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12 Years a Slave poster

Movies that feel like12 Years a Slave (2013)

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

If you loved 12 Years a Slave, the closest films we have are Sully (2016), Dallas Buyers Club (2013) and Invictus (2009). All three share 12 Years a Slave's contemplative and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Labyrinth of Lies (2014).

🍅 95% Rotten Tomatoes★ 8.1 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Steve McQueencontemplativeepic
5 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · History Vault

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If 12 Years a Slave hit the spot, these will too

Sully poster
Sully
2016 · dir. Clint Eastwood
🍅 85%★ 7.4drama · history

A true story of one person's ordeal under scrutiny and eventual vindication

The difference: A celebrated pilot's crisis, not a free man stripped of his freedom

On 15 January 2009, the world witnessed the 'Miracle on the Hudson' when Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 souls aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and career.

Dallas Buyers Club poster
Dallas Buyers Club
2013 · dir. Jean-Marc Vallée
🍅 92%★ 7.9drama · historyNetflix

One man's ordeal against institutional indifference becomes a true story

The difference: An AIDS-era fight for treatment, not a kidnapping into slavery

Loosely based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, a drug-taking, women-loving, homophobic man who in 1986 was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and given thirty days to live.

Invictus poster
Invictus
2009 · dir. Clint Eastwood
🍅 76%★ 7.3drama · history

A true story confronts racial injustice through one leader's patient resolve

The difference: A hopeful post-apartheid sports story, not a chronicle of enslavement

Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby union team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

Hidden Figures poster
Hidden Figures
2016 · dir. Theodore Melfi
🍅 93%★ 7.8drama · historyMax

Both are built on the same subject: racism

The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

Labyrinth of Lies poster
Labyrinth of Lies
2014 · dir. Giulio Ricciarelli
🍅 83%★ 7.3drama · history

A quiet investigation confronts a nation's buried, uncomfortable history

The difference: A postwar cover-up mystery, not a firsthand account of enslavement

A young prosecutor in postwar West Germany investigates a massive conspiracy to cover up the Nazi pasts of prominent public figures.

Lincoln poster
Lincoln
2012 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 90%★ 7.3history · drama

Common ground: a true story

The revealing story of the 16th US President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

Steve Jobs poster
Steve Jobs
2015 · dir. Danny Boyle
🍅 85%★ 7.2drama · history

A true story built from one driven figure's defining, high-stakes years

The difference: A tech visionary's ego, not a survivor's fight to stay alive and free

Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India poster
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
2001 · dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
🍅 95%★ 8.1adventure · drama · history

Colonial-era oppression is confronted through one community's defiant stand

The difference: A triumphant underdog cricket match, not a memoir of stolen freedom

The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.

Milk poster
Milk
2008 · dir. Gus Van Sant
🍅 93%★ 7.5history · drama

A true story built around one figure's fight for dignity against prejudice

The difference: An activist's rise to power, not a free man's fight to survive captivity

The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.

Darkest Hour poster
Darkest Hour
2017 · dir. Joe Wright
🍅 84%★ 7.4drama · historyRent or buy

A defining historical decision unfolds with weighty, true-story gravity

The difference: A wartime leader's speeches, not a memoir of personal survival

In May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.

The Founder poster
The Founder
2016 · dir. John Lee Hancock
🍅 80%★ 7.2drama · historyNetflix

One thread runs through both: a true story

The true story of how Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. He maneuvered himself into a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire.

The Two Popes poster
The Two Popes
2019 · dir. Fernando Meirelles
🍅 89%★ 7.6drama · historyNetflix

Contemplative and epic in the same breath

Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict. Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church.

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The best-reviewed films that share 12 Years a Slave’s defining feeling.