THEME EXPLORATION

Vietnam War trauma

38 films · 3 directors

Tracing the thread…

FILMS THAT EXPLORE THIS
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
1983 · Nagisa Oshima
Ashes and Diamonds
Ashes and Diamonds
1958 · Andrzej Wajda
Redacted
Redacted
2007 · Brian De Palma
The Big Red One
The Big Red One
1980 · Samuel Fuller
Come and See
Come and See
1985 · Elem Klimov
El espiritu de la colmena
El espiritu de la colmena
1973 · Victor Erice
Waltz with Bashir
Waltz with Bashir
2008 · Ari Folman
The Devil's Backbone
The Devil's Backbone
2001 · Guillermo del Toro
Benediction
Benediction
2018 · Terence Davies
Bullet in the Head
Bullet in the Head
1990 · John Woo
Carla’s Song
Carla’s Song
1996 · Ken Loach
Casque Bleu
Casque Bleu
1995 · Chris Marker
Emitaï
Emitaï
1973 · Ousmane Sembène
Era notte a Roma
Era notte a Roma
1960 · Roberto Rossellini
Fires on the Plain
Fires on the Plain
1959 · Kon Ichikawa
Frantz
Frantz
2016 · François Ozon
Paradise Road
Paradise Road
1997 · Bruce Beresford
Untitled WWI Documentary
Untitled WWI Documentary
2018 · Peter Jackson
Celebration
Celebration
2024 · Bruno Anković
The Real End of the Great War
The Real End of the Great War
1957 · Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Charlie Wilson’s War
Charlie Wilson’s War
2007 · Mike Nichols
The Song of the Auricanturi
The Song of the Auricanturi
2023 · Camila Rodríguez Triana
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
2002 · Phillip Noyce
The Hunters
The Hunters
1977 · Theodoros Angelopoulos
Beasts of No Nation
Beasts of No Nation
2015 · Cary Joji Fukunaga
Hiroshima Mon Amour
Hiroshima Mon Amour
1959 · Alain Resnais
The Monkey
The Monkey
2025 · Osgood Perkins
Brothers
Brothers
2004 · Susanne Bier
Double Target
Double Target
1987 · Frank Miller
Uncommon Valor
Uncommon Valor
1983 · Ted Kotcheff
Memento
Memento
2000 · Christopher Nolan
Escape from East Berlin
Escape from East Berlin
1962 · Robert Siodmak
Andrei Rublev
Andrei Rublev
1966 · Andrei Tarkovsky
Closely Watched Trains
Closely Watched Trains
1966 · Jiří Menzel
Underground
Underground
1995 · Emir Kusturica
A City of Sadness
A City of Sadness
1989 · Hou Hsiao-hsien
Festen
Festen
1998 · Thomas Vinterberg
Once Were Warriors
Once Were Warriors
1994 · Lee Tamahori
DIRECTORS WHO EXPLORE THIS
Sofia Coppola USA

Apocalypse Now (1979) remains the definitive cinematic exploration of Vietnam War psychological trauma and moral descent into chaos.

 Sammo Hung Kam-Bo Vietnam

His films like Cyclo and The Scent of Green Papaya poetically examine the lasting emotional and spiritual wounds of war on Vietnamese civilians and society.

 Oliver Stone USA

Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, and Heaven & Earth comprehensively document Vietnam War trauma from multiple perspectives with unflinching emotional honesty.