8 Best Anti-War Movies of All Time

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Today, conflicts are happening in many parts of the world. People are losing their homes, their families, and their lives. But maybe this is the best time to revisit some of the best anti-war movies of all time.

Art has always been a way for people to understand pain and share a message of peace. Anti-war movies are some of the most powerful films ever made. They do not celebrate violence. They show its true cost. Watching them reminds us what war really means for ordinary people.

In this article, we have gathered eight essential anti-war movies that every film lover should see at least once. These films come from different countries and different eras, but they all carry the same quiet, urgent message.

Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Video

The first movie on our list is the classic Studio Ghibli masterpiece. Directed by Isao Takahata, it follows the story of two young siblings, Seita and Setsuko, trying to survive in Japan during the final months of World War II. After losing their home and mother to bombing raids, the two children are left alone with very little food and no safe place to stay. It is a quiet, heartbreaking story about innocence lost in the middle of war.

Where to Watch:  The Roku Channel, Shout! Factory TV, Xumo Play, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Amazon Prime Video

Based on the famous novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this film follows Paul Bäumer, a young German soldier who signs up for World War I full of excitement and pride, only to find horror and death on the front lines. The original 1930 version, directed by Lewis Milestone, is considered one of the greatest anti-war movies ever made. A powerful 2022 German remake is also available on Netflix and won four Academy Awards.

Where to Watch: Criterion Channel, Fandango At Home, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video

Directed by Larisa Shepitko, this Soviet film is set during the German occupation of Belarus in World War II. Two Soviet soldiers, Sotnikov and Rybak, are separated from their unit in freezing winter conditions. Captured by the enemy, the two men face very different choices. One holds on to his beliefs, while the other tries to survive at any cost. Shot in stark black and white, the film is both a war story and a deep moral question.

Where to Watch: Plex (free), Amazon, Apple TV (rent/buy)

Starring Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this film is set during the Vietnam War. Captain Willard is sent on a secret mission deep into the jungle to find and kill a rogue American officer named Colonel Kurtz, who has gone mad with power. As Willard travels further upriver, reality becomes darker and stranger. The film is a disturbing look at how war changes and destroys the human mind.

Where to Watch: -

This documentary was made by Syrian journalist Waad al-Kateab, who filmed her life in Aleppo, Syria, over five years of civil war. She addresses the film directly to her baby daughter, Sama, trying to explain why she chose to stay in a city under heavy bombing. The footage is raw and real, showing love, birth, death, and total destruction all in one place. It won a BAFTA Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Where to Watch: Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Often called one of the most powerful anti-war movies ever made, this Soviet film follows Flyora, a teenage boy in Belarus who joins the resistance during the Nazi occupation of World War II. What starts as a young man's search for adventure quickly becomes a nightmare. Directed by Elem Klimov, the film shows the mass murder of civilians with brutal honesty. By the end, Flyora and the viewer are completely changed. It is not easy to watch, but it is impossible to forget.

Where to Watch: TCM, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep, this film follows a group of steelworkers from a small Pennsylvania town who are sent to fight in Vietnam. The story moves slowly and carefully, first showing their ordinary life at home, then the violence and trauma of the war, and finally the painful struggle to return to normal life. Directed by Michael Cimino, it won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, and remains one of Hollywood's most emotional war films.

Where to Watch: YouTube TV, TCM, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand

Directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers in three different roles, this dark comedy takes place during the Cold War. A mad American general secretly orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, and the world's leaders scramble in panic, but not one of them seems able to stop what is coming. Rather than showing the horror of real battle, the film uses humor and absurdity to show how easily world leaders can lead humanity toward total destruction. It is funny, frightening, and still very relevant today.