Political repression movies and TV shows – page 5
Best films
New films
| Metronom (2022) | 6.6 | |
| V2. Escape from Hell (2021) | 5.5 | |
| Argentina, 1985 (2022) | 7.6 | |
| Tasian (2025) | 7.1 | |
| Black Beach (2020) | 5.6 |
List of political repression movies
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy
Story:
The story of Radio Radicale journalist Antonio Russo
Style:
intense, tense, bleak, suspenseful, grim ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
journalism, war correspondent, mysterious death, political repression, tragedy, biopic, realism, investigation, human rights, corruption, moral dilemma
Place:
chechnya, eastern europe
Is relevant?
354
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Musical
Country: USA, Argentina
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
A romantic reimagining of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream set against the turbulent backdrops of the 1962 Argentinian military coup and the 1982 war for the Falkland Islands.
Style:
captivating, historical drama, romantic, period piece, family saga ...
Plot:
female protagonist, actress, save the day, time travel, race against time, time warp, time loop, time jump, time paradox, time traveler, rescue, magic realism ...
Time:
60s, 80s
Place:
argentina, buenos aires argentina
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Philippines
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Mix-mastering history, the paranoid thriller, the documentary and the landscape film, pic tells of very different fates for two sets of brothers in oppressive Philippine settings.
Style:
experimental, art house, political, surreal, psychological ...
Plot:
paranoid, political repression, memory, social commentary, family drama, brothers, identity, loss, military, trauma, resistance, fate ...
Time:
2000s
Place:
the philippines
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Soviet Union, East Germany
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Film by Melnikov.
Style:
historical drama, reflective, bleak, melancholic, atmospheric ...
Plot:
suicide, justice, legacy, tragic past, investigation, ethical dilemma, political intrigue, moral ambiguity, biopic, political repression, conspiracy, revolution ...
Is relevant?
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Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Yeong-shin (played by the Choi Eun-hee–Shin Sang-ok’s wife) and Dong-hyeok (Shin Yeong-gyun) graduate from college with a cause. They plan to bring education and modernization to farmers living in the rural area of their birth. When they arrive, ...
Style:
inspirational, heartfelt, melancholic, earnest, period drama
Plot:
education, children, village life, community, literacy, social change, empowerment, female protagonist, small town, youth, colonialism, idealism ...
Time:
60s
Place:
south korea
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 60 min.
Story:
Made in 1983, shelved for four years. A chilling tale about kids playing in a bombed-out Warsaw courtyard on the day of Stalin's death, while their parents are away at the church or a memorial procession.
Style:
grim, bleak, period piece
Plot:
bullying, stalinism, communism, childhood, innocence lost, cruelty, totalitarianism, post war, fear, irony, oppression, anti semitism ...
Time:
1950s, 50s
Place:
warsaw poland, poland, eastern europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Argentina
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Drama starring Norma Aleandro, Conrado Valenzuela, Fabio Aste
Style:
serious, emotional, touching, disturbing, realistic ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
family relations, isolation, estrangement, dictatorship, family drama, relocation, death of mother, grief, coming of age, loss of innocence, child protagonist, social realism ...
Time:
70s, 20th century
Place:
argentina
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Peter's American dream came true. But the trial of his faith had just begun...
Style:
uplifting, christian film
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
religious persecution, refugee, escape, bible, christian faith, faith, outcast, high school, spiritual journey, intolerance, faithfulness, coming of age ...
Place:
soviet union
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
A Yugoslav stage actor marries an American girl in Belgrade and has a child with her, when his career downhill out of political reasons he develops a drinking habit, his wife leaves him and takes their daughter to U.S.A.
Style:
bleak, melancholic, emotional, political drama, tragic
Plot:
actor, marriage, family drama, alcoholism, divorce, stage actor, child custody, character study, loss, regret, theater, social commentary ...
Time:
90s
Place:
belgrade, former yugoslavia, serbia, usa, belgrade serbia
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
The film about the Holodomor famine in Ukraine, based on the novel 'The Yellow Prince' by Vasyl Barka. The film is told through the lives of the Katrannyk family of six. It relies more on images than on words shot in black-and-white.
Style:
bleak, historical drama, grim, period piece, family saga ...
Plot:
hunger, starvation, loss, family tragedy, village life, realism, mourning, survival, social commentary, oppression, memory, political repression ...
Time:
1930s
Place:
ukraine, soviet union, ussr
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Poland
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
A story of an architectural student asking questions on problems during a housing project development. Arrested for parading with a sign asking for a difficult and responsible job, he tells his story to a cellmate.
Style:
melancholic, reflective, period piece, political drama
Plot:
architecture, protest, ethical dilemma, frustration, political repression, introspection, student life, coming of age, urban, bittersweet, urban planning, nostalgia ...
Place:
poland
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Poland
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
The film is set just before Poland's communist regime came to an end, and the central character is a provincial censor (Janusz Gajos), a tired, sloppy, lonely man, whose wife has long since left him. For him, censorship is both an art and a ...
Style:
surreal, satirical, absurd, dark comedy, black comedy ...
Plot:
renaissance, surrealism, cinema, social commentary, political satire, magic realism, bureaucracy, political repression, provincial, civil unrest, midlife crisis, bittersweet ...
Place:
poland, eastern europe
Is relevant?
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Genre: Comedy
Country: Czechoslovakia
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Komedie vás přesvědčí o tom, že i na chmurné stránky naší historie je možné se dívat s nadhledem a humorem. Čo bolo, to bolo... Major Terazky vede svůj šik pétépáků od průšvihu k průšvihu vstříc světlým zítřkům. ...
Style:
satirical, period piece, tragicomedy, black comedy, historical drama ...
Plot:
army life, social commentary, political satire, authoritarianism, absurdism, cold war, outsider, camaraderie, political repression, dark humor, humiliation, farce ...
Time:
1950s, 50s
Place:
czechoslovakia
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran
TV show
Story:
In one of south regions in old Tehran, Heidar, a bully, falls in love with a Qajar princess and proposes to her. She accepts his proposal providing that he executes the passion-play for Imam Hossein for ten nights in Ashoura. This is when the king ...
Style:
period piece, historical drama, tension, bleak, poignant ...
Plot:
cultural conflict, loyalty, sacrifice, political repression, moral dilemma, friendship, bravery, social realism, love story, male protagonist, unrequited love, persian ...
Place:
tehran, middle east
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: Spain, Portugal
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Madrid, Spain, 1936. The young Miguel Gila lives happily with his grandparents in a humble attic; but the outbreak of the Civil War forces him to go to fight.
Style:
historical drama, period piece, bleak, emotional, realistic ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
spanish civil war, loss of innocence, family drama, family bonds, humanist, grandparents, political repression, resilience, survival, coming of age, moral ambiguity, isolation ...
Place:
madrid
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: Russia
Duration: 54 min.
TV show
Story:
Biopic covering a large portion of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky's life, from the Petrashevsky Circle to the writing of The Brothers Karamazov.
Style:
suspenseful, captivating, factual, rough, disturbing ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
biopic, trial, russian empire, character study, writer's life, life is a bitch, destiny, death of wife, death sentence, tragic hero, isolation, imprisonment ...
Time:
19th century
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Iran
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
Ali, a blind man, is attempting to commit suicide when he is interrupted by the concierge of his building. He is informed that the police is in search of a woman who has escaped and hidden somewhere in the building. Little by little, Ali finds out ...
Style:
melancholic, bleak, noir
Plot:
character study, empathy, compassion, isolation, loneliness, missing child, class struggle, claustrophobia, social realism, political repression, suicide attempt, concierge ...
Place:
iran
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Iran, France, Luxembourg, USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Vahid, an Azerbaijani auto mechanic, was once imprisoned by Iranian authorities. During his sentence, he was interrogated blindfolded. One day, a man named Eqbal enters his workshop. His prosthetic leg creaks, and Vahid thinks he recognizes one of ...
Style:
suspense, tense, dark, bleak, psychological thriller ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
revenge, car accident, hospital, van, gas station, torture, interrogation, trauma, accident, confrontation, escalation, moral dilemma ...
Place:
iran
Is relevant?
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Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
In a nation where educating girls is seen as rebellion, a visionary woman dares to teach young minds to dream. When their innovation draws global attention, their success sparks hope—and opposition. As threats loom and sacrifices are made, their ...
Style:
emotional, uplifting, tension, educational, political drama
Plot:
courage, female protagonist, education, social justice, inspiration, human rights, empowerment, teacher, activism, resistance, hopes, oppression ...
Time:
2010s
Is relevant?
512
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Hungary, UK, USA, Cyprus, France, Germany
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
In 1957 Budapest, one year following the failure of the Hungarian Revolution, a 12-year-old Jewish boy whose mother has raised him to believe that his father will return from the camps has his hopes shattered when a brutish stranger appears on the ...
Style:
historical drama, emotional, melancholic, period piece, intense ...
Plot:
child protagonist, family drama, trauma, post war, identity crisis, father son conflict, jewish family, intimate, haunting, cold war, brutality, mistrust ...
Time:
1950s, year 1956, 20th century
Place:
budapest, hungary, europe, central europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Uruguay, Spain, Argentina
Duration: 84 min.
Story:
Two young people learn about love as politics turn their world upside down in this drama from director Ana Diez. After a long and successful career as a soccer player, Xavi retires from the game and moves to Spain, where one day to his surprise he ...
Style:
romantic drama, melancholic, emotional, reflective, period piece
Plot:
exile, longing, nostalgia, coming of age, bittersweet, flashback, political repression, immigration, intimate, reminiscence, loss of innocence, father son relationship ...
Time:
70s
Place:
uruguay, spain
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Chile
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
Many socially-concerned priests in Catholic Latin America have at some time left their parish churches to go and work in the fields and factories of the poor. Such priests, usually adherents of "liberation theology," are called ...
Style:
serious, thought provoking, historical drama, period piece
Audience:
adult
Plot:
liberation theology, class struggle, poverty, social realism, social justice, solidarity, political activism, human rights, clergy, labor movement, moral dilemma, religious conversion ...
Time:
70s, 60s
Place:
chile, latin america
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Japan
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
A freestyle biopic of Ikki Kita, the ultranationalist intellectual whose ideas inspired the failed military coup in 1936.
Style:
historical drama, political thriller, period piece, thought provoking, tense ...
Plot:
japanese history, military coup, biopic, revolutionary, nationalism, violence, authoritarianism, assassination attempt, power struggle, anti establishment, fanaticism, moral ambiguity ...
Time:
1930s, year 1936
Place:
japan
Is relevant?
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Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: Hungary
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
A continuation of "Diary for My Children," the film picks up in 1950, when Juli, the diarist, is 18 and determined to become a movie director.
Style:
art house, reflective, poignant, emotional, lyrical ...
Plot:
diary, female protagonist, autobiography, introspection, coming of age, intimate, post war, identity, memory, personal growth, political repression, literary ...
Time:
1950s, 50s
Place:
moscow russia, budapest
Is relevant?
255
Genre: Drama
Country: Hungary
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
When a young boy comes in to see a doctor abourt a red mark on his face, the doctor's wife welcomes him into the consulting room instead. As they talk, she offers him something to eat and then notes that his manner of eating is just like that ...
Style:
bleak, art house, period piece
Plot:
post war, sexual repression, sexual awakening, domestic drama, character study, guilt, regret, moral dilemma, moral ambiguity, family secret, longing, intimacy ...
Time:
1950s
Place:
hungary
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: Czech Republic
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Capturing the dark humor of Czech author Michal Viewegh's chronicle of life after the Velvet Revolution, this black comedy chronicles three decades in the life of a small Czech family. While the original novel centered on the protagonist Kvido ...
Style:
black comedy, family saga, tragicomedy, period piece, satirical ...
Plot:
social commentary, dark humor, cold war, irony, satire, political satire, generation gap, autobiography, bureaucracy, slice of life, domestic drama, nostalgia ...
Time:
60s, 80s, 70s, 90s
Place:
prague, czechoslovakia, central europe, europe
Is relevant?
108
Genre: Drama
Country: Dominican Republic
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Angel Maceta searches for the father he never knew, who fought in the 1965 Dominican civil war.
Style:
psychological, captivating, disturbing, emotional, reflective ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
father son relationship, search for father, father and son, child, identity, family history, political conflict, civil unrest, loss, investigation, family secret, memory ...
Time:
60s
Place:
dominican republic, latin america
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Seville, 1977. At a time when homosexuality is a crime, Reme, a traditional mother moved by the love of her son, an adolescent aspiring artist, will become involved in the Andalusian LGBTQ+ movement, paradoxically born in the bosom of the Church.
Style:
semi serious, thrilling, satirical, captivating, emotional ...
Plot:
gay, lgbt, mother son relationship, lgbtq, social problems, satire, female protagonist, social issues, family drama, activism, motherhood, love ...
Time:
70s
Place:
spain, andalusia
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
When Khalil, a primary school teacher in Berlin, gets hold of images of war from his Kurdish hometown of Cizre, he is forced to question his entire existence in Berlin. His life spirals out of balance as he seems to recognise his long lost sister in ...
Style:
thrilling, psychological, captivating, intense, grim ...
Plot:
kurd, brother sister relationship, brother, problem, social problems, life is a bitch, family problems, trauma, loss, diaspora, identity, activism ...
Place:
berlin germany
Is relevant?
34K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Algeria
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Repression is the rule of the day in this film that skewers Greek governance of the 1960s. Z, a leftist rabble rouser, is killed in what appears to be a traffic accident. But given the political climate, the death of such a prominent activist raises ...
Style:
political thriller, political, realistic, tense, suspenseful ...
Plot:
conspiracy, politics, military, investigation, corruption, police, government, government corruption, justice, political corruption, politician, violence ...
Time:
year 1969, 60s, 20th century, 70s
Place:
greece, france, africa, europe
Is relevant?
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