Top 10 Biographical Films About Hell

Description: Oskar Schindler, a German businessman, saved the lives of over 1,000 Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. This film captures the hell of the Holocaust through the lens of one man's redemption.

Fact: The film was shot in black and white to give it a documentary feel. Steven Spielberg donated his salary to the Shoah Foundation.

Description: This film delves into the life of Jeffrey Wigand, a tobacco industry whistleblower, who faced personal and professional hell for exposing the truth about the dangers of smoking.

Fact: Al Pacino and Russell Crowe both received Academy Award nominations for their performances. The film was based on a Vanity Fair article.

Description: This film tells the harrowing story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist who survived the Holocaust by hiding in the ruins of Warsaw. It's a tale of survival amidst the hell of war and genocide.

Fact: Adrien Brody, who played Szpilman, lost 30 pounds for the role and learned to play the piano. The film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and three Oscars.

Description: The story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who battles schizophrenia, offers a glimpse into the hell of mental illness and the struggle to maintain sanity and genius.

Fact: Russell Crowe was nominated for an Oscar for his role. The film took some liberties with Nash's life for dramatic purposes.

Description: Set during the Rwandan genocide, this film portrays the real-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who sheltered over a thousand Tutsi refugees in his hotel, turning it into a sanctuary amidst the hell of ethnic cleansing.

Fact: The film was shot in Rwanda, and many extras were survivors of the genocide. Don Cheadle was nominated for an Academy Award for his role.

Description: This film recounts the life of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who suffered a massive stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome. His story of communicating through blinking one eye is a testament to the human spirit in the face of a personal hell.

Fact: The film was shot from Bauby's perspective, with the camera often representing his limited field of vision. Mathieu Amalric, who played Bauby, was nominated for a César Award.

Description: This film follows Chris McCandless, who abandons his possessions to live in the Alaskan wilderness, only to face the harsh realities of nature, which can be seen as a form of hell.

Fact: The film was shot in the actual bus where McCandless lived. Emile Hirsch lost significant weight for the role to portray McCandless's physical decline.

Description: While not a traditional hell, the film portrays the excesses and moral decay of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker whose life spirals into a personal hell of addiction and legal troubles.

Fact: Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for an Oscar for his role. The film was based on Belfort's memoir.

Description: This biopic focuses on the life of physicist Stephen Hawking, detailing his battle with motor neuron disease and his groundbreaking work in cosmology, showcasing the hell of physical limitation versus the freedom of the mind.

Fact: Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking. The film was adapted from Jane Hawking's memoir.

Description: Based on the life of Joseph Merrick, known as the Elephant Man, this film explores the social isolation and physical suffering of a man with severe deformities, offering a poignant look at what can be considered a living hell.

Fact: John Hurt, who played Merrick, wore heavy makeup for the role, which took hours to apply. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards.