All the Light We Cannot See is a World War II limited drama series created by Steven Knight and directed by Shawn Levy. The Netflix series is based on Anthony Doerr‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name and it revolves around two teenagers at the height of WWII. Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner Pfennig and a German boy, who was forced to join the Nazi army. All the Light We Cannot See stars Aria Mia Loberti and Louis Hofmann in the lead roles with Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the Netflix series here are some similar movies and TV shows that you should watch next.
World on Fire (Prime Video Add-On)
Synopsis: World on Fire is an adrenalized, emotionally gripping, and resonant World War II drama that follows the intertwining fates of ordinary people in five countries as they grapple with the effects of the war on their everyday lives. The stellar cast includes Academy Award®-winner Helen Hunt (As Good As it Gets, Mad About You), Sean Bean (Game of Thrones), Academy Award®-nominee Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Jonah Hauer-King (Little Women, Howard’s End) and Blake Harrison (A Very English Scandal).
Resistance (AMC+ & Prime Video Add-On)
Synopsis: Before he was the world-famous mime Marcel Marceau, he was Marcel Mangel, an aspiring Jewish actor who joined the French Resistance to save the lives of thousands of children orphaned at the hands of the Nazis. Jesse Eisenberg stars in this compelling drama about a group of unsung heroes who put themselves in harm’s way to rise above hatred and oppression during World War II. As a young man growing up in Nazi-occupied Europe, Marcel has no intention of getting involved in the war – his pursuits include impersonating Charlie Chaplin in burlesque clubs, painting backdrops for his plays, and antagonizing his obstinate father. His life is thrown into upheaval when he is recruited into the French Resistance, putting his acting skills to the ultimate test in teaching orphaned Jewish children how to survive in the horrifying reality of the Holocaust. Based on the inspiring true story, RESISTANCE follows the revolutionary tale of a selfless act that would forever change countless lives.
War Sailor (Netflix)
Synopsis: Alfred Garnes is a working-class sailor, who has recently become the father of a third child. He and his childhood friend Sigbjørn Kvalen (Wally) are working on a merchant ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when World War II breaks out. They are unarmed civilians on the front lines of a war they never asked to join. The two men struggle for survival in a spiral of violence and death, where at any moment German submarines may attack their valuable vessels. The war sailors have one goal: to survive–and to return home.
Meanwhile, Alfred’s wife Cecilia struggles through the war alone in Bergen, raising three children on her own, not knowing whether she will ever see Alfred again.When British aircrafts attempt to bomb the German submarine bunker in Bergen, they instead hit the primary school at Laksevåg and civilian homes at Nøstet, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths. When the news reaches Alfred and Wally in Canada, they wonder if they have anything left at home to return to.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (Paramount+ & Prime Video Add-On)
Synopsis: When his family moves from their home in Berlin to a strange new house in Poland, young Bruno (Asa Butterfield) befriends Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a boy who lives on the other side of the fence where everyone seems to be wearing striped pajamas. Unaware of Shmuel’s fate as a Jewish prisoner or the role his own Nazi father plays in his imprisonment, Bruno embarks on a dangerous journey inside the camp’s walls.
Women at War (Netflix)
Synopsis: France, 1914. As the German advance and men leave for the frontlines, four women must grapple with the devastating consequences of war at home.
The Diary of Anne Frank (Rent on Prime Video)
Synopsis: A diary discovered in the attic of an Amsterdam factory reveals the plight of a Jewish refugee family that lived there in hiding for two years.
Rebellion (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video)
Synopsis: A group of young men and women in Dublin in 1916 are embroiled in a fight for independence during the Easter Rising.The story begins with the outbreak of World War I. As expectations of a short and glorious campaign are dashed, social stability is eroded and Irish nationalism comes to the fore. The tumultuous events that follow are seen through the eyes of a group of friends from Dublin, Belfast and London as they play vital and conflicting roles in the narrative of Ireland’s independence.
The Zookeeper’s Wife (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video)
Synopsis: The real-life story of one working wife and mother who became a hero to hundreds during World War II. In 1939 Poland, Antonina Żabińska (portrayed by two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Dr. Jan Żabiński (Johan Heldenbergh of “The Broken Circle Breakdown”), have the Warsaw Zoo flourishing under his stewardship and her care. When their country is invaded by the Germans, Jan and Antonina are stunned – and forced to report to the Reich’s newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl of “Captain America: Civil War”). To fight back on their own terms, Antonina and Jan covertly begin working with the Resistance – and put into action plans to save lives out of what has become the Warsaw Ghetto, with Antonina putting herself and even her children at great risk.
A Small Light (Hulu, Disney+ & Rent on Prime Video)
Synopsis: A SMALL LIGHT follows Miep Gies, who helped hide Otto Frank and his family from the Nazis during WWII.
Transatlantic (Netflix)
Synopsis: Marseille 1940-1941.Transatlantic is inspired by the true story of Varian Fry, Mary Jayne Gold and the Emergency Rescue Committee. Risking their lives to help more than 2000 refugees escape occupied France, including many artists on the Nazis’ most-wanted list, an international gang of young superheroes and their famous charges occupy a villa at the edge of the city, where the threat of mortal danger gives way to unexpected collaborations and intense love affairs.
