We love Hollywood just as much as the next person and adore a lot of movies that came out during the last decades, but it’s not all rainbows and unicorns when it comes to the movie plots and main ideas. While action-movies, rom-coms and vibrant sci-fi flicks have somewhat taken over the modern screens, there are still movies that are so grim and heavy they’re almost impossible to watch. Some of them are just poorly made, but others delve into the darkest parts of human nature revealing all the nasty bits for everyone to see. Do we like to watch movies like that – about violence, murders, victims, and monsters? Yes, sometimes we do. But will we ever want to re-watch those movies? Probably not. Here are 10 disturbing movies you will never want to watch twice.
Schindler’s List
Steven Spielberg poured all his genius into creating the incredibly stunning and equally heartbreaking movie Schindler’s List. It is definitely one of those movies that can’t be avoided, at least not for a long time, especially if you’re into history. Schindler’s List depicts the horrors of World War II and its devastating Nazi rule in Germany by focusing on one Oskar Schindler who did the impossible to save his Jewish employees. The sense of dread will crawl on you once you start watching the movie and won’t leave until the very end. It’s a brilliant movie, but a one-timer for sure.
Boys Don’t Cry
While Hilary Swank’s depiction of Brandon Teena was Oscar-worthy to say the least, the movie itself is one of those dramas that will leave you sobbing in the end. Possibly for days. Boys Don’t Cry tells a story of an actual transgender man who was raped and killed back in 1993, shedding light on a huge sector of unexplored hate crimes committed against LGBTQ people. There are a few sweet and lovely scenes in the movie, but if you ever plan on watching it (if you haven’t still) be prepared to experience a story that will end in the worst way possible.
Dogville
No one can beat Lars von Trier when it comes to dark avant-garde motion pictures that go deep into the realm of dark fantasies and violent reality. Dogville, part of his Land of Opportunity trilogy, tells a story of Grace Mulligan that runs away from the Mafia only to end up in a horror of a place called Dogville, a small town hidden in the mountains. She gets refuge in return for some physical labour and low-level chores, but things escalate quickly and we get to see scenes of violence and sexual assault. Needless to say, the movie is hard to watch the first time and we strongly advise against doing it more than once.
Requiem For a Dream
We’ve seen more than just enough movies involving drugs one way or another, but none of them can quite compare to the grimy, utterly depressing Requiem For a Dream by Darren Aronofsky. The movie opens a window into the bleak and sad lives of four drug addicts and the gruesome evolution of their addiction. Be prepared for some stunning visuals, hallucinations, and scenes that are both gut-wrenching and sad. It’s a mind-boggling movie that can inflict depression by just watching it once. We really do not recommend re-watching this gloomy masterpiece more than that.
Brokeback Mountain
Ang Lee’s genius created a tear-jerking story about love, devotion and utmost secrecy that had to be endured by two cowboys portrayed by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. It is a story about love and heartbreaking sacrifices that had to be made in order to live a ‘normal’ life. For years two men loved each other secretly with a few happy moments here and there, but the finale was so devastating as if Shakespeare himself had something to do with it. It’s one of those movies you watch one time and remember forever.
12 Years a Slave
The plot of 12 Years a Slave walked on thin ice as the director explored the never changing trope of ‘white man that saves the day’ with Brad Pitt’s character. Nevertheless, Solomon Northup’s story alone is something that will keep you glued to the screen despite all the inconsistencies. In this movie you will see a lot of truly ugly scenes that reveal the vile and brutal nature of 19th century slavery. It’s a complex movie that is worth seeing, but once is truly enough.
Precious
Precious sheds some light on a segment of society most of us rarely think of or have compassion for. The story, based on an autobiographical novel Push written by Sapphire, tells a story about a girl that’s trying to survive in a world where she’s surrounded by abuse and bullies. She is poor, her parents neglect her, people on the streets are mean, but people at her home are even meaner. You’ll be changed by this movie, possibly in a good way, but you’ll have to pay the price for it. It’s one of the heaviest movies on the list!
Monster
Charlize Theron is nearly unrecognizable in this unprecedented movie, but her acting is more than just superb – her Oscar award is proof of that! While her depiction of Aileen Wurnos, a serial killer that’s taken lives of numerous men, is truly brilliant, the movie itself is too disturbing for words. It is based on real events, which takes all the murders from the realm of one’s sick imagination right onto our doorsteps here in real life. Another thing that is alarming for most people – the story offers an almost sympathetic take on the life of a murderess, which was far from reality of what she was like. You will probably be able to stomach all the killings the first time you watch the movie, but more than that? We don’t think so.
Grave of the Fireflies
When we speak of Studio Ghibli we usually imagine movies like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and the utterly sweet My Neighbor Totoro. Bearing those lovely motion pictures in mind, many viewers fall into a trap and watch Grave of the Fireflies expecting to see something lovely and dream-like. Yet this animation movie is as far from all things pleasant as any war-related film that involves famine, poverty, and two children trying to survive in a post-war Japan. Grave of the Fireflies is emotionally draining, visually stunning, and one of those movies you need to see at least once. But once is definitely enough, believe us.
Passion of the Christ
Mel Gibson truly went over his head when he put to life the story of Jesus Christ during his final days. The movie is packed with scenes of extreme brutality that are, at times, truly unbearable to watch. The word ‘painful’ doesn’t even start to cover the experience you will get from watching Passion of the Christ. And while it is masterfully crafted and serves its initial purpose of reminding us about what horror Jesus Christ had to endure in his final days, it is definitely one of those movies you’ll never want to reprise again.
