Shubhabrata Dutta
There’s something about movies based on true stories that makes them palpable and more attractive. References always work a great deal in transporting us into the world of the plot. If it is based on a true story, it provides a surreal feeling of getting to know real people from a specific period in history or experiencing a virtual first-hand experience of an actual event, whether a memorable one, a horrifying one, or a historical one. In this list, we bring you some great movies based on real stories available for streaming on HBO Max. Each of these showcases a unique event while throwing light on the sentiments and society of the time.
13. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ is the seventh installment in The Conjuring Universe. It blends facts and fiction- borrowing from the 1981 murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who killed his landlord but pled not guilty by reason of demonic possession, the first of its kind in the country, and incorporating a witch and a satanic curse. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return as paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren, respectively. The film shows how the couple was involved in the case before it even was one. Directed by Michael Chaves, ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ co-stars Ruairi O’Connor, Eugenie Bondurant, Sarah Catherine, and Julian Hilliard. You can watch it here.
12. I, Tonya (2017)
‘I, Tonya’ is a biographical mockumentary drama based on the life and career of American figure skater Tonya Harding. It follows how Tonya (Margot Robbie) assisted her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) in injuring her rival Nancy Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver) before the 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships and the Winter Olympics. Kerrigan was attacked by an assailant with a baton on her right leg. This would increase the chances of Tonya winning in both of them.
However, the film is based on the interviews of Tonya, who states that she didn’t know about the attack beforehand, and Jeff, and makes it clear that it is up to the viewers to believe them. Using dark comedy and fourth wall breaks, director Craig Gillespie gives us an intriguing view into the sportswoman’s life, right from her childhood, when she was tormented by her abusive mother, LaVona Golden (Allison Janney), to her present condition. She has been banned from skating forever and lives with her third husband and son, exploring other hobbies. ‘I, Tonya’ received several accolades, including a Best Actress nomination for Robbie at the 90th Academy Awards and the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Janney. You can watch the film here.
11. The Iron Claw (2023)
This compelling biographical sports drama is directed by Sean Durkin. It tells the story of the Von Erich family, a wrestling family hailing from Texas, and the Von Erich curse that cost the lives of five of Fritz Von Erich’s six sons. The five were aged between 6 and 33, and three of them died by killing themselves. All five died between 1959 and 1993.
The narrative shows Fritz Von Erich’s time as wrestling company owner, his sons’ times as wrestlers, their success, and their deaths are all addressed in the film in a powerful and moving manner. The title is taken from the signature move used by the Von Erichs inside the ring. The film’s cast includes Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Stanley Simons, all of whom play the Von Erich brothers, Holt McCallany as Fritz Von Erich, and Maura Tierney as Fritz’s wife, Doris Von Erich. You can watch ‘The Iron Claw’ here.
10. Something the Lord Made (2004)
‘Something the Lord Made,’ directed by Joseph Sargent, tells the tale of a miracle that would revolutionize saving lives forever. The movie explores the real-life relationship between Vivien Thomas and Alfred Blalock. Who are they? Blalock was a white cardiologist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine who hired an African-American named Thomas as a lab assistant in 1930, only to realize the latter’s acumen and hands-on talents. In 1941, Blalock brought Thomas to John Hopkins Hospital, where they together carried out the first successful surgery of the heart by treating Blue Baby Syndrome, thereby becoming the pioneers of and ushering in the bypass surgery era in medical treatment.
Alan Rickman plays the role of Alfred Blalock, and Mos Def plays Vivien Thomas. The movie is based on a Washington Post article, “Like Something the Lord Made” by Katie McCabe, and explores the 34-year partnership between the two guys till Blalock’s death in 1964. This is why such movies are important. We get to know about events that have shaped society to the point where it is today. And it is surreal to wonder how different things would be today if Blalock hadn’t brought Thomas to John Hopkins and made sure that the latter was allowed to work during a time when racism was everywhere. You can watch the movie here.
9. Reality (2023)
What makes ‘Reality’ so striking is that it is based on the transcript of an interrogation, and we have to hand it to director/co-writer Tina Satter and co-writer James Paul Dallas for pulling it off. The movie depicts the words exchanged between Reality Winner, an NSA translator, and FBI agents R. Wallace Taylor and Justin C. Garrick after the two arrested her on June 3, 2017. She was charged with leaking classified NSA (National Security Agency) intel to an online publication. The documents leaked had proof of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections and stated that it aimed to spark discord in the country by compromising Hillary Clinton’s campaign and, by extension, boosting Donald Trump’s chances of winning the presidential elections.
This supposedly led to U.S. President Trump firing FBI director James Comey on May 9, 2017, an event also shown in the film via news coverage. The movie delves deep into the conversation and tries to show as accurately as possible how the interrogation may have proceeded. Sydney Sweeney plays the role of Reality Winner in an authentic manner (like someone who has leaked secrets is expected to behave), with Josh Hamilton as Garrick and Marchánt Davis as Taylor. As for Reality Winner, she was sentenced to prison on August 23, 2018, was moved to a transitional facility in San Antonio, Texas, on June 2, 2021, on account of good behavior, and will be on probation until November 2024. You may watch ‘Reality’ here.
8. The Tale (2018)
Jennifer Fox has written and directed ‘The Tale’ based on her own experiences of child sexual abuse at the hands of an Olympic gold medalist and how she came to terms with it. The film features Laura Dern as Fox, who recollects her childhood experience of being involved in a sexual relationship with a much older man. Upon further analysis and interrogation that resulted from a letter she wrote as a kid, she realizes how she was groomed and sexually exploited. Jumping to and fro between past and present, ‘The Tale’ is a sensitive drama that addresses the topic with grace and strength. It received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie. You can watch it here.
7. King Richard (2021)
It is a dream come true for Richard Williams, father of world-famous tennis stars cum sisters Serena Williams and Venus Williams. And ‘King Richard,’ directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, aptly shows how Richard ensured it did. In the movie, we see how Richard (Will Smith) prepares a 78-page plan for his daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), even before they are born. Whether you like it or not, the two sisters did acquire their father’s thirst to succeed and trained against all odds to become world champions. But this movie isn’t just about them.
It is about the whole Williams family and all that they went through together to give shape to their hope. ‘King Richard’ is a story of courage, hard work, faith, and family. Will Smith’s performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 2022 Academy Awards. The film also got a Best Picture nomination, a Best Original Screenplay nomination, and three other nominations. You can check out the film here.
6. Joy (2015)
In a performance that made her the youngest person in history to receive four Oscar nominations, Jennifer Lawrence stars as millionaire entrepreneur Joy Mangano in David O. Russell’s ‘Joy.’ How Mangano fought numerous battles, personal and professional, and established a business empire to become a matriarch in her own right has been showcased in the film in a captivating and inspiring manner. Co-starring Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, ‘Joy’ is as much a film about the intricacies of business as it is the portrait of a successful businessperson. You can watch it here.
5. The Revenant (2015)
The film that brought Leonardo DiCaprio his first Academy Award for Best Actor, ‘The Revenant’ is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and is partly based on Michael Punke’s 2002 novel ‘The Revenant’ which itself is based on John G. Neihardt’s 1915 epic poem ‘The Song of Hugh Glass.’
The film is set in 1823 and follows frontiersman Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), who is abandoned, in a half-buried position, by his company after he is almost killed by a grizzly bear. This they are convinced to do by a guy named John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), who even kills Glass’s son because they are in enemy territory and can be attacked at any moment by the Arikara war parties, Native Indians of present-day North Dakota. The film then follows a badly wounded Glass, who somehow pulls himself out of the grave and begins his journey back to the fort, bent on revenge against Fitzgerald for killing his son. A visual spectacle by all means, ‘The Revenant’ is a unique Western drama worthy of high praise. You can watch it here.
4. Bad Education (2019)
This Cory Finley directorial tells the story of the biggest public school embezzlement in American history, at the Roslyn Union Free School District, Long Island, which came to light in 2004. Based on the 2004 New York magazine article “The Bad Superintendent” by Robert Kolker, the narrative shows how student reporter Rachel Bhargava (fictional counterpart of Rebekah Rombom, the editor-in-chief of the Roslyn High School newspaper, who found the discrepancies) discovered the misappropriation of school funds while researching for an article.
The embezzlement is eventually revealed to be over $11 million, the biggest school theft in the nation’s history. It was carried out by school district superintendent Dr. Frank Tassone and assistant superintendent Pam Gluckin. Featuring stellar performances by Hugh Jackman as Frank Tassone and Allison Janney as Pam Gluckin, ‘Bad Education’ is a must-watch true-story drama. It co-stars Geraldine Viswanathan as Rachel Bhargava, along with Annaleigh Ashford and Ray Romano. You can watch it here.
3. Conviction (2010)
The biographical drama is based on the incredible true story of Betty Anne. Her brother Kenny was falsely convicted of the murder of 48-year-old Massachusetts woman Katharina Brow in 1983 and sentenced to life imprisonment (without parole) in 1986. Betty, a high-school dropout and mother of two, decided to get her brother out, no matter how long it took. She thus enrolled in community college, made it into law school, and eventually became her brother’s attorney in partnership with Innocence Project, an NGO aimed at acquitting the wrongly accused/convicted people. Her fight would turn out to be 18 years long.
Directed by Tony Goldwyn, ‘Conviction’ is a dramatization of Betty’s inspiring journey. It stars Hilary Swank as Betty Anne and Sam Rockwell as Kenny. The film masterfully portrays Betty’s staunch determination, thanks to Hilary Swank’s brilliant acting, which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars. You can watch the film here.
2. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
While the main plot of ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ shows the planned betrayal of Fred Hampton, deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the chairman of its Illinois chapter, by FBI informant William “Bill” O’Neal, the focus is on the Black Panther Party and the time during which it existed in the United States. The BPP was a political organization directed towards the black power movement (1965 to 1975) that addressed the discrimination against African American neighborhoods. The movement was catalyzed by the civil rights movement (1954-1968) in America. The BBP was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in 1966, and Fred Hampton joined it in 1968 after leaving the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The FBI had already made a deal with seventeen-year-old car thief William O’Neal in 1966 to infiltrate the Illinois chapter in return for dropping his charges before pronouncing Hampton as a threat in 1967. O’Neal passes on information to the FBI officials while rising through the ranks until, one day, he drugs Hampton’s drink. Within hours, Hampton’s apartment is raided by a heavily armed police team, and he was killed on December 4, 1969. William O’Neal died on January 15, 1990, after being hit by a car. In the movie, Daniel Kaluuya plays the role of Fred Hampton, while Bill O’Neal is played by LaKeith Stanfield, and both have done a marvelous job. The film received 5 Oscar nominations, including one for Best Supporting Actor, which Daniel Kaluuya won, and it definitely belongs on even the shortest list of movies showcasing Black History. You may watch ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ here.
1. Fruitvale Station (2013)
This biographical drama is Ryan Coogler’s feature directorial debut. It is based on the events surrounding the death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant, an African-American, who was killed by police officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California, on January 1, 2009. While Grant’s name is left unchanged, the cops’ names are different. ‘Fruitvale Station’ shows the last day in the life of Grant, including the fight that broke out between him and a guy he knew from prison, where he did time for gun possession, and his subsequent death. The film also shows the aftermath of his death, including riots and protests after the video of him being shot goes viral. Michael B. Jordan plays the role of Oscar Grant. The cast also includes Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, and Chad Michael Murray. You can watch ‘Fruitvale Station’ here.
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