Films that are hard to watch..

Surreptitious

valoren wrote: »

Found Apocalypto to be an intense, brilliant and anxious watch. Wouldn't be quick to rewatch it.

Brilliant movie. I'd watch it again

storker

Eraserhead.

It's like a terrible dream that you still remember years later.

o1s1n

Mad_maxx wrote: »

The uncut version of Event Horizon where they eventually get to see the footage of the previous crew is unwatchable

There's no such thing unfortunately, the proper full length uncut director's cut doesn't exist as the footage was lost.

Something like 40 minutes in total of absolute disturbing mayhem lost.

What you see now is just snippets.

Murt10

OP, If you liked Watership Down, I think you'll definitely like another oldie, "The Plague Dogs" also by Richard Adams. Bring tears to a statue, its about 2 really likeable dogs who escape from a laboratory where they experiment on animals.

Another really hard to watch is the brilliant (IMO)"When the Wind Blows" made in 1986. It's an animated disaster film directed by Jimmy Murakami based on Raymond Briggs' comic book of the same name. Very slow and gentle but also very powerful

The film stars the voices of John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft as the two main characters and was scored by Roger Waters. The film accounts a rural English couple's attempt to survive a nearby nuclear attack and maintain a sense of normality in the subsequent fallout.

NIMAN

Nomadland.

That's 90min I won't get back.

grassylawn

Murt10 wrote: »

OP, If you liked Watership Down, I think you'll definitely like another oldie, "The Plague Dogs" also by Richard Adams. Bring tears to a statue, its about 2 really likeable dogs who escape from a laboratory where they experiment on animals.

Another really hard to watch is the brilliant (IMO)"When the Wind Blows" made in 1986. It's an animated disaster film directed by Jimmy Murakami based on Raymond Briggs' comic book of the same name. Very slow and gentle but also very powerful

The film stars the voices of John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft as the two main characters and was scored by Roger Waters. The film accounts a rural English couple's attempt to survive a nearby nuclear attack and maintain a sense of normality in the subsequent fallout.

When the Wind Blows really got to me when I watched it as a kid in the 80's. I doubt it would have the same impact without the context of the Cold War and the fear of nuclear war that went with it.

Some good replies there.....' leaving las Vegas, last exit to brooklyn, schinders list & requiem for a dream"..... all hard to watch but brilliant movies.
A bit off- centre but " Carlitos way"....... carlito tried his best to " get out" but there was no way he was going to sail off into the sunset.....you kinda knew he was doomed a long way out

the purple tin

Kes.
It's tough up north.

stuboy01

Another oldie...
Threads.
part public information...part bleak drama.
for those of you that came to consciousness post cold war, Threads was a British movie (BBC involved) about the effects of a nuclear war.
it ended up dealing with people scratching a living in a nuclear winter in sheffield (already a post apocalyptic location before being nucked)

I, Daniel Blake

Man Vs ManUre

Neds is a really good film about Glasgow knife crime and asbo. It can be a tough watch at times. Very hard to understand the strong accents and lingo too.

brianregan09

Joker with Joaquin Phoenix

Loved it when I watched it ,but I could never sit through it again

greensausage

Not sure if Id count it as hard to watch but the road with Viggo Mortensen is the bleakest, most depressing film I've ever sat through.

B.A._Baracus

Bicentennial Man is a hard watch and it's not a bad movie it's just sad. Makes you feel like life is so short.

IngridM20

Marley and Me. Don’t watch that!

storker

Ken Mc Carthy wrote: »

Some good replies there.....' leaving las Vegas, last exit to brooklyn, schinders list & requiem for a dream"..... all hard to watch but brilliant movies.
A bit off- centre but " Carlitos way"....... carlito tried his best to " get out" but there was no way he was going to sail off into the sunset.....you kinda knew he was doomed a long way out

I find that Sean Penn's performance makes Carlito's Way a pleasure to watch.

Tony EH

Haven't read everything and I'm probably echoing others, but 'Irreversible' has a nine minute scene in that is excruciating. It's deliberately timed so that the initial shock is drained into repulsion and it's probably the most powerful and sickening representation of such an "event" that has been put onto film.

'The War Zone' is also very bleak and disturbing and it's kind of amazing that this film (directed by Tim Roth no less) has sort of drifted into obscurity.

'Martyrs' from the short lived new French extreme wave from about ten years ago is probably the best example of that sub genre. Everything looks so painful due to the fantastic effects work by Benoit Lestang and Adrien Morot.

David Lynch's 'The Elephant Man' was the only film that ever made me squirt out a tear when watching it. John Hurt did an excellent job at bringing out the humanity of Merrick under all of that makeup. But like 'A Straight Story', it often gets lost under the cloak of Lynch's more "out there" movies.

'Nil By Mouth', directed by Gary Oldman, takes Kathy Burke and a some 'East Enders' non stars and subjects them to horrific violence and the general despair of a go nowhere life.

afkasurfjunkie

Anyone come across ‘The Platform’ on Netflix? Literally dark and disturbing on many levels.

tylercheribini

Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie

A Clockwork Orange

afkasurfjunkie

afkasurfjunkie wrote: »

Anyone come across ‘The Platform’ on Netflix? Literally dark and disturbing on many levels.

Haha......I went at that one night after a bottle of red & half bottle jack d

---

NOT RECOMMENDED

Snake Plisken

Tony EH wrote: »

Haven't read everything and I'm probably echoing others, but 'Irreversible' has a nine minute scene in that is excruciating. It's deliberately timed so that the initial shock is drained into repulsion and it's probably the most powerful and sickening representation of such an "event" that has been put onto film

Yes while the film is brilliantly executed, Noe has made it so that you really never want to watch it again. The open scenes with that pulsing booming noise is there on purpose to make humans feel Nausea and it caused a lot of walkouts that and the violence in The Rectum Gay club
The 9 minute scene above is just so hard to watch, at one stage you can see someone walk into the end of the tunnel see what's happening and decides not to intervene, that is suppose to represent the viewer and ask would you intervene or turn around and walk out.
I see a lot of movies mentioned but I see only a few mentioned that I would not watch again, Irreversible is the top of this list.

boombang

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but the Deerhunter is a great film that I would recommend but not watch again. Hard work.

branie2

A Clockwork Orange
Michael Collins, as we know what happens in the end

MfMan

storker wrote: »

I find that Sean Penn's performance makes Carlito's Way a pleasure to watch.

That plus sumptuous title theme by Patrick Doyle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5B6gAFpOhQ

the purple tin

Lady Vengeance
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451094/

1874

NEDs


Set in 70's Scotland, and even though it was made in 2010, seems like it was made before that, tough watch imo, Directed by Peter Mullan, very like other stuff he is in himself, also a difficult watch (My Name is Joe).

I always interpreted it that the ending of Neds was that children were left to fend for themselves without help would likely turn out a certain way, a lord of the flies kind of situation, like they were just dropped off in the jungle of society and fed to the lions, anyone else see it and think thats what the ending was about?

Shakey_jake

Just watched Ray and Liz uncomfortable to a certain degree, very well executed though

ziedth

Not a film but one of the scenes that genuinely bothered me for days was in GOT "The Viper and the Mountain"..... I was fully expecting and routing for it to go one way and then......... if I ever get over the **** show of a final season and give it a rewatch I'd skip that one


Seven is a difficult watch but an excellent film

Hangdogroad

Salo. Not a film I'll be sitting through again.

The J Stands for Jay

spodoinkle wrote: »

Salo, centipede, Serbian film, tusk, seen them all but none of them are close to that one about James bulgers killers; can't remember the name and don't want to, only an hour long and I had to turn off after half an hour, awful, awful, awful, jesus I'm near in tears now thinking about it

I'm not aware of Tusk, but I don't think I'll watch any of the others.

Hangdogroad

Tony EH wrote: »

Haven't read everything and I'm probably echoing others, but 'Irreversible' has a nine minute scene in that is excruciating. It's deliberately timed so that the initial shock is drained into repulsion and it's probably the most powerful and sickening representation of such an "event" that has been put onto film.

'The War Zone' is also very bleak and disturbing and it's kind of amazing that this film (directed by Tim Roth no less) has sort of drifted into obscurity.

'Martyrs' from the short lived new French extreme wave from about ten years ago is probably the best example of that sub genre. Everything looks so painful due to the fantastic effects work by Benoit Lestang and Adrien Morot.

David Lynch's 'The Elephant Man' was the only film that ever made me squirt out a tear when watching it. John Hurt did an excellent job at bringing out the humanity of Merrick under all of that makeup. But like 'A Straight Story', it often gets lost under the cloak of Lynch's more "out there" movies.

'Nil By Mouth', directed by Gary Oldman, takes Kathy Burke and a some 'East Enders' non stars and subjects them to horrific violence and the general despair of a go nowhere life.

The first time I saw the Elephant Man was when RTE showed it over Christmas 1983 (I was 9) and was so terrified by the opening dream sequence with the Elephants that was as far as I got. However watched it loads of times as an adult and its become one of my favourite films.

Inland Empire, someone mentioned that earlier. Now theres about the only David Lynch film I wouldnt care to sit through again. It has flashes of brilliance but it's way too long and I found the shot on video look wearying to watch.

Tony EH

Hangdogroad wrote: »

The first time I saw the Elephant Man was when RTE showed it over Christmas 1983 (I was 9) and was so terrified by the opening dream sequence with the Elephants that was as far as I got. However watched it loads of times as an adult and its become one of my favourite films.

Inland Empire, someone mentioned that earlier. Now theres about the only David Lynch film I wouldnt care to sit through again. It has flashes of brilliance but it's way too long and I found the shot on video look wearying to watch.

I would consider 'The Elephant Man' one of the greatest films I've seen. Certainly one of the best of Lynch's movies.

But, yeh... 'Inland Empire'. I've sat through it twice, and come away with the same feeling. I'm just largely confused about it. I do think that the digital video look holds it back to a great degree as well. But I am unsure if it would gain anything by being shot on film, apart from a relative viewing comfort.

Although, I have a love/hate relationship with David Lynch movies, which I'll often dislike upon first watch and then come around to later on. It's happened with 'Blue Velvet', Mullholand Dr.', 'Eraserhead'...nearly all of his pictures.

Hard to believe that he hasn't made a movie in 15 years.

breezy1985

Tony EH wrote: »

I would consider 'The Elephant Man' one of the greatest films I've seen. Certainly one of the best of Lynch's movies.

But, yeh... 'Inland Empire'. I've sat through it twice, and come away with the same feeling. I'm just largely confused about it. I do think that the digital video look holds it back to a great degree as well. But I am unsure if it would gain anything by being shot on film, apart from a relative viewing comfort.

Although, I have a love/hate relationship with David Lynch movies, which I'll often dislike upon first watch and then come around to later on. It's happened with 'Blue Velvet', Mullholand Dr.', 'Eraserhead'...nearly all of his pictures.

Hard to believe that he hasn't made a movie in 15 years.

A fair few Lynch movies and a lot of the other film mentioned on this thread are designed purely to confuse just to give movie snobs something that they can pretend to get that none of the rest of us dumb plebs do.

Plenty others like Salo or the Serbian one are just an atty version of B-movie shock value stuff with the creators sexual kinks thrown in

Hangdogroad

Hangdogroad wrote: »

The first time I saw the Elephant Man was when RTE showed it over Christmas 1983 (I was 9) and was so terrified by the opening dream sequence with the Elephants that was as far as I got. However watched it loads of times as an adult and its become one of my favourite films.

Inland Empire, someone mentioned that earlier. Now theres about the only David Lynch film I wouldnt care to sit through again. It has flashes of brilliance but it's way too long and I found the shot on video look wearying to watch.

I think Lynch was spooked by the success and relative accessibility of Mullholland Dr. and went over the top.

Tony EH

breezy1985 wrote: »

A fair few Lynch movies and a lot of the other film mentioned on this thread are designed purely to confuse just to give movie snobs something that they can pretend to get that none of the rest of us dumb plebs do.

Plenty others like Salon or the Serbian one are just an atty version of B-movie shock value stuff with the creators sexual kinks thrown in

Ummm...Lynch's films come together though. There is a narrative logic in there, albeit one that's often dressed up in a surreal package. But Lynch is no chancer. His straightforward films prove that.

On the other hand, trash like 'A Serbian Film' is just an exploitation movie dressed up as something else. The director of that nonsense tried to claim that the film was allegory for the troubles that Serbia had gone through as a country. But, frankly, that's a load of bollocks. It was merely just a vehicle to put outrageous imagery on the screen. Which, in an of itself, I'm fine with. I just don't want the smoke blown up my arse about it.

breezy1985

Tony EH wrote: »

Ummm...Lynch's films come together though. There is a narrative logic in there, albeit one that's often dressed up in a surreal package. But Lynch is no chancer. His straightforward films prove that.

On the other hand, trash like 'A Serbian Film' is just an exploitation movie dressed up as something else. The director of that nonsense tried to claim that the film was allegory for the troubles that Serbia had gone through as a country. But, frankly, that's a load of bollocks. It was merely just a vehicle to put outrageous imagery on the screen. Which, in an of itself, I'm fine with. I just don't want the smoke blown up my arse about it.

Lynch has some great films and definitely has nothing to prove there but he has some pure waffle too. The new Twin Peaks was around 10 hours of nonsense to the point of trolling the audience

breezy1985

breezy1985 wrote: »

Lynch has some great films and definitely has nothing to prove there but he has some pure waffle too. The new Twin Peaks was around 10 hours of nonsense to the point of trolling the audience

Definitely. Go back and watch the original. There’s genuine warmth there. There’s a story. The hew one was tripe. .

breezy1985

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Definitely. Go back and watch the original. There’s genuine warmth there. There’s a story. The hew one was tripe. .

God ya season 1 is amazing. 2 gets dodgy but he admits that himself and Fire Walk With Me is decent too

igCorcaigh

This is my favourite genre of film.
Social realism / anything with Paddy Considine / Nil by Mouth kind of stuff.

Don't know what that says about me, but I have watched and re-watched many of these.

"Possum", anyone?

dark crystal

Tony EH wrote: »

Haven't read everything and I'm probably echoing others, but 'Irreversible' has a nine minute scene in that is excruciating. It's deliberately timed so that the initial shock is drained into repulsion and it's probably the most powerful and sickening representation of such an "event" that has been put onto film.

'The War Zone' is also very bleak and disturbing and it's kind of amazing that this film (directed by Tim Roth no less) has sort of drifted into obscurity.

'Martyrs' from the short lived new French extreme wave from about ten years ago is probably the best example of that sub genre. Everything looks so painful due to the fantastic effects work by Benoit Lestang and Adrien Morot.

'Nil By Mouth', directed by Gary Oldman, takes Kathy Burke and a some 'East Enders' non stars and subjects them to horrific violence and the general despair of a go nowhere life.

Yes, to all of these! That scene in Irreversible actually made me physically ill. I'd never watch it again. The War Zone very disturbing too.

Another one I watched a while back was a Russian film called 'Loveless' about an unloved boy who goes missing. It was just so bleak and heart-wrenching.

AndrewJRenko

breezy1985 wrote: »

Lynch has some great films and definitely has nothing to prove there but he has some pure waffle too. The new Twin Peaks was around 10 hours of nonsense to the point of trolling the audience

It was the among the best TV that has been produced in years, because it did stuff that absolutely no-one else would do. Amazing TV.

yosser hughes

bnt wrote: »

Breaking The Waves is like that, I think. Unrelentingly bleak on multiple levels. I still find it hard to watch Emily Watson in anything.

It's the first film that came to my mind.

Kaybaykwah

dark crystal wrote: »

Yes, to all of these! That scene in Irreversible actually made me physically ill. I'd never watch it again. The War Zone very disturbing too.

Another one I watched a while back was a Russian film called 'Loveless' about an unloved boy who goes missing. It was just so bleak and heart-wrenching.

Your post about the Russian film about a boy reminded me of a great movie, and one that fits into the hard to watch category.


The title from 1985 is "Come and See" by Elem Klimov. A heart wrenching war movie. Some awful scenes in there, and the desperate mood is sustained throughout and operates a transformation of the boy who plays the lead. Truly a great movie. I was lucky enough to see a premiere in Montreal in 1986. The audience was bowled over.

dark crystal

Kaybaykwah wrote: »

Your post about the Russian film about a boy reminded me of a great movie, and one that fits into the hard to watch category.


The title from 1985 is "Come and See" by Elem Klimov. A heart wrenching war movie. Some awful scenes in there, and the desperate mood is sustained throughout and operates a transformation of the boy who plays the lead. Truly a great movie. I was lucky enough to see a premiere in Montreal in 1986. The audience was bowled over.

It's a film I've seen mentioned quite a few times, but something I'd find quite hard to watch I think. Stuff where bad things happen to children just floor me. I can't bear it. I will watch it eventually I'm sure.

Speaking of which, I watched Michael Haneke's 'Funny Games' and if you've seen it, you'll know there's a scene towards the end involving a kid and I was so disturbed by it, even by that film's already disturbing standards! It was a brave decision for the director to make, but it upset me terribly.

Kumejima

The Act of Killing, a surreal documentary on members of Indonesian death squads reenacting their "past glories".
I almost threw up in the cinema, not because of gory violence, but because of a moment where one of these now national heroes begins to realise what he's done. Its in real time, on camera, and its... indescribable. I couldn't function for hours after it.

igCorcaigh

Kumejima wrote: »

The Act of Killing, a surreal documentary on members of Indonesian death squads reenacting their "past glories".
I almost threw up in the cinema, not because of gory violence, but because of a moment where one of these now national heroes begins to realise what he's done. Its in real time, on camera, and its... indescribable. I couldn't function for hours after it.

I heard so much about this one, but I couldn't take to it. It just seemed surreal and, acted?

Kaybaykwah

dark crystal wrote: »

It's a film I've seen mentioned quite a few times, but something I'd find quite hard to watch I think. Stuff where bad things happen to children just floor me. I can't bear it. I will watch it eventually I'm sure.

Speaking of which, I watched Michael Haneke's 'Funny Games' and if you've seen it, you'll know there's a scene towards the end involving a kid and I was so disturbed by it, even by that film's already disturbing standards! It was a brave decision for the director to make, but it upset me terribly.

Yeah, I know what you mean, I can't watch when someone gets hit on the head in a movie. A lot of stuff I turn my head from, let alone if it is happening to kids.

igCorcaigh

yosser hughes wrote: »

It's the first film that came to my mind.

I loved Breaking The Waves.

And most films by Lars Von Trier.

But it's the acting on his films, fantastic.

igCorcaigh

Kaybaykwah wrote: »

Your post about the Russian film about a boy reminded me of a great movie, and one that fits into the hard to watch category.


The title from 1985 is "Come and See" by Elem Klimov. A heart wrenching war movie. Some awful scenes in there, and the desperate mood is sustained throughout and operates a transformation of the boy who plays the lead. Truly a great movie. I was lucky enough to see a premiere in Montreal in 1986. The audience was bowled over.

It didn't do much for me.
The scene where the people where burned in a barn was horrifying.

But for some reason, I couldn't relate to the main characters.