I can’t pan a movie for being too disturbing. The subject matter can be rough, but I believe that’s sometimes necessary to create a great film. Some movies, though, can be too depressing for me to recommend, like The Counselor (2013). There is a lot to like about this movie: it has several great names and is directed by Ridley Scott. But the plotline about the drug underworld is highlighted with gruesome death scenes and it leaves the viewer with an unsatisfying aftertaste. It is an unnecessary film and I ended up with no great desire to ever watch it again. Once was more than enough.
On the other hand, some movies are hard to watch but I feel are important additions to any movie buff’s watchlist. Some of my favorite examples:
Ordinary People (1980)
Robert Redford’s directorial debut has many fascinating aspects, such as the terrific performances from Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, and Timothy Hutton. However, Moore’s character is on my list of the “most disliked” characters. She is just very vile and bitter toward everybody in the movie. I understand that her character suffered after the loss of her son, but her choices rub me the wrong way. It was such a hard performance to watch, even though the film was indescribably great. My wife wants to be thoroughly offended at the idea of anybody hating anything her beloved MTM does…but as she’s never seen Ordinary People, she’s giving me a pass – just this once.
After Hours (1985)
You can never go wrong with a Martin Scorsese picture, but this one was so awkward that it left me speechless. It is about a man (Griffin Dunne) who has the worst night of his life. He is on his way to meet a woman in a coffee shop but encounters many bizarre characters and turns of events along the way. While many of these situations are very funny, they are too eccentric for me to willingly endure them again.
Misery (1990)
When I think of Kathy Bates, I almost always think of Misery. It is her only Oscar-winning role to date (“highway robbery,” my wife says), so I think that is a fair correlation. Bates plays Annie, a psychopathic nurse who keeps novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) confined to a bed after he is involved in a car accident. Annie is a devoted fan of Paul’s works but goes ballistic after she reads his latest novel, in which he kills off the beloved main character, Misery. She then tortures him in gruesome ways, both verbally and physically. To this day, I still can’t keep my eyes open during the “hobbling” scene.
American History X (1998)
This movie’s poster would turn people’s heads. Edward Norton touching the swastika tattooed on his chest says a lot. However, that didn’t stop me from watching. Norton delivers one of his best performances in this drama, where he plays a reformed neo-Nazi skinhead released from prison. He learns that his younger brother (Edward Furlong) wants to follow in his footsteps, which Norton knows he must prevent. There is a lot of hate violence in this film, which can be intolerably intense. I have seen this film a few times, but that was many years ago and I think I’m okay with leaving it that way for now.
Happiness (1998)
I love movies that center on a group of characters (Magnolia [1999] being a perfect example), and this film does so much of that. It focuses on three sisters and their relationships and families. One of the sisters can have any man she wants, another lacks direction and starts a relationship with a married man, and the other has a family that is only perfect to the outside world. This film also explores the dark natures of the characters, which are too off-putting for me to write here, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. I do admire the film for its originality, though.
Elephant (2003)
Gus Van Sant has always made great films (Good Will Hunting [1997], which is a favorite) with character-driven plots. Elephant deals with a tragic day in the life of a group of high schoolers. Many of the student characters are very empathetic, and it is tough seeing what they go through. The ending still gets to me today.
The Last Kiss (2006)
This is a story about a small group of friends dealing with the realities of life going into their thirties. The main focus is on Michael (Zach Braff) and his relationship with Jenna (Jacinda Barrett): they are a happy couple, expecting a child, and want to get married. Michael suddenly feels that life and adulthood are sneaking up on him too quickly, and he meets a young college student named Kim (Rachel Bilson) who tempts Michael into straying from Jenna. The characters’ choices and the consequences of their actions are difficult to watch.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
This movie is set in a German concentration camp during WWII. The son of the camp’s commandant has a forbidden friendship with a young Jewish boy through the backyard fence. They meet on various occasions and get along very well. These sweet scenes helped me endure the traumatic scenes one would expect in a concentration camp, but nothing prepared me for the gut-wrenching ending. Despite being hard to watch at times, I’m still glad I took the time.
12 Years a Slave (2013)
The very thought of slavery existing in far-too-recent American history makes my skin crawl. Seeing a free man being taken advantage of and sold into slavery is particularly difficult to watch. This film can be overwhelmingly depressing but is well made nonetheless. The performances are among the best I’ve seen, and it deserved its Oscar for Best Picture.
Note: If you decide to watch these movies for the first time, I recommend looking at their MPAA ratings for more information beforehand.
Happy watching!
