The anti-war genre has produced some of the best and most thought-provoking films since its inception with All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Based on the legendary book with the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, it gave the early viewers of modern cinema a shockingly uncompromising depiction of warfare. Its legacy lives on today, with attempts to retell the iconic story in 1979 and more recently in 2023. Remarque’s gruesome account of the reality of first world war combat has continued to give audiences a sobering truth about war and violence, setting its flagpost far from the typical, glorified and heroic depictions of war most commonly shown on the movie screen.
However, what else is out there that similarly leaves the viewer with a knot in their stomach? Remarque’s work has lived on in various other productions, with the same vigour in telling the viewer: ‘You will find no happiness or hope here’, and here are some of the best (In no particular order).
Stalingrad (1993)
Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier, Stalingrad is a German film following a group of German soldiers through the infamous battle of Stalingrad. The film excellently portrays the degradation of the German Sixth Army through the story of its main characters.
In the gloomy streets and factories of the city, vicious fighting claims the lives of hundreds. The protagonists turn from highly motivated elite troops, some boasting of their plans to settle in the vast Russian steppes as part of the Lebensraum project, to desperate vagrants cursing the name of their once beloved Fuhrer. This depiction of the battle of Stalingrad shows no heroics, or heroes, for that matter. Everyone seems to be completely expendable – Russians or Germans, women and children. Ordinary German soldiers are caught between the Soviets on one side, and their own fanatical leadership on the other.
The main character is an officer new to combat and the men under his command by the name of von Witzland, played by Thomas Kretschmann, who serves as the audience’s eyes and ears, as the characters around him are already well seasoned to combat and each other’s company. We learn through von Witzland’s inexperience the realities of combat on the Eastern front. The supporting cast excellently contrast with von Witzland with their combat experience and comradery, however as their situation deteriorates throughout the Winter of 1942-43, they all build deep bonds between each other.
As someone whose great-grandfather fought on the Eastern front, Stalingrad does an exceptional job at bringing the battle to life in its two hour runtime not only with huge battle scenes, but many moments of the desperate men sharing foxholes together and trying to pass the time by in the few quiet moments they can get. Small glimpses of humanity, such as a truce to collect the dead and wounded, are more often than not shattered suddenly by violence. The audience is never allowed to feel comfortable during the film, as there is always another tragedy on the way.
Stalingrad fits excellently in the anti-war genre. The film’s core themes of hopelessness and desperation gives the audience an authentic glimpse of the unimaginable suffering of everyone involved in the bloodiest battle in modern history. It depicts the German army with no filters; mistreatment of POWs, executions and penal battalions, as well as the genocidal intent of the German army, mixed with some poignant scenes of army chaplains giving out Christian sermons to the troops before battle. When compared to other depictions of this battle in cinema, Stalingrad undoubtedly beats them all.
From the warm and relaxed beginning by an Italian beachside town, those men could scarcely imagine the frozen horror they would end their days in.
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Beasts of No Nation is an American film written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. While not listed in the anti-war genre, I believe it achieves more than enough to be considered anti-war. Beasts of No Nation is unique in that it centres on a child soldier fighting in a brutal African civil war in the modern day. Starring Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation feels like a documentary in many respects. Every scene feels genuine and every dialogue is delivered perfectly.
The country the film is set in remains unnamed throughout the film, however it was shot in Ghana, which perfectly serves as not only the background of the film, but a fundamental flavour and character in itself. Every location is rich with colour and atmosphere, from the forebodingly dense jungles to impoverished sub-saharan cities, torn apart from civil war and indiscriminate violence.
The main character is a young boy called Agu, played by Abraham Nii Attah. As we watch Agu’s helpless descent into becoming a child soldier, losing his family members in the process, the film gives us small insights into his thoughts, Agu periodically voicing them out. These thoughts are always read out exactly as Agu thinks them, with childlike errors and simple vocabulary. It’s a powerful tool in highlighting the innocent boy that Agu is, despite the horrific acts he is witness to and participates in. For Agu, being only a boy offers no protections as he is simply seen as another follower to be manipulated and exploited by the adults around him.
Exploitation is all-consuming in Beasts of No Nation, only those at the very top are exempt. Every facet of life for Agu is rooted in exploitation of the vulnerable. Even the commandant, played by Elba, who despite giving the impression to his men that he is the powerful one making the decisions, is himself simply being used by those above him. What results is a society shattered by violence. Agu commits the very same actions on innocent people that led his own family to be killed. He participates in the rampage on villages and towns mirroring the massacre of his own village.
I once met an old man in a hotel bar who had driven from the Mediterranean sea all the way down to Cape Town on a motorbike. His story captivated me, and he summarised Africa with the words: ‘In one day you’ll see the most beautiful and touching thing you’ve ever witnessed, and by the evening you’ve seen the most tragically heartbreaking thing you could imagine.’ This film encapsulates that summary perfectly. The breathtaking landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa blows the viewer away but remains unendingly marred with horror and suffering.
Beasts of No Nation is a poignant picture, never once revelling in any of the fighting depicted within it; The central foundations of the anti-war genre are felt strongly throughout.
Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
Letters From Iwo Jima is a Japanese-American film directed by Clint Eastwood. It depicts the deadly battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of Japanese soldiers defending the island. The film mixes fiction with real history, as it follows the made-up character of Saigo, played by Kazunari Ninomiya and the real commander of Japanese forces on the island, Tadamichi Kuribayashi played by Ken Watanabe. Letters From Iwo Jima primarily highlights the futility of the fighting over tiny pacific islands. Japanese wartime traditions of self sacrifice and honour starkly contrast with the realities of 20th century warfare and the lives of those involved.
Saigo is a simple private, recently conscripted into the army. We are introduced to him complaining about the terrible conditions on the island, and his reluctance to defend it from the Americans. We learn throughout the film that Saigo was a baker with a pregnant wife, and far from your typical fanatical Japanese soldier. We witness him being punished by his commanding officer for ‘defeatism’, and his life is in danger of execution by his fellow superiors more often than it is from American attack.
On the other hand, Kuribayashi’s story focuses on the deep divisions between Japanese military leadership still rooted in archaic traditions. The firmly reactionary nature of the Japanese military at this time significantly hinders the commander’s ability to perform his duty successfully, something which weighs on him greatly as the battle unfolds. Despite being the overall commander, he is almost helpless to prevent the wasteful losses of his men as they often disregard his orders to save themselves, favouring their fanatical doctrines of sacrificing themselves and their comrades in battle. The aftermath of these actions usually end up in the same grisly ending, sharply juxtaposing the idea of honour that the men desperately seek. In the end, Kuribayashi has no choice but to submit to it himself; a chance of victory had long since faded away for him and his men and surrender was out of the question.
The film’s central themes are inadequacy and failure. On Saigo’s part, he is often shown to be incapable of performing the same duties as his comrades. His superiors dislike him, and he repeatedly fails to follow his comrades in fulfilling their duty to die for their Emperor. His fellow soldiers fight desperately against the Americans and refuse to allow themselves to be taken alive, though Saigo himself manages to remove himself from these doomed actions, eventually being taken as a prisoner; the act of which is considered the most dishonourable action of a Japanese soldier.
Kuribayashi, meanwhile, grapples with his failing chain of command and is unable to carry out his carefully considered plan of grinding the Americans down until they give up. Abandoned and expected to perish as a result of his failure to defend the island by his superior command, Kuribayashi remorsefully thinks back to his time spent in America before the war with friends. It’s powerful moments like this which anchor the central character’s humanity in an environment where man is expected only to kill their fellow man and be killed by their fellow man.