difficult to watch but must-see movies
Submitted by taryn on Tue, 02/20/2001 - 09:10
Tags:
- malena
- magnolia
- breaking the waves
- cry the beloved country
- dead man walking
- let him have it
- the sweet hereafter
- in the name of the father
- the joy luck club
- sarafina
- blue
- the piano
- dying young
- a midnight clear
Author Comments:
these are movies which leave you feeling spent and shredded but have something that stays with you for a long time. certain images or lines will come back to you weeks, even months later. i highly recommend all of these to mature people.
I would add A Simple Plan to this list (if it were my list, which it's not :-).
MILD SPOILER BELOW
I mean, the scene where Bridget Fonda complete demolishes any illusions Bill Paxton had of marital happiness. Or where she tells him "nobody would believe you'd be capable of the things you've done" (or something like that). Painful. And it's wonderful because you can't really tell how deep their self-awareness goes.
I just found this list linked from dgeiser13's clone. Interesting to see how anachronistic this four-year-old post looks now, apparently before Jim installed the spoiler tags.
:-) Yup, definitely a pre-spoiler-tag post. I often forget how far back this site goes (and that my ramblings from years ago are still hanging around).
I love this list. Thank you,taryn! "Shindler's List" was a movie I found hard to watch, haunting and memorable. I recommend it in the spirit of appreciation for your contribution to my "Must See Movies" list.
i just wanted to say: magnolia is difficult in a different way than all the others--but i had to add it. there are certain scenes that are not for the squeamish, but the heart of the message is what makes it hard to watch--something about it forces you to look inside and examine your life; regret and forgiveness are big themes.
at any rate, if i hear one more person say it didn't make sense or had no plot--i will scream. if you felt you "got it" but have a response, either good or bad, you may reply here--if you didn't, please refrain...
Check out "Swept in from the Sea". Incredable movie, but will break your heart.
Do you mean Swept from the Sea (1997) with Vincent Perez and Rachel Weisz or Swept Away (1975) the Lina Wertmüller film?
How about "Revenge". Kevin Costner in his earlier years stars in this film about the love for another friends wife. Great acting with twists and suspense. It is actually a great movie in contrast to "The Postman" and others that just plain sucked.
i too think this was one of costner's best films--perhaps even the best... but i have to say i mentally filed it under "sexy movies" because the jeep scene was the one that stuck out in my recollection of it.
perhaps a re-viewing is necessary... *mischievous eyebrow raised*
One that i would add would be The Virgin Suicides. I'm not sure if i am completely alon on this one sonce no one recommends it, or perhapsno one has seen it as it was a limited release. Needless to say i should have known the ending to this film, but nevertheless i was completely shocked and just stared..then rewound to see what i missed. It touched me as i saw it right when it came out and it still touches me.
What do you mean no one recommends it? 9 out of 10 stars isn't a recommendation? Have you seen that little search box over there on the left?
Sneaker is exactly right. Most critics seemed fairly indifferent to The Virgin Suicides. I also loved it though, so at least a few of us listologists are with you...
Johnny Waco
Johnny, what exactly is Sneaker right about? I am curious to know what you meant by that.
Actually most critics were not indifferent to The Virgin Suicides by a long shot. The movie got a 75% Positive Review rating on Rotten Tomatoes and if you read RT alot you'll know that rating is quite good.
I too loved the film.
I was probably too rash in using the word "indifferent," but what I was trying to communicate was that, although Virgin Suicides got positive marks in the main, they were many times qualified positive marks. Many critics would say that the film was a really good "debut," rather than going all the way and stating it was a good film, period. Some singled out the dreamlike atmosphere as well done, or the recreation of the seventies setting as lovingly done, but many of these critics stopped short of putting all of these together and giving the film as a whole unqualified positive marks. I just felt (as you do I believe) that the film was one of the best in the recent past, and I personally would give the film a more unqualified recommendation...
Johnny Waco
Johnny, oh yes my recommendation would definitely not be qualified at all. If I didn't know that it was Sophia Coppola's directorial debut I would have guessed that the director had a number of filmds under their belt. There was really nothing amateurish about it as far as I'm concerned.
i'm glad this list has sparked a bit of conversation--that always makes me happy...
on the subject of the Virgin Suicides, this movie just plain surprised me--i was all geared up for a super morbid flick from start to finish and it was much *sweeter* than i thought it would be. i didn't leave feeling particularly spent, like i did with the rest of the films on this list--so i can't say i'd add it--but i'm glad to know it affected others as deeply as it did. thanks for your comment!
Taryn, have you watched Lars von Trier's (Breaking The Waves) Dancer in the Dark, yet? It really ripped my heart out...
hey,
sorry to butt in here. i've seen dancer in the dark about 5 times now (i made several friends watch it). i absolutely loved it! very... very sad, but good.
Yes, I agree that Dancer in the Dark was a really good movie. Parts of it were just incredibly hard to watch. And afterwards it left me feeling very said inside.
Sorry sad :-(
dude, i totally hear you on the "sad" thing. DITD really bummed me out, but the more i thought about it, the more i loved it. the first time i saw it, i couldnt watch the ending. it was way too heavy for me.
this movie is definitely one i'd like to see, but i think i've been nervous, remembering how i felt after Breaking the Waves. i know it will be worthwhile and my close friends recommended it too--it's just a matter of time. and i'll be sure to let you know what i thought. (your best bet is probably to check this list again--haha!)
I agree totally with Magnolia. No film has affected me so much. I don't cry much at movies but that movie floored me. It's been 2 weeks since I rented it and I still often think of the characters. Great soundtrack (I love Wise Up). Sling Blade is another difficult movie to get through for me.
haven't seen sling blade. do you recommend?
it would be remiss to not acknowledge "Boys Don't Cry" on this list. it was painfully hard to watch, but it was completely and utterly engaging and compelling. the real power in that movie (in my opinion) was the beauty and truth it revealed in such stark contrast to the ugliness of the surroundings. the characters were so exposed and honest...Hilary Swank earned that Oscar, no doubt. (yeah, i liked it...can you tell?)
but a word of warning, it is very hard to watch. when i saw it in the theatre more than half the patrons left. there were two girls behind me, who kept trying to leave, but couldn't, the movie had captivated them. they were practically hysterical by the movie's end!
yeah, this is one of those movies i think i could appreciate (in the sense of this list) but knowing that it's going to be difficult discourages me from renting it. it's hard to get "in the mood" to be really upset by a film. often, films based on true stories affect me even more intensely, too--so i'm not sure i'll get around to catching this one. in fact, it's been put on this list for that very reason.
Great list!
If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch "Requiem for a Dream". It is probably the most difficult movie to sit through, but it is well worth. Twenty minutes after watching it, and you realize it was just a movie, you will begin to appreciate it, and possibly never see it again. Although, I've seen it four times, but only to show it to my friends. It was a difficult few days.
Try and catch "Naked" directed by Mike Leigh. There are some tough scenes in this one, but overall I think it's a great film.
actually, you'll find "naked" on this list. but i will admit there was some memorable dialogue--just not enough to redeem it for me.