil fields of Kuwait following the Gulf War. It depicts war-ravaged areas in a way that’s undoubtedly unsettling and ruthlessly anti-war in nature, serving as a powerful indictment of war and its impact on altered or destroyed landscapes.
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8’Land of Mine' (2015)
Director: Martin Zandvliet
Technically speaking, there were still battles being fought in World War II during the period portrayed inLand of Mine. It does, however, set itself directly after fighting ceased in Europe, which came with Nazi Germany surrendering in May 1945. It took a few more months for Japanese forces to surrender, butLand of Minetakes place in Europe.
It centers on the experiences of German prisoners of war who were forced by Danish forces to perform the dangerous task of removing mines German forces had previously laid.Land of Minedemonstrates how the end of fighting didn’t lead to peaceful lives for all straight away. Through its persistently tense story and uncompromising approach to real-life events, it holds up asa genuinely great World War II movie.
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7’A City of Sadness' (1989)
Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
A City of Sadnesstells a story that, as the title would suggest, is incredibly downbeat. It covers the experiences of a family living in Taiwan shortly after Japanese forces surrendered, which brought World War II to an official end.A City of Sadnessspans several years and shows how the lives of the people in Taiwan continued to be dangerous and difficult throughout the 1940s, with the end of Japanese colonial rule transitioning to a similarly trying rule under the Kuomintang government.
It’s a period that kicked off what’s known asthe period of White Terror, and the film doesn’t shy away from how this affected civilians who were initially optimistic about the end of World War II.A City of Sadnessis a difficult but essential and eye-opening watch, benefitting from astellar performance by a youngTony Leung Chiu-waiin arguably his most notable pre-John Woo/ pre-Wong Kar-wairole.
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6’The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer' (1961)
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
As a three-part epic that runs for well over nine hours, a good chunk ofThe Human Conditiontakes place during World War II. The trilogy follows a conscientious objector named Kaji, with his overall journey showing how he deals with being conscripted to fight in the Imperial Japanese Army, becoming hardened and traumatized by war, and then the lengths he’s forced to go to in order to survive.
1961’sA Soldier’s Prayerconcludes the trilogy, and largely takes place in the aftermath of actual combat, as the Japanese have surrendered to Russian forces at this point. This turns the third part ofThe Human Conditioninto a movie about surviving harsh Manchurian conditions, with Kaji leading a group of people on a desperate mission to get back to Japan.A Soldier’s Prayeris grueling, absorbing, and highly emotional, an essential film about what those on the losing side of war sometimes have to go through after surrendering.
Watch on Criterion Channel
5’Pan’s Labyrinth' (2006)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Pan’s Labyrinth, at least in its non-fantasy sequences, is all about showing the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, both from thesides of the victors and the rebelswho don’t want to entirely give up the fight. Though it takes place in 1944, it’s not concerned with World War II, instead focusing intensely on a terrifying captain and how he pushes his stepdaughter into escaping to a bleak yet enthralling fantasy world.
There aren’t many films that blend fantasy and war, let alone do so as well asPan’s Labyrinthdoes, making it a unique and overall brilliant movie. The Spanish Civil War isn’t usually covered in many films that get attention on an international scale, so it has a good deal of value there, too. One of directorGuillermo del Toro’sother classics, thesupernatural horror/thriller filmThe Devil’s Backbone, actually takes place right at the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939.
Pan’s Labyrinth
In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.
4’Hiroshima' (1953)
Director: Hideo Sekigawa
Standing as arguably one ofthe most underrated war movies of all time,Hiroshimabroke ground for covering the aftermath of one of two atomic bombings that took place right at the end of World War II. In an attempt to force Japan to surrender, U.S. forces took the drastic step of bombing both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with this film aiming to show just how horrific those attacks were for the civilian population of one of these devastated cities.
Hiroshimais very hard to watch, and many might turn away from its more devastating scenes. Many films that are 70+ years old have had their impact diminished with time, but this one’s still striking, disturbing, and likely to truly leave a mark on those who watch it. There was some debate about whether 2023’sOppenheimershould’veshown the bombings themselves, but an account of what happened during and following those bombings was already contained within this essential Japanese film.
Rent on Amazon Prime
3’Joint Security Area' (2000)
Director: Park Chan-wook
This is a slightly tricky film to define as a war movie;Joint Security Areadoes technically take place after the Korean War, which is said to have"officially" ended in 1953. But as the film makes clear, the conflict between North and South Korea has persisted over the years since, with the film taking place in and around the Korean Demilitarized Zone, which is about 2.5 miles wide and separates both halves of Korea.
Thus, it can be said thatJoint Security Areatakes place after the Korean War but does shed light on the continually tense and ongoing stand-offbetween the two sides in that war. The compelling story told here also feels fresh for a war movie, with it revolving around a tense double murder investigation, where the victims are two North Korean soldiers, and the perpetrator is supposedly a single South Korean soldier.
Watch on Kocawa
2’Cold War' (2018)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Cold Waris a movie that starts shortly after World War II ends and continues into the 1960s. Its focus is ona couple who form an unlikely romantic bondwithin post-war Poland, with the film chronicling the couple’s ups and downs. The film contrasts this with the rocky road of rebuilding and recovery that followed the war, given Poland was particularly devastated by the events of World War II.
And sure, this does mean that it takes place during at least part of the titular Cold War, but the narrative kicks off - and is heavily informed by - the conclusion of World War II. Perhaps going from one combat-heavy war to another (of sorts) that felt high-stakes and dangerous without being as physically destructive is a commentary about how wars - and love - never end. Thought-provoking and visually striking,Cold Waris a strikingly beautiful and profoundly impactful examination of the bittersweet and often unforgiving nature of love.
1’Hiroshima, Mon Amour' (1959)
Director: Alain Resnais
A classic from the 1950sthat makes a good companion piece to the aforementioned and similarly namedHiroshima,Hiroshima Mon Amourcenters on another romance that forms shortly after World War II concludes. It’s an often abstract and eerie film, with its central story following a Japanese architect and a French actress forming an unexpected bond when they meet in Hiroshima.
Hiroshima Mon Amouralso takes time to detail the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of the titular city, particularly in its harrowing opening sequence, which is hard to shake even as the film continues. The film’s likely not going to be for everyone, but something that deals with heavy subject matter like this should feel impactful and even challenging. Indeed,these qualities makeHiroshima Mon Amouran iconic and perhaps even soul-shattering post-war war film.
NEXT:The Best World War II Movies Released During World War II, Ranked
