Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire (2005) Not Rated. Documentary. Story about the Rwanda genocide in 1994 told through the eyes of the Canadian UN general who was sent to Rwanda to "keep the peace" but then the slaughter broke out. The movie documents some footage of the genocide so I warn GRAPHIC PICTURES OF MURDER, THE DECEASED, AND DECOMPOSING BODIES. Dallaire returns for the 10 year anniversary of the genocide, and this movie documents his travels, along with his wife, who worries about his PTSD, as he truly blames himself for much of what happened to many of those who lost their lives during that time. 
Out of the Ashes (2004) RATED R. Based on a true story. I watched the movie not knowing that this movie is based on a female doctor named Gisella Perl who also wrote her own autobiography, I Was a Doctor in Auschwitz, who lived through WWII. Incredible story of Dr. Perl trying to gain citizenship in the U.S. after the war so that she may practice medicine again, but those on the board who can deny her question her actions while she was forced to "practice medicine" in Auschwitz. Very good movie; I plan on reading the book, now, too.
War Dance (2006) RATED PG-13. Documentary. Beautiful movie! I saw this on big screen while in D.C. during Lobby Day for Northern Uganda. It is the story of children who are left from the war; most are orphans after seeing their parents and families murdered. That is such horror, but the story focuses on how the children take music and dancing to try and heal their wounds. This is a movie that I needed tissues and didn't have...the stories will break your heart, the music will move you, and the movie will make you want to do something about it! 
The Devil Came on Horseback (2007) NOT RATED. Documentary. Narrated by a former U.S. Marine, the story of the horror in Sudan makes it's way to film as Captain Brian Steidle searches for help while the world goes on. The story is a bit dry, but push through, because the message is the most important...we can't sit idle while there is GENOCIDE going on--that's what the Nazis did! We cannot forget that!http://www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com/
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) RATED PG-13. Drama. An unknowing wife and mother moves her family out to a country home where her Nazi husband can continue his work on the farm. The son makes an secret friend with a boy who wears "pajamas" each day.
A Walk to Beautiful (2007) NOT RATED. Documentary. This film follows the sad life of women in Ethiopia who have the misery of a fistula while giving birth (a tear between the vagina and the bladder or rectum). The result is these women are ostracized: their own husband and families (even their own mothers) shun them, and they live on the outskirts of villages alone. They do not know why this happened, no one does, and so they live out their lives without anyone to love them; that is unless they learn of this hospital that tries to heal them surgically and then mentally, emotionally, spiritually. An absolutely BEAUTIFUL ending-made me cry! I checked the website to see if I could make *ahem* and send one (can't give it away, but you'll know what I'm talking about after you watch it), and no, you can't, because they teach the women to. They teach them as a life skill to support the woman, her future family, and the local economy. Ahhh, I loved this movie. All subtitles, so no, you can't fold laundry while you watch it.
White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2007) NOT RATED. Documentary. This film shows the effects of the atomic bomb dropped August 6 and August 9, 1945. Their is footage of the bomb's landing and the aftermath. The film is not rated, but their is some footage that you may not want your youngsters to watch, as the film does document the effects on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Schindler's List (1993) RATED R. Based on true story. This one hardly needs my narration, but set in World War II, Oskar Schindler employed many Jewish people in a factory and saved them from death in a concentration camp. Difficult to watch if you are extremely empathetic...The website listed is not strictly for the movie, but a site that lists those that survived, gives a snipit of information on some, and then gives some more on the history of the war, Hitler, and such. WARNING: if you use the website and browse around, you may run into some graphic photos; PLEASE do not follow if you know you do not want to see pictures of those who suffered during the war.
Inheritance (2008) NOT RATED. Documentary. This is the story of Monika Hertwig, who learned as a teen that her father is Amon Goeth, a Nazi who was notorious for his ruthlessness. The film follows her as she meets Goeths' Jewish maid while he lived in a villa overlooking a camp during the Holocost, which is nerve-wrecking for both Hertwig and Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig, the once young Jewish maid who was terrorized by Hertwig's biological father. Very interesting to see after you've seen Schindler's List, because that is how Hertwig learned of her father's coldblooded ways, and wanted to find the truth.
Hotel Rwanda (2005) PG-13. Based on a true story. This was pretty much my first experience in knowing what went on during the "disputed" genocide in 1994. I would have been a freshman in high school that year, and not a peep. When the subject came up during a political science class, this was the premises of Who Cares? LLC because I just couldn't wrap my brain around the thought that the world sat by while 800,000 people were slaughtered in 3 months. Anyway, this movie is moving, and I loved it. Have tissues handy.
