Shoah (1985)
Kernel Score: 90% · 217 TMDB ratings · Rated NR
Genres: Documentary, History
Released: 1985-04-21
Runtime: 566 minutes
Where to watch Shoah
- Stream: Philo
- Rent: Prime Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy: Prime Video, Fandango At Home
US availability, updated 2026-11-12.
Overview
Director Claude Lanzmann spent 11 years on this sprawling documentary about the Holocaust, conducting his own interviews and refusing to use a single frame of archival footage. Dividing Holocaust witnesses into three categories – survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators – Lanzmann presents testimonies from survivors of the Chelmno concentration camp, an Auschwitz escapee, and witnesses of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, as well as a chilling report of gas chambers from an SS officer at Treblinka.
Shoah parents' guide: ages 15+
Parents need to know that this landmark 9-hour documentary presents firsthand Holocaust testimony from survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators.
- Violence & scariness: Intense — Extensive firsthand accounts of Holocaust atrocities, concentration camps, and gas chambers from survivors and perpetrators.
Fresh Kernels AI-assessed from the official NR rating, publicly documented content. A guide for families, not an official rating.
Movies like Shoah
If you liked Shoah, these are the movies we'd watch next.
- Kalashnikov AK-47 (2020) — 84%
- The Zookeeper's Wife (2017) — 83%
- Simone: Woman of the Century (2022) — 86%
- The Forgotten Battle (2021) — 80%
- I Am Not Your Negro (2017) — 86%
- The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) — 81%
- The Shop on Main Street (1965) — 79%
- The Man Who Knew Infinity (2016) — 79%
Director
Claude Lanzmann
Cast
- Claude Lanzmann as Self - Interviewer
- Simon Srebnik as Self
- Michael Podchlebnik as Self
- Motke Zaidl as Self
- Jan Karski as Self
- Paula Biren as Self
- Abraham Bomba as Self
- Inge Deutschkron as Self
- Ruth Elias as Self
- Richard Glazar as Self
Shoah FAQ
Is Shoah good?
Shoah has a 90% Kernel Score on Fresh Kernels, our own critic-informed editorial score.
Where can I watch Shoah?
In the US you can stream Shoah on Philo and rent it from Prime Video and Fandango At Home.
Is Shoah OK for kids?
Shoah is rated NR. Fresh Kernels suggests ages 15+. Parents need to know that this landmark 9-hour documentary presents firsthand Holocaust testimony from survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators.
What movies are like Shoah?
If you liked Shoah, try Kalashnikov AK-47, The Zookeeper's Wife, Simone: Woman of the Century and The Forgotten Battle.