There are some movies that, while they are very well done, they’re hard to watch either because of the subject matter or because they just hit too close to home.
These 22 movies are amazing, but they might tug at some strings that make it hard to watch again in the future.
1. Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Manchester by the Sea follows Lee (Casey Affleck) as he returns to his old hometown, which haunts him after his brother dies and he’s left in charge of his teenage nephew.
Hoping not to confront his past, Lee wants to be there for his nephew, but the pain of that town holds too much weight for him, especially as they all grieve.
2. Atonement (2007)
An exquisitely detailed and emotionally devastating war film,Atonement is about the British class system and the consequences of a lie. A 13-year-old rich girl named Briony is madly crushing on the housekeeper’s son, who has eyes only for her 18-year-old sister.
When Briony accuses him of a terrible crime, he goes to prison. Later, she tries to make things right, but it’s too late.
3. Come and See (1985)
This anti-war film took years to produce because Soviet authorities did not want it to be made. The movie is set in the German occupation of Belarus during World War II, seen through the eyes of an idealistic teenager who joins the Belarusian resistance movement.
Each atrocity shown on screen was something that actually happened during the war.
4. Dunkirk (2017)
Swirling together multiple kinetic storylines at once, Dunkirkdeftly captures the chaos and everyday trauma that accompanies war.
It’s not the longest movie, but the 106-minute runtime doesn’t leave you room to escape the pulsing mania of international armed conflict.
5. Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Taika Waititi directs this offbeat movie about a 10-year-old who begins to question his beliefs while relying on an imaginary friend (played by Waititi) who looks just like the Führer.
Nominated for six Academy Awards, it won for Best Adapted Screenplay, but the subject matter and big plot twists make the film hard to watch.
6. Threads (1984)
Nuclear winter, anyone? Threads, a British-Australian flick, focuses on two families in Sheffield, England, as nuclear war breaks out. It shows humankind’s medical, social, and economic consequences in the aftermath of a nuclear attack.
The two working-class families don’t pay much attention to politics – until they see the mushroom cloud.
7. Irréversible (2002)
This violent drama drew protests for its nine-minute-long assault scene (presented in a single, unbroken shot) plus another scene of a man being beaten to death with a fire extinguisher. Some critics hated it, and others said it was one of the year’s best movies.
Irréversible has only a 58% approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website, where the consensus is that there was too much gratuitous violence in the film.
8. Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Da 5 Bloods is a multidimensional, multi-decade study on the internal and external traumas that came with Vietnam.
Guided by the skillful hand of Spike Lee, it’s a stylish and poignant image of humanity.
9. Trainspotting (1996)
This dark comedy follows a young heroin addict (Ewan McGregor) as he and his friends try to figure out life in an Edinburgh slum. The excellent supporting cast includes Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, and Kevin McKidd.
As might be expected of a film about squalor and drug addiction, the movie is bleak but also has funny elements.
10. Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Picture this: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, David Arquette, Richard Jenkins, and Matthew Fox in an American Western cannibal horror film.
Still with us? These cannibals are described as monsters, shunned by other Native American tribes. It’s worth a watch, but maybe only once.
11. Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster (the hit director behind Midsommar and Beau is Afraid) hit the ground running with his first-ever movie,Hereditary. It’s a psychological horror piece about a family that seems cursed after the grandmother dies.
Toni Collette gives a bravura performance as a woman whose world has turned into a waking nightmare.
12. Dead Ringers (1988)
David Cronenberg, who practically invented body horror, directed this story of twin gynecologists (both played by Jeremy Irons) specializing in fertility issues.
Enmeshment, addiction, paranoia, and other issues make their successful lives into a nightmare.
13. Breaking the Waves (1996)
Emily Watson made her film debut as Bess, a naïve (and possibly mentally ill) young Scottish woman, in this psychological stunner by Lars von Trier. Despite her family’s protests, Bess marries an oil worker (Stellan Skarsgard). When her husband is critically injured in a workplace accident, he asks her to begin having relations with random men. Beth believes the abasement will somehow heal her husband.
If you guessed it’s challenging to watch, then you are right.
14. 8mm (1999)
Joel Schumacher directed this crime thriller about a private investigator (Nicolas Cage) who’s asked to track down the origins of a so-called “snuff film.” It’s sordid and horrifying, but also extremely well-made.
The late Roger Ebert said the movie is not exploitation but rather one that squarely faces moral issues vs. using them to prop up an action movie.
15. The Neverending Story (1984)
The first English-language film by director Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot), this movie is about a bullied kid who finds a magical book that lets him escape his sad life. It also encourages him to skip school for the day so he can finish reading it.
The tale involves a young warrior who must save a dark and violent force from destroying a beautiful land called Fantasia.
16. The Elephant Man (1980)
David Lynch, generally associated with surrealism, turned to a real-life subject for this moving drama about John Merrick, a physically deformed man displayed in a late 19th-century British freak show. Anthony Hopkins is the surgeon who treats and later rescues Merrick (John Hurt).
It’s a dark, painful story, especially the scene in which Merrick says that he must have been “a disappointment” to his mother and wishes that she could love him as he was.
17. Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
Still banned in many countries, this graphic horror film focuses on four Italian libertines who kidnap and torture 18 teenagers for four months.
It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to watch it in the first place, let alone twice!
18. Uncut Gems (2019)
Adam Sandler moved away from his goofball persona in this intense crime thriller about a New York City jeweler with a serious gambling problem. He must retrieve a rare gem he has already sold to pay off his debts.
This film is not always easy to watch; it can be very stressful at times.
19. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies is often known for being one of the saddest animated movies of all time if not movies in general. The film follows two siblings in Japan during World War II as they fight to survive with each other after they’re orphaned.
Don’t let the animated format fool you – it’s a very hard film to watch.
20. The Whale (2022)
The Whale really made many people think and feel as it swept the 2022 award season. The movie follows Charlie, a reclusive man who teaches English online and doesn’t leave his home.
However, when he starts to try to connect with his teenage daughter again, he tries to change his life into one where he forgives his mistakes.
21. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
One of the most iconic war movies of all time, Saving Private Ryan, is about a group of United States soldiers as they go behind enemy lines at the Normandy Landings to rescue their fellow soldiers who have been killed in action so they can return their bodies back home.
It’s a touching story and will leave you in tears.
22. Beaches (1988)
This comedy-drama is funny throughout, but the ending left a lot of viewers claiming they’ll never watch the film again. Beaches is about two best friends since childhood as they grow and change into different people, figuring out their lives together.
The movie is a real look at friendships and the deep pain that comes when you have to say goodbye.
Donna Freedman
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