War is one place where the complexity of victory and defeat should be explored more deeply. Unfortunately, war--whether experienced directly as a soldier in Afghanistan or a Syrian in an Aleppo suburb, or indirectly through a news item on the Internet or American television--is a near inescapable aspect of most people's daily life. Yet unless you've "been in a war," it is difficult to know what it is actually like and what meanings are created from the experience. Thankfully, few students in contemporary American history classes have experienced war directly, but a perusal of social studies and history curricula across America indicates an expectation that students will learn about many wars during their school years. Students learn about war to explore cultural perspectives on duty, courage, loyalty, honor, rebellion, betrayal, cruelty, compassion, survival, and resilience. But much of the powerful learning beyond these rudimentary understandings may be found in explorations of the actions, attitudes, beliefs, and values of those who have experienced war to get a sense of how war feels and how it affects people's lives. In short, this entails an investigation of what war means to people during, as well as after, the conflict. In this article, the authors consider how teachers can extend the social studies or history curriculum through the use of cinema in order to engage students in a deeper understanding of and empathy with those who have experienced war and its aftermath. Specifically, this study examines five European films (created between 1945 and 1958) and offers for consideration lesson ideas that can be employed to contemplate individuals' actions surrounding World War II.