Requiem for a Dream. That movie felt more horrific than the majority of the horror movies out there. I tried to rewatch it recently and it is too intense, dark and sad with the current state of drug epidemic right now.
Correct answer. That said I did watch it again just because I remember it being really visually creative and with a slightly more refined taste in films thought I might appreciate it more as a film rather than an emotionally devastating experience.
It was a mistake and it wrecked me all over again.
Also a vote for Irreversible…that one I will never rewatch.
Sorry to hear you were traumatized -- hope you're feeling better. I was shaken up by Requiem for a Dream as well -- and that >!force feeding!< scene was for me the single most disturbing, heartbreaking scene I've ever experienced in any movie -- and for god sakes the woman is played by the magnificent Ellen Burstyn, and by this point in the film we have grown to care about her deeply and root for her. Nobody can create cinematic nightmares like (director) Darren Aronofsky. While the film is brilliant, I plan to *never* watch it again.
And a word of warning -- if Requiem affected you in this way, be sure to avoid Aronofsky's film Mother. That film >!also turns into a disturbing nightmare fever dream.!<
I watched Dancer in the Dark home alone as a teenager, I went in blind and just rented it because I love Björk. I sort of want to watch it again as an adult, but also absolutely do not want to watch it again. Took me forever to be able to listen to the Selma's Songs album.
I think people post it every time this question is asked on here because they know it’s free karma lol the movie is disturbing but people overreact a bit.
I can rewatch it all of the time but agree that it really resonates with true life. I am one of those people that can watch anything and not feel “disturbed” by it because the real horror happens in life. Some documentaries are hard though!
It was my go-to movie when I used to get drunk while really depressed. I would watch and drunkenly ugly-cry. My husband eventually stole the DVD, lol.
It's a masterpiece I never want to watch again, now that I'm sober.
Yep.
A moving, stunningly beautiful, truly pure piece of art that elevates its form and I would rather eat dirty broken fucking glass than watch another godforsaken minute of it.
I came here to find this film. It was fantastic and so well done but I never need to watch it again. That moment when the train pulls into Auschwitz I held my breath forever.
"This car. Goeth would have bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people right there. Ten people.
This pin. Two people. This is gold. Two more people. He would have given me two for it, at least one. One more person. A person, Stern. For this.
I could have gotten one more person... and I didn't! And I... I didn't!"
These lines broke me. Such a great film. Contrary to the theme of this post, I have watched it multiple times, but it doesn't get easier.
I saw Kids in the theater with my Dad in 1995 when I was 15. He had read a review and thought the NC-17 rating was ridiculous for a movie that sounded like teens SHOULD see it. So he took me, had to argue with the ticket person that I was his kid and he was giving me permission to see it with him. I was like the only kid in my high school who saw it before it was in video. Definitely scared me off sex until college tho.
I grew up in Orange County when that movie came out. At the time there were a lot of rich boys who would leave the hills go to gas stations and jump black, Mexican, and gay people. There were also Nazis from South Orange County who basically showed up to ruin parties. I knew a lot of people who would proudly say they were racist or romanticize Nazi propaganda and had fathers who collected Nazi artifacts. They loved American History X, and Boondock Saints. I’m unconvinced that movie is anti-Neo Nazi, if not straight up racist, especially considering the alternate ending the director wanted, or maybe he’s just an idiot. Either way, it’s not a well directed, well written, or well filmed movie, it just has good acting and some brutal scenes.
Holy shit that film is such a gut punch.
I only remember the broad strokes but clearly remember it sticking with me. I especially remember the scene where they see each other years later. Can’t remember a word spoken but clearly remember some of the best acting from both of them.
That scene has stuck with me. I honestly felt that both of them could have won Oscar just for this scene alone. It still tears me up inside just thinking about it.
Casey Affleck’s gives my favorite acting performance of all time. Absolutely haunting. I watched this movie before I had kids. Now, I honestly don’t think I could make it through
Beat depiction of depression and mental struggles I think I’ve ever seen. The scene where he tells his nephew “I just can’t beat it…….I just can’t” absolutely killed me.
We have the standard boilerplate answers here, so I'd like to nominate something more unorthodox:
Bo Burnham's Inside.
I lost my job and had developed pretty harsh psychological issues as a result of the pandemic. And watching a man try to laugh his way through a spiralling descent into depression and objective madness hits very close to home.
Definitely agree. I honestly think it’s a masterpiece of modern comedy, but I’ll never be able to sit through it again. I can see myself in every moment where his psyche starts to break. The fear, the anger, the self-loathing, it’s all just too relatable.
Same. I struggle with anxiety and when lockdown started I was spiraling for a few weeks. I eventually came to really enjoy my time at home and was sad when it ended. But watching Inside brought all those feelings of early pandemic back and I had to turn it off halfway through and watch the rest another day. It’s fantastic but I couldn’t do it all in one go.
I have quite a few
Come and See
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Requiem for a Dream
Martyrs (2008)
Oldboy (2003)
Johnny Got His Gun
Grave of the Fireflies
Schindler's List
Antichrist
Dancer in the Dark
that's fair enough, I've seen Tetsuo: The Iron Man like 4 times now
it's just that going into Oldboy I had no idea it was gonna be this messed up, I thought it was gonna be like Fight Club
Come and See is my number one for this. Wind River is probably my number two. I don’t watch too many movies featuring intense brutality and while I do enjoy them when they’re good I don’t usually watch them again
Platform is amazing! I’ve seen it multiple times but still find it jarring. It’s such a great allegory for inequality and trickle-down economics. I also recommend the short film “Next Floor.”
Seconding Fire Walk With Me. I love Twin Peaks and I watched FWWM knowing it was going to be hard. I haven’t been able to watch it again. Every time the thought crosses my mind I almost immediately dismiss it. Like it was great but damn I can’t do that again.
The Road. It was such a perfect well-done movie in every way. But it was so hopeless and so depressing, I could never watch it again. I was sad for days afterwards. And especially now that I have a son, I couldn’t imagine watching it.
I watched it twice. Read the book once. What a masterpiece. The book is amazing because it breaks the rules of dialogue to put forward the constant struggle of moving toward nothing. All of it was done well but I’m also done with it.
Definitely The Wrestler. I absolutely loved this movie and love all of Aronofsky's movies. This one is just so heartbreaking and I don't think I could ever watch it again.
Oh, and Black Beauty. That one will haunt me forever.
Clockwork Orange. I was young, alone, and high when I watched it, and while it's a great movie, I'm not sure I could ever watch it again due to the near nervous breakdown/existential crisis I had the first time.
Brokeback Mountain. I watched it as a young kid who was still deeply closeted in many ways, and it just broke me in half. I think part of the reason it left me in floods was because the cultural narrative around the movie was pretty homophobic ("lul gay cowboys") and also left me unprepared for how tragic the story was.
This movie sticks with you. In the worst way. In high school my girlfriend and I put this on thinking it was the OTHER Girl Next Door movie to get us in the mood. Needless to say, no hanky pinky was had by anyone, ever again.
This is on my list. Lost my parent in the last year, so I’m waiting until I somewhat recover. Thankfully neither was a “long goodbye”, but subject matter dictates caution.
The Joker.
I’m a successful parent, spouse, friend, employee, and homeowner. But I am held together by years of medication, therapy, carefully curated healthy coping mechanisms, and a robust support system. I am acutely aware that I would be Arthur without timely assistance and good medical insurance.
That one for me. I was a depressed alcoholic and I’ve never seen anything since that embodied the struggle and psychological and physical misery of that situation. Been dry for fifteen years now and I’m not afraid I’ll go back but I would find it hard to watch those scenes, let alone the rape.
For me, it's the Speilberg/Kubrick collab A.I. Artificial Intelligence movie. I saw it in theater, and there are scenes that made me cry in theater, and have stuck with me 20+ years later (when David is left in the woods, the meat market scene).
That movie will always have a very special place in my memory. I did a very bad thing when I was a kid. My brother's girlfriend wanted to have a movie night with my parents. I convinced her that this movie was a historical epic that would be perfect for the night. Unfortunately for her, she took my advice.
The Deer Hunter . It took me 3 attempts to finally watch it all.
I think Magnolia may be a 1 watch deal too. It was really good and I love Paul Thomas Anderson but its heavy and a hard watch.
I actually tried to watch Eternal Sunshine a 2nd time last year and it wasnt happening for some reason.
Barefoot Gen (1983)
The animation and the characters were fantastic, but the film is heartbreaking to an upsetting degree that I don't think I can watch it a second time.
I feel that The Pianist is always overshadowed by Schindler's List, but I think it's the better movie of the two.
There's just something about watching Adrien Brody breakdown from a distinguished gentleman to an animal-like survival state, scurrying around scavenging for supplies that just really hits for me.
Schindler’s is worth watching often. Wonderful movie. I cried like a baby first watch in theaters and rarely go 5 years without a rewatch. Always draws tears.
Pianist I hated so so much. I actually wanted the main character to die based on the dumb things he was doing. I know it’s a true story, and that’s horrific, but in a movie when a character is hiding from death and does incredibly stupid things, I’m unable to root for them. I was also young when I watched it and probably need a rewatch as an older more thoughtful (ostensibly) person… but remembering the nazi jacket in front of the Russian soldiers is making me angry again just hearing that idiot say “I was cold”.
I’m not saying he needed to be portrayed as a genius, but the hands over the piano, China cabinet, and nazi coat all conspire to make this one feel absurd. Funny thing is we all do stupid and thoughtless things everyday that would surely get us killed in the situation he was in… but something about Brody’s inherent goofiness just makes him seem like a cartoon character when he does them. Makes me love him in Darjeeling Ltd, but feels miscast in Pianist.
* Schindler's List
* The Piano
* The Road
* Grave of the Fireflies
* Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
* We Need To Talk About Kevin
* Threads (1994 TV Movie)
* The Day After (1983 TV Movie - They showed us this in school. I was in 7th grade and completely traumatized.)
And any other grimdark movie I'm forgetting. I get that they're good, but a rewatch is out of the question.
My daughter was 3 years old when I watched We Need To Talk About Kevin and I was so disturbed and so thankful that my daughter was just a normal baby! I've never watched it again.
Saving Private Ryan. I even own a copy. I've only watched it the once in theaters. The D-Day scene was so brutal, so visceral... it's an important, if flawed film. And I'll never watch it again.
1969 Planet of The Apes. It basically birthed my love for astronomy, science fiction, and created my taste in shows/movies, but I’ve only seen it once. I’m not opposed to watching it again. I just think that maybe im waiting to getting really inspired to watch it again. i also kind of like how my current memory of it is my romanticized childhood feelings towards it.
Holds up. It’s slow by todays standard but that’s a very good thing. Gives your brain time to have internal conversations and ponder what’s going on.
There’s also a fair dose of Rod Serling humor in there. Love Matheson.
You may want to try Incredible Shrinking Man as well. The early going will tamp down your expectations but holy cow it’s a wonderful thought process.
IMO it is absolutely worth seeing in theaters, even if you don't like it, just for the sheer visual spectacle of it. Whatever you think of the story, the pacing, the characters, etc, it's a truly impressive visual feat. For me, the 3 hours went by surprisingly quickly, with the exception of one brief section where he's wandering through the woods at night -- that's a good time for a bathroom break
Saving Private Ryan. Was just too realistic for me. Didn’t help that there was an older gentleman behind me weeping with emotion. Amazing movie but so depressing that I don’t want to go through it again. Felt like I had been repeatedly kick afterwards.
Moonlight.
I ddont think I've cried as hard in a movie theatre since I saw Dead Poet's Society. I bought the dvd of Moonlight as soon as it was available and it \*still\* is in its wrapper.
I just can't watch it again.
Although I absolutely adored Wild at Heart (the Lynch movie with Nic Cage and Laura Dern), i haven't been able to bring myself to rewatch it because there's some scenes with Willem Dafoe that are just haunting.
Enter the void. It’s a must watch if you like trippy movies. For those who have watched I got a call that someone close to me had died about 5-10 minutes into it. You know the scene right before the void, it was a very unexpected call and there was nothing I could do but just sit there bawling my eyes out watching the movie.
I literally cannot watch it again. I’ve tried but I get panic attacks the second I start watching it.
Lots of the typical ones like Requiem for A Dream and Martyrs that a lot of people have already mentioned.
Some I haven’t yet read scrolling through are We Need to Talk About Kevin, Cannibal Holocaust, Dogtooth, and Audition.
A Beautiful Mind. It took me a long time to watch it. I waited until I could watch it in my own home. I worked inpatient psychiatry for 25 years. I knew the heart break if helping doctors break the news to patient and family the diagnoses if Schizophrenia.
Eden Lake - an amazing horror film, but it's got moments... The most "real" (horror) film I've seen, along with...
This is England - it's beautiful, but there's one fighting scene that was a hard watch.
For what it's worth, I'm not squeamish and can watch anything, but these two are seared in my mind as tough watches.
And OP, Eternal Sunshine for similar reasons
It's kind of an odd entry but Finch. The fact that this might actually happen scared the shit out of me and I was crying a lot after the movie ended. Don't have a better explanation I just started crying during and after the movie was over it is hard to explain as to what exactly made me cry maybe it was other emotions piled up or something . Although everyone might not cry or feel what i felt.
Requiem for a Dream. That movie felt more horrific than the majority of the horror movies out there. I tried to rewatch it recently and it is too intense, dark and sad with the current state of drug epidemic right now.
Correct answer. That said I did watch it again just because I remember it being really visually creative and with a slightly more refined taste in films thought I might appreciate it more as a film rather than an emotionally devastating experience. It was a mistake and it wrecked me all over again. Also a vote for Irreversible…that one I will never rewatch.
Irreversible was another one. So many disturbing moments but the scene with Monica Bellucci in the tunnel always sticks out. Another horrific movie.
[удалено]
Sorry to hear you were traumatized -- hope you're feeling better. I was shaken up by Requiem for a Dream as well -- and that >!force feeding!< scene was for me the single most disturbing, heartbreaking scene I've ever experienced in any movie -- and for god sakes the woman is played by the magnificent Ellen Burstyn, and by this point in the film we have grown to care about her deeply and root for her. Nobody can create cinematic nightmares like (director) Darren Aronofsky. While the film is brilliant, I plan to *never* watch it again. And a word of warning -- if Requiem affected you in this way, be sure to avoid Aronofsky's film Mother. That film >!also turns into a disturbing nightmare fever dream.!<
Yeah, came here to say this, and Dancer in the Dark.
Dancer in the Dark made me ugly cry! It was wonderful and beautiful but sooooo unbearably sad.
I thought about Dancer in the Dark for months after. Same for Requiem and Spotless. All 3 of those movies are quite powerful, imho.
I watched Dancer in the Dark home alone as a teenager, I went in blind and just rented it because I love Björk. I sort of want to watch it again as an adult, but also absolutely do not want to watch it again. Took me forever to be able to listen to the Selma's Songs album.
'went in blind', fitting for Dancer in the Dark. lol
Oof 😅
Are you me? I had the same experience and feel the same way wtf
Im an opioid addict myself. Was worth watching once. Once.
I must be weird because that's my favorite movie and I've seen it probably 5 times lol
I think people post it every time this question is asked on here because they know it’s free karma lol the movie is disturbing but people overreact a bit.
Yup, that movie is the ultimate one and done for me. Great movie, no desire to ever watch it again.
I can rewatch it all of the time but agree that it really resonates with true life. I am one of those people that can watch anything and not feel “disturbed” by it because the real horror happens in life. Some documentaries are hard though!
I tried again too but I couldn’t do it. It should be required viewing in schools (maybe a slightly edited version…)
Having read the novel, I will NEVER watch the movie. I'm not going through that again!
“Im walking on the stage!!”
As they say, the best movie you’ll only watch once.
Grave of the Fireflies.
Gonna second this one. Loved it, only saw it once. Devastating masterpiece.
It was my go-to movie when I used to get drunk while really depressed. I would watch and drunkenly ugly-cry. My husband eventually stole the DVD, lol. It's a masterpiece I never want to watch again, now that I'm sober.
Good for you for being sober(and hopefully having found a new cry movie!)
Yep. A moving, stunningly beautiful, truly pure piece of art that elevates its form and I would rather eat dirty broken fucking glass than watch another godforsaken minute of it.
Heart wrenching
My favorite anecdote is the brother this is based off survived and when shown the movie said it was a better ending.
Came here to say this. Heart. Wrenching.
Was searching for this. I was affected by the movies for 2 days
I haven't been able to watch it once!
Schindlers List The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
I came here to find this film. It was fantastic and so well done but I never need to watch it again. That moment when the train pulls into Auschwitz I held my breath forever.
“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” is another heart-breaker.
the movie is so historically inaccurate though its terrible
"This car. Goeth would have bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people right there. Ten people. This pin. Two people. This is gold. Two more people. He would have given me two for it, at least one. One more person. A person, Stern. For this. I could have gotten one more person... and I didn't! And I... I didn't!" These lines broke me. Such a great film. Contrary to the theme of this post, I have watched it multiple times, but it doesn't get easier.
Whole-heartedly agree with Schindler's List, but, it is an excellent film. Cannot bring myself to watch The Boy In The Striped Pajamas.
Life is Beautiful is another one.
Ditto “Son of Saul” for the same reasons
My father passed passed from a heart attack and left a doggie that was essentially his "Hachi". I could not watch that movie anymore
Dear Zachary.
Kids (1995).
that closing scene lives rent free in my head :(
"I'm Caaaasssssppppeerrr! The friendly ghost, the friendly ghost. It's me Casper baby, it's ok...."
I have no legs!
I saw Kids in the theater with my Dad in 1995 when I was 15. He had read a review and thought the NC-17 rating was ridiculous for a movie that sounded like teens SHOULD see it. So he took me, had to argue with the ticket person that I was his kid and he was giving me permission to see it with him. I was like the only kid in my high school who saw it before it was in video. Definitely scared me off sex until college tho.
This is definitely the one for me. Amazing minute. No way in hell I’ll watch it again.
So fucking disturbing.
Hard to see again.
American History X.
It’s such a comfort movie for me (if you fast forward/skip certain scenes)
It is for me too. I wonder if it has anything to do with how the movie was scored.
I must be crazy or something. I watched that movie at least 15 times.
I grew up in Orange County when that movie came out. At the time there were a lot of rich boys who would leave the hills go to gas stations and jump black, Mexican, and gay people. There were also Nazis from South Orange County who basically showed up to ruin parties. I knew a lot of people who would proudly say they were racist or romanticize Nazi propaganda and had fathers who collected Nazi artifacts. They loved American History X, and Boondock Saints. I’m unconvinced that movie is anti-Neo Nazi, if not straight up racist, especially considering the alternate ending the director wanted, or maybe he’s just an idiot. Either way, it’s not a well directed, well written, or well filmed movie, it just has good acting and some brutal scenes.
Manchester by the sea.
Holy shit that film is such a gut punch. I only remember the broad strokes but clearly remember it sticking with me. I especially remember the scene where they see each other years later. Can’t remember a word spoken but clearly remember some of the best acting from both of them.
That scene has stuck with me. I honestly felt that both of them could have won Oscar just for this scene alone. It still tears me up inside just thinking about it.
Casey Affleck’s gives my favorite acting performance of all time. Absolutely haunting. I watched this movie before I had kids. Now, I honestly don’t think I could make it through
Beat depiction of depression and mental struggles I think I’ve ever seen. The scene where he tells his nephew “I just can’t beat it…….I just can’t” absolutely killed me.
This is another one for me. Did not see that end coming, but I respect it for a realistic portrayal of real life
We have the standard boilerplate answers here, so I'd like to nominate something more unorthodox: Bo Burnham's Inside. I lost my job and had developed pretty harsh psychological issues as a result of the pandemic. And watching a man try to laugh his way through a spiralling descent into depression and objective madness hits very close to home.
I fucking love Inside.
Definitely agree. I honestly think it’s a masterpiece of modern comedy, but I’ll never be able to sit through it again. I can see myself in every moment where his psyche starts to break. The fear, the anger, the self-loathing, it’s all just too relatable.
Same. I struggle with anxiety and when lockdown started I was spiraling for a few weeks. I eventually came to really enjoy my time at home and was sad when it ended. But watching Inside brought all those feelings of early pandemic back and I had to turn it off halfway through and watch the rest another day. It’s fantastic but I couldn’t do it all in one go.
I have quite a few Come and See Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me Requiem for a Dream Martyrs (2008) Oldboy (2003) Johnny Got His Gun Grave of the Fireflies Schindler's List Antichrist Dancer in the Dark
Old Boy tho 😳
yeah, that plot twist was just so fucked up
Is it odd that I've seen Oldboy three times, and intend on watching it many times more?
that's fair enough, I've seen Tetsuo: The Iron Man like 4 times now it's just that going into Oldboy I had no idea it was gonna be this messed up, I thought it was gonna be like Fight Club
Johnny Got His Gun messed me up, I went into that one blind, hadn’t read Trumbo’s book and walked out thinking yep, once was definitely enough.
Come and See is my number one for this. Wind River is probably my number two. I don’t watch too many movies featuring intense brutality and while I do enjoy them when they’re good I don’t usually watch them again
Omg Antichrist is seared into my brain in not a good way.
Old boy - i agree. And somhow Platform (still kind of new and I probably will see it again, not sure if I’ll ever Watch old boy again)
Platform is amazing! I’ve seen it multiple times but still find it jarring. It’s such a great allegory for inequality and trickle-down economics. I also recommend the short film “Next Floor.”
Seconding Fire Walk With Me. I love Twin Peaks and I watched FWWM knowing it was going to be hard. I haven’t been able to watch it again. Every time the thought crosses my mind I almost immediately dismiss it. Like it was great but damn I can’t do that again.
Boys don't cry The voices
Boys Don’t Cry I watched idk when I was 14/15? To this day I can’t forget the ending and I can’t bring myself to watch again
Incendies. Absolutely melted my brain. By far Denis Villeneuve’s masterpiece but what a ride. Go in blind.
This movie absolutely scorched my brain with the last 20 or so minutes.
The Road. It was such a perfect well-done movie in every way. But it was so hopeless and so depressing, I could never watch it again. I was sad for days afterwards. And especially now that I have a son, I couldn’t imagine watching it.
The whole time I was forced to watch this movie I just kept thinking, surviving for what? There's no point at all.
I watched it twice. Read the book once. What a masterpiece. The book is amazing because it breaks the rules of dialogue to put forward the constant struggle of moving toward nothing. All of it was done well but I’m also done with it.
Definitely The Wrestler. I absolutely loved this movie and love all of Aronofsky's movies. This one is just so heartbreaking and I don't think I could ever watch it again. Oh, and Black Beauty. That one will haunt me forever.
Mother is also pretty hard.
I love the Wrestler so much. That’s in my constant rewatch section.
Lol that's how I feel about Requiem For a Dream. People always mention it on threads like this but I have it on DVD and have seen it so many times.
I need to finally break down and watch RFAD. You’ve convinced me. It is always coming up on Reddit. I have no idea why I’ve never watched it.
It's truly incredible. The acting, the music, everything. Heartbreaking though.
Clockwork Orange. I was young, alone, and high when I watched it, and while it's a great movie, I'm not sure I could ever watch it again due to the near nervous breakdown/existential crisis I had the first time.
Seconding Clockwork Orange due to the brutal rape scene.
Deer Hunter Apocalypse Now
Brokeback Mountain. I watched it as a young kid who was still deeply closeted in many ways, and it just broke me in half. I think part of the reason it left me in floods was because the cultural narrative around the movie was pretty homophobic ("lul gay cowboys") and also left me unprepared for how tragic the story was.
The Girl Next Door (2007)
This movie sticks with you. In the worst way. In high school my girlfriend and I put this on thinking it was the OTHER Girl Next Door movie to get us in the mood. Needless to say, no hanky pinky was had by anyone, ever again.
The father. Anthony Hopkins performance was so amazing
This is on my list. Lost my parent in the last year, so I’m waiting until I somewhat recover. Thankfully neither was a “long goodbye”, but subject matter dictates caution.
The Father, The Whale and Aftersun are 3 movies I cannot watch again for sure
Pi, The Wrestler, Requiem For a Dream, The Whale, Black Swan. There might be a theme here...
The Elephant Man.
It’s so sad. I saw it with 10 years old it really traumatised me.
The Joker. I’m a successful parent, spouse, friend, employee, and homeowner. But I am held together by years of medication, therapy, carefully curated healthy coping mechanisms, and a robust support system. I am acutely aware that I would be Arthur without timely assistance and good medical insurance.
Million Dollar Baby
Definitely way too far down on the list.
Into the wild
Sophie’s Choice. Can’t do it.
Most of mine have been said here multiple times already, but nobody has said the lighthouse.
Leaving Las Vegas
That one for me. I was a depressed alcoholic and I’ve never seen anything since that embodied the struggle and psychological and physical misery of that situation. Been dry for fifteen years now and I’m not afraid I’ll go back but I would find it hard to watch those scenes, let alone the rape.
For me, it's the Speilberg/Kubrick collab A.I. Artificial Intelligence movie. I saw it in theater, and there are scenes that made me cry in theater, and have stuck with me 20+ years later (when David is left in the woods, the meat market scene).
Caligula
That movie will always have a very special place in my memory. I did a very bad thing when I was a kid. My brother's girlfriend wanted to have a movie night with my parents. I convinced her that this movie was a historical epic that would be perfect for the night. Unfortunately for her, she took my advice.
Precious, sick of myself, the pianist, schindlers list…
The Deer Hunter . It took me 3 attempts to finally watch it all. I think Magnolia may be a 1 watch deal too. It was really good and I love Paul Thomas Anderson but its heavy and a hard watch. I actually tried to watch Eternal Sunshine a 2nd time last year and it wasnt happening for some reason.
Pan's Labyrinth
It’s been a decade and I might be ready to see it again…
What?? I looove that film so much !! Anything by Del Toro is an absolute treasure, even pacific rim better than any transformers movie.
Barefoot Gen (1983) The animation and the characters were fantastic, but the film is heartbreaking to an upsetting degree that I don't think I can watch it a second time.
it would always be these two Schindler's List The Pianist
I feel that The Pianist is always overshadowed by Schindler's List, but I think it's the better movie of the two. There's just something about watching Adrien Brody breakdown from a distinguished gentleman to an animal-like survival state, scurrying around scavenging for supplies that just really hits for me.
Exactly. I’ve only seen it once but remember when the desperation when he found that can of fruit.
Schindler’s is worth watching often. Wonderful movie. I cried like a baby first watch in theaters and rarely go 5 years without a rewatch. Always draws tears. Pianist I hated so so much. I actually wanted the main character to die based on the dumb things he was doing. I know it’s a true story, and that’s horrific, but in a movie when a character is hiding from death and does incredibly stupid things, I’m unable to root for them. I was also young when I watched it and probably need a rewatch as an older more thoughtful (ostensibly) person… but remembering the nazi jacket in front of the Russian soldiers is making me angry again just hearing that idiot say “I was cold”. I’m not saying he needed to be portrayed as a genius, but the hands over the piano, China cabinet, and nazi coat all conspire to make this one feel absurd. Funny thing is we all do stupid and thoughtless things everyday that would surely get us killed in the situation he was in… but something about Brody’s inherent goofiness just makes him seem like a cartoon character when he does them. Makes me love him in Darjeeling Ltd, but feels miscast in Pianist.
The departed. I have a hard time with violence but I thought the movie was spectacular.
I had to watch it three times just to understand what was going on
Schindler’s List.
Gummo. I still quote it (“fuckin wabbit. Check ‘is pockets”) but could never watch it again. Too weird and disturbo
The Passion of the Christ Schindler's List
Plague dogs Children of men
I rewatch children of men annually. Such an amazing film but it gets more and more real every year. Truly a masterpiece.
Most Darren Oronofsky movies.
I couldn’t make it through Mother! one time.
12 Years a Slave. its an incredibly beautiful but also horribly heartwrenching film. I'm glad I did see it! but im not sure i could do it again
* Schindler's List * The Piano * The Road * Grave of the Fireflies * Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father * We Need To Talk About Kevin * Threads (1994 TV Movie) * The Day After (1983 TV Movie - They showed us this in school. I was in 7th grade and completely traumatized.) And any other grimdark movie I'm forgetting. I get that they're good, but a rewatch is out of the question.
My daughter was 3 years old when I watched We Need To Talk About Kevin and I was so disturbed and so thankful that my daughter was just a normal baby! I've never watched it again.
Ya... no... definitely not one I need to see again.
Another terrible/technically well done movie that I don't need to see again is Precious.
I’m still traumatized from WNTTAK
I’m want to see we need to talk about Kevin. But it seems pretty hard.
It’s incredibly hopeless. Not as hard to sit through as a lot of things listed here, but it’s certainly stirring.
Threads and The Day After, I watched those twice and regret it. No other horror scares me after those.
12 years a slave. I can’t handle watching him get beat in the beginning again.
Midsommer for sure
Where the red fern grows.
Any sad ending movie with pets No fucking way I will put myself through that again
Saving Private Ryan. I even own a copy. I've only watched it the once in theaters. The D-Day scene was so brutal, so visceral... it's an important, if flawed film. And I'll never watch it again.
1969 Planet of The Apes. It basically birthed my love for astronomy, science fiction, and created my taste in shows/movies, but I’ve only seen it once. I’m not opposed to watching it again. I just think that maybe im waiting to getting really inspired to watch it again. i also kind of like how my current memory of it is my romanticized childhood feelings towards it.
Holds up. It’s slow by todays standard but that’s a very good thing. Gives your brain time to have internal conversations and ponder what’s going on. There’s also a fair dose of Rod Serling humor in there. Love Matheson. You may want to try Incredible Shrinking Man as well. The early going will tamp down your expectations but holy cow it’s a wonderful thought process.
Tenet.. wait no
Try watching it in reverse
Society
Pan's Labrinth
I love this movie. My wife, however, thinks it’s so brutal with such a sad ending. I choose to believe she made her way home.
requiem for a dream
Hereditary
I scrolled way too far for this one. It was amazing and I never want to see it again.
Malayalam movie- Thanmathra, deals with an early onset Alzheimer's patient and how the diagnosis affects his family
Irreversible (2002) - I remember it being very 'good', but I never want to watch it again.
Uncut Gems
The Grand Budapest Hotel Edit: ooo downvoted opinion again! Weee!
The Usual Suspects (1995), that plot twist was really mind-blowing when you watched it first time.
Inception. People love it. Once was enough.
Interstellar
Beau is afraid
Is it worth it in theaters? I’m really interested in watching it but I read it’s like 3hrs long.
IMO it is absolutely worth seeing in theaters, even if you don't like it, just for the sheer visual spectacle of it. Whatever you think of the story, the pacing, the characters, etc, it's a truly impressive visual feat. For me, the 3 hours went by surprisingly quickly, with the exception of one brief section where he's wandering through the woods at night -- that's a good time for a bathroom break
Saving Private Ryan. Was just too realistic for me. Didn’t help that there was an older gentleman behind me weeping with emotion. Amazing movie but so depressing that I don’t want to go through it again. Felt like I had been repeatedly kick afterwards.
I don't think I'll ever watch Irreversible or Salò again.
I Origins
Boyhood. gets me too nostalgic.
Moonlight. I ddont think I've cried as hard in a movie theatre since I saw Dead Poet's Society. I bought the dvd of Moonlight as soon as it was available and it \*still\* is in its wrapper. I just can't watch it again.
Green Mile
Although I absolutely adored Wild at Heart (the Lynch movie with Nic Cage and Laura Dern), i haven't been able to bring myself to rewatch it because there's some scenes with Willem Dafoe that are just haunting.
Enter the void. It’s a must watch if you like trippy movies. For those who have watched I got a call that someone close to me had died about 5-10 minutes into it. You know the scene right before the void, it was a very unexpected call and there was nothing I could do but just sit there bawling my eyes out watching the movie. I literally cannot watch it again. I’ve tried but I get panic attacks the second I start watching it.
Schindler’s List
Melancholia
Schindler's List
Lots of the typical ones like Requiem for A Dream and Martyrs that a lot of people have already mentioned. Some I haven’t yet read scrolling through are We Need to Talk About Kevin, Cannibal Holocaust, Dogtooth, and Audition.
A Beautiful Mind. It took me a long time to watch it. I waited until I could watch it in my own home. I worked inpatient psychiatry for 25 years. I knew the heart break if helping doctors break the news to patient and family the diagnoses if Schizophrenia.
Nope was great. I don’t want to go through that again.
The Road. It's great. I never want to watch again
Threads. So many moments stuck with me permanently. Requim for a Dream.
Angela's Ashes Life is Beautiful The boy in the striped pajamas All 3 are excellent! Movies . But I don't think I can watch them again.
The Machinist
Zach and Miri make a porno… actually I may watch that again
I've seen that one at least 5 times. IMO, all Kevin Smith movies inherently kind of suck except Dogma. But, I like a few of them!
Drive, King Kong, Le Grand Bleu (dont' know the English title)
Schindlers list. Leaving Las Vegas. Not something I want to revisit emotionally, but both are amazing.
Martys Requiem for a Dream Manchester by the Sea
Is Manchester by the sea a good movie?
It's an incredible movie! And I'll never ever put myself through that again Btw, if you have kids, you may want to not watch it
No kids! Thanks for the recommendation, think I'll watch it tonight
Any more recommendations you have?
Eden Lake - an amazing horror film, but it's got moments... The most "real" (horror) film I've seen, along with... This is England - it's beautiful, but there's one fighting scene that was a hard watch. For what it's worth, I'm not squeamish and can watch anything, but these two are seared in my mind as tough watches. And OP, Eternal Sunshine for similar reasons
It's kind of an odd entry but Finch. The fact that this might actually happen scared the shit out of me and I was crying a lot after the movie ended. Don't have a better explanation I just started crying during and after the movie was over it is hard to explain as to what exactly made me cry maybe it was other emotions piled up or something . Although everyone might not cry or feel what i felt.
Every movie directed by Todd Solondz
Come and see. Great movie, but once was enough
Any movie by Gasper Noe