7 Of The Best Films Based On True Stories
Hollywood always has an array of films that offer true stories that can teach us as much as they can compel us. Through their artistic vision, filmmakers can explore a story in a way that can capture an audience without taking anything away from the story itself. Whether they’re about serial killers or revolutionaries, films based on true stories blend the art of visual storytelling with the magic of the world around us to offer the best of both worlds.
Spotlight
Spotlight reimagines the investigative process behind one of the biggest headlines in journalism. In an authentic and honest light, the film tells the story of an investigative reporting team at the Boston Globe that unveiled the systemic sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic Priests in the Archdiocese of Boston. The event shook the country, especially Boston, where Catholicism is a practice intertwined in the community’s everyday life. You might find yourself getting bored with the frustrating monotony of the journalist’s work as they sort through endless files, make phone calls that lead to nowhere, and get turned down for interviews - but you certainly won’t find yourself dozing off as they get closer and closer to uncovering and exposing the truth. The film fulfils its obligation to stay true to the real events by portraying the struggles of reporters in an unrewarding and underfunded department trying to create a headline that really matters. As well as the satisfying feeling of seeing people do their jobs amazingly, the film will make you feel for the characters as they struggle to mentally cope with the disturbing subject matter of their investigation.
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The Social Network
David Fincher is known for mastering the art of bringing books and true events to the screen. The Social Network is no exception from his genius, portraying the story behind the making of Facebook with a near perfect screenplay. The film reimagines the conflicts arising from Mark Zuckerberg claiming full credit for Facebook, which seems pretty tame in comparison to the controversies surrounding Facebook nowadays. Regardless, any film with that kind of witty writing, perfectly fitting cinematography, breathtaking performances, and Oscar-winning soundtrack would keep an audience far from bored.
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I, Tonya
I, Tonya tells the true story of disgraced skating champion Tonya Harding, who received a life ban from skating for hiring a hitman to assault her competition, Nancy Kerrigan. The film portrays the story through sympathetic eyes, exploring how her mother tried to push her to perfection through micro-managing and abuse, and how her husband wasn’t much better. Through behind the scenes interviews with the infamous skating legend herself, Margot Robbie completely embodied the character of Tonya Harding. With her subtle facial expressions and shameless expressions of rage, Robbie fit into Harding’s character better than she did the prosthetics. Together, Margot Robbie and Allison Janney brought the characters on the script to life. The contrast between their performances in the film's most hilariously dark scenes and utterly depressing moments shows their versatility as actors.
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Zodiac
David Fincher brings the chilling rampage of the never-discovered Zodiac killer to cinematic glory, focusing on the cartoonist that became obsessed with finding the killer’s identity. The film seems like the plot of an 80s horror film, with the killer’s first victims being murdered during a romantic, nighttime pic-nic in the woods. The fact that the film is based on a true story, and that the killer was never caught, is what gives the film an unsettling atmosphere throughout. David Fincher’s brilliant directing makes the murder scenes chilling, and there is always a heartbeat of suspense pulsing throughout the film.
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Dallas Buyers Club
Jean-Marc Vallée’s Oscar-winning film tells the story of a rodeo coyboy, Ron, who gets diagnosed with AIDS, and - with the help of Rayon, a transgender ativist - forms a club that smuggles a banned treatment for the virus. As well as being a beautiful retelling of the story, Dallas Buyers Club criticises the American healthcare system, that favours certain groups of people so that Big Pharma companies can make more profit. It’s an incredible story, not because of a man who rebelled against the system like a “hero”. The film makes it clear that the protagonist is certainly no hero, but a man at his lowest doing what he’s doing out of self-interest. The story is incredible because the club is seen as a sort of revolution, where people take their health into their own hands against a neglectful healthcare system. Ron isn’t all that bad, though. Watching him form a bond with Rayona towards the end of the film is truly beautiful in comparison to his homophobic ramblings at the beginning.
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The Imitation Game
With Benedict Cumberbatch as the lead, The Imitation Game celebrates the accomplishments of Alan Turing, whose cryptography team built a machine that could decipher German enigma codes. Despite his contribution to England during the second World War, Turing was disgraced and arrested for his homosexuality, However, The Imitation Game doesn’t thoroughly discuss his homosexuality as not to give the illusion that it’s even important. Rather, it focuses on his accomplishments. With shifts between timelines, the film paints a portrait of the genius.
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Into The Wild
Based on the novel by Jon Krakauer, Into The Wild brings the story of a college graduate who left society to live in the Alaskan wilderness. The film reenacts the people he met while on his journey, who inspired and changed him. Most of them, however, thought his idea was rather concerning. Afterall, all he took with him on his journey was a few survival books and a journal in which he recorded his experiences. It is a story that raises questions about our lives as materialistic beings, but also about hermitage, since he died after 113 days in the Alaska wilderness.
