Cost of War Collection

With ANZAC Day inviting reflections on war and the sacrifices made, we’ve gathered films together in the Cost of War Collection, screening on SBS VICELAND, SBS World Movies and streaming at SBS On Demand.

(L–R) ‘Despite the Falling Snow’, ‘The Unknown Solider’, ‘De Gaulle’, ‘Breaker Morant’. Source: SBS

Despite the Falling Snow

M
UK, Canada, 2016
Genre: Romance, Thriller, Mystery, Drama
Language: English
Director: Shamim Sarif
Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Sam Reid, Charles Dance
What’s it about?
Katya is a British spy in Cold War Moscow. Her mission involves infiltrating the life of a young politician, Alexander, aka Sasha, but she makes the ultimate mistake by falling in love with him. Flipping back to snow-laden Russia and the present day laments of an older Sasha, we go on a journey of betrayal, fear, love and sacrifice.

Despite the Falling Snow is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Windtalkers

MA15+
USA, 2002
Genre: War Drama
Language: English, Navajo
Director: John Woo
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Peter Stormare, Frances O’Connor, Christian Slater
What’s it about?

Navajo language speakers created an impenetrable code with which the US Marines could communicate from combat lines to home base during WWII, here, in South Pacific combat. Nicolas Cage’s Joe is tasked to protect Ben (Adam Beach), the keeper of the language and an essential part of the fight. The story is based on real-life Navajo code talkers.   

Windtalkers screens at 9.30pm, Thursday 20 April on SBS World Movies. (No catch-up will be available at SBS On Demand.)

The Unknown Soldier

MA15+
Finland, Belgium, Iceland, 2017
Genre: War Drama
Language: Finnish
Director: Aku Louhimies
Starring: Jussi Vatanen, Aku Hirviniemi, Eero Aho, Paula Vesala
What’s it about?

In June 1941, a Finnish machine gun company is deployed from its barracks to prepare an invasion of the Soviet Union. Crossing the border, the band of men engage in guerilla tactics as their advance on Soviet positions spills into local cities. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, published in 1954, this film adaptation won four of its eleven award nominations, including Best Actor for Eero Aho, at Finland’s Jussi awards.

The Unknown Soldier screens at 9.30pm, Monday 17 April on SBS World Movies. You can also watch The Unknown Soldier now at SBS On Demand.

Three Kings

MA15+
USA, 1999
Genre: War Drama, Black Comedy
Language: English
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze
What’s it about?
In 1991 post-Gulf War Iraq, four bored US soldiers follow a map to hunt for gold, but run into a moral problem: trapped rebels who implore the soldiers to help set them free. The treasure hunt-turned-rescue mission leads to the kind of action the soldiers were hoping for when they arrived.

Three Kings airs at 9.35pm, Friday 28 April on SBS World Movies. Catch-up at SBS On Demand is only available for 14 days after it goes to air.

Never Look Away

MA15+
Germany, 2018
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language: German
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Starring: Tom Schilling, Paula Beer, Sebastian Koch

What’s it about?
“Don’t look away, Kurt. Everything true is beautiful.” So said his Aunt Elisabeth to the child Kurt Barnert. From growing up under the Nazi regime to studying art in West Germany, we follow Kurt over thirty years of his life. While he seeks to discover his own style and voice as an artist, the politics of his chopped up country inevitably influence his output, as well as his family’s life and his own with his beloved Ellie. With multiple award nominations, including for two Oscars, Never Look Away is inspired by the life of artist, Gerhard Richter.

Never Look Away screens at 9.35pm, Wednesday 19 April on SBS World Movies. (No catch-up will be available at SBS On Demand.)

De Gaulle

M
France, 2020
Genre: Historical Drama, Biography
Language: French, English
Director: Gabriel Le Bomin
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Isabelle Carré, Olivier Gourmet, Catherine Mouchet
What’s it about?
Paris, June 1940, and the French Army is crumbling under the weight of German invasion. Amid the panic, Charles de Gaulle is fighting his own battle for respect within his own ranks. The film also charts the movements of his beloved wife Yvonne and their three young children who are among the fleeing masses. Through this personal lens we follow the rise of de Gaulle from Defence Minister to leader of the Free French to the eventual President of the Republic.

De Gaulle airs at 9.40pm, Monday 24 April on SBS World Movies. You can also watch De Gaulle now at SBS On Demand.

Breaker Morant

M
Australia, 1980
Genre: War Drama, Biography
Language: English
Director: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters, Bryan Brown
What’s it about?
Scooping up ten AFI Awards and an Oscar nomination for its screenplay, this iconic film charts the events leading up to and the court-martialling of three Australian lieutenants, including Harry ‘The Breaker’ Morant, in the Boer War, who were charged with executing captured enemies and an unarmed civilian. Moving between the trial and the events unfolding in flashback, the film explores the men’s actions and justifications, and ultimately, the human cost of war. Featuring an all-star cast, this film has solidified its place as an Australian classic.     

Breaker Morant airs at 6.30pm, Saturday 29 April on SBS World Movies. You can also watch Breaker Morant now at SBS On Demand.

The Last Full Measure

MA15+
USA, 2019
Genre: War Drama, Biography
Language: English
Director: Todd Robinson
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Bradley Whitford, William Hurt, Alison Sudol
What’s it about?
Based on a true story, we switch between present-day USA and the horrors of the Vietnam War as deliberations are underway over whether William “Pits” Pitsenbarger, a member of the 38^th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, should receive the highest military honour for his actions on the battlefield. In a moving tribute to a brave young man, witnesses come forward to declare the truth of his heroic actions, determined to see him receive the honour, if decades after the fact. Christopher Plummer features as Pits’ father.

The Last Full Measure premieres at 9.35pm, Wednesday 26 April on SBS VICELAND. The film will stream at SBS On Demand after it goes to air.

 

See SBS On Demand for the full selection of war movies available to stream anytime.