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My late grandma only liked to watch family comedies with an invariable happy ending, and in my early youth, when I began to seriously get interested in cinema, I sincerely didn't get this. Of course, she passed by some masterpieces! I sincerely tried to suggest this or that film to her - truly powerful and masterfully shot, and every time I was damn upset when she refused over and over.
Now I understand. Having lived through WWII and the difficult post-war years, a painful divorce and losing relatives, she didn't want to have the same emotional experiences while sitting in a movie theater or in front of the TV. Even if the film was a real masterpiece. And netizens in this viral online thread essentially agree with her, listing really big movies that, nevertheless, you don’t want to watch again.
More info: Reddit
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The original thread appeared in the AskReddit community just a couple of days ago, but has already racked up over 12K upvotes with around 9.1K various comments. No, there are not that many films listed by netizens, but the discussion itself was vivid and memorable.
Any truly outstanding film is not only emotions while viewing, but also, as they say, an "aftertaste." And this aftertaste can be actually very different.
#5
The Father. Anthony Hopkins' best performance.
My mother's Alzheimer's mirrors his so much that I can't watch it again.
#6
The 2022 version of All Quiet on the Western Front. It is a fantastic movie but I don't have any desire to see it again.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 2 hours ago
I read the book decades ago and loved it, and reluctantly saw the movie when it came out. All I can say is that the movie is NOTHING like the book in spirit and the book is much better. The movie is fine if you've never read the book, and I was able to enjoy the movie well enough. But it really, REALLY misses some of the deeper meanings and subtleties about the hells of war that the book has.
Earlier, at the dawn of cinema, it was perceived exclusively as pure entertainment - well, five-minute "films" with a catchy plot, often absurd and sometimes just cringy, were not perceived any other way.
The theater was a place where serious dramas were played out, where genuine masterpieces were shown, where true connoisseurs used to take their seats. And cinema was just a stupid show for every day, as they wrote then. Who said "looks like TikTok nowadays?.."
And only then, with the development of technical capabilities, did the chance arise to really create large-scale masterpieces, demonstrate outstanding acting, and evoke truly strong emotions in viewers. Cinema has seriously supplanted theater as a real art. And it remains so to this day - you just need to know which films to watch.
#7
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Really great movie but severely destroyed me after having a recent tough breakup when I watched it a few years ago. Also Jim Carry really delivers in a more serious role here.
#8
Hachi: a dog's tale, its an incredible story, but seeing that movie broke something inside of me, cried for hours.
#9
Marley and Me. Great movie but absolutely would not recommend to anyone
Edit: After reading the comments I have to reiterate DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE! Do not even think about this movie.
"In fact, 'powerful' but incredibly difficult-to-watch films exist in any genre, from drama to comedy, from biopics to cartoons," says Dmytro Kosygin, a film director and cameraman from Ukraine, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here.
"Yes, even in cartoons. Either separate scenes - like in Inside Out, Coco, or many of Don Bluth's late cartoons. Or entire films - like, for example, Grave of the Fireflies by Isao Takahata."
"If the screen shows really difficult life situations, tragic moments, or simply reflects the unsightly reality of the surrounding world, not every person is actually able to bear it. Especially if we do not encounter something similar everyday, or, on the contrary, have experienced it before."
#10
Life is Beautiful with Roberto Benigni makes me ugly cry. It's an absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful movie about love and sacrifice and I just don't know if I can do it again.
#12
Boy In The Striped Pajamas.
"There are many films on this list that are incredibly difficult to watch, after which tears literally well up in your eyes. Some of them people can't even finish watching. Not because they are bad or senseless - it's just that the world they show is too far from perfect. And outstanding directing or acting only emphasizes this."
"And yes - most of this list can indeed be found in the IMDb Top-250, which only means that these are real pieces of art," Dmytro sums up. "It's just that art can be completely different. And the emotions it evokes are also very different."
#13
The Whale. Great story and acting, but don’t want to experience that again.
#14
Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri.
I saw it in theaters and was really invested. So invested. I was really wanting a conclusion.
... House lights go up. I literally said "what the f**k???" very loudly along with some other people. The fact there will never be a conclusion literally makes the movie 10/10, but I can't set myself up like that again.
#15
Big Fish.
Amazing movie, great cinematography, good story. But i bawled like a damn baby at the end and now that my dad has passed, I won't watch it again.
Yes, now, many years and hundreds of films later, I do understand my grandma much better, her reluctance to watch "difficult" movies and once again experience those difficult emotions. In any case, the films presented in our selection are truly outstanding, so please feel free to scroll this list to the end, and maybe add your own ideas of similar movies for you in the comments below.
#16
Pan's Labyrinth.
Beautiful film in every way and I've never seen a film in theatres either before or since where everyone was dead quiet and remained in their seats for several minutes once it ended. I think it would be impossible to get the same experience on a rewatch.
#18
The Road.
Un rewatchable now that I'm a Dad.
#20
Uncut Gems. Clearly a very good movie. But I’m never putting myself through that again, no thank you.
Mark Karol-Chik 4 hours ago
Adam Sandler delivers in this grimy film. It is just full of awful people, doing what bad people do. Amazing, and I won't watch it ever again-
#21
Dear Zachary: A letter to a son
It was absolutely soul crushing. F**k that woman and f**k the judicial system that let that s**t happen.
#23
My wife feels that way about *The Pianist.*
Excellent movie, but she will never ever subject herself to that again.
#24
Wind River. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I would prefer never to see it again. At the same time, I will recommend it to anyone who will listen. Sharing the trauma.
#26
Prisoners.
Denis Villeneuve thriller about a child being abducted.
Jake Gyllenhall and Terence Howard are at their best. Paul Dano is amazing
Hugh Jackman is a force of Nature, there scene where he is interrogating someone and allegedly goes off script to smash a sink.
Had me on the edge of my seat for the entire run through but could never watch it again, just because of how uncomfortably tense In was
that said, 11 years on, nothing has ever made me as tense as going into the cinema and watching this.
#28
Misery.
Once was more than enough for me.
#29
I watched Melancholia at exactly the wrong time, and it threw me into an existential crisis.
Darius S. (he/him) cis/grey 4 hours ago
I saw this at The Angelika in The Village(NYC) and when the event in movie started a subway went below us.. The roar was just perfect timing. Fantastic. It was a matinee and I was there first. Then an old man came, then two younger, black, women. All sat somewhere behind me.. the old man started making these displeasure sounds towards the women.. he stopped when film started.. but just a generally odd experience.
#32
I don't know if I would say quite a 10, but Oldboy isn't getting rewatched. .
#33
The Elephant Man. I cried at that movie. It was just a very brutal film emotionally.
#34
Wolf of Wallstreet. Amazing movie, but 0 wolfs seen….
Darius S. (he/him) cis/grey 4 hours ago
Yes, no wolves shown and I thought wall would be a stronger supporting role.
#35
Come and see.
#37
I really loved Midsommer, especially the ending. But I don't want to take the gorey, cringey ride to get to that pay off again.
What do you think ?
CP 7 hours ago
I am not a good barometer for this list. I will get in a "hard to watch" movie mood and rewatch some on this list. A few personal ones missing from this list that are hard watches, City of God, Sleepers, any Lars von Trier. I like how this list stuck with hard too watch emotional films and not hard to watch gory films. It is good to distinguish between the two.
jeff stone 5 hours ago
Sleepers. Watched in the cinema, amazing acting but wow, I've never seen a cinema so quiet after it finished
jeff stone 5 hours ago
Sleepers, the only film I've ever watched in the cinema and no one spoke after it
CP 7 hours ago
I am not a good barometer for this list. I will get in a "hard to watch" movie mood and rewatch some on this list. A few personal ones missing from this list that are hard watches, City of God, Sleepers, any Lars von Trier. I like how this list stuck with hard too watch emotional films and not hard to watch gory films. It is good to distinguish between the two.
jeff stone 5 hours ago
Sleepers. Watched in the cinema, amazing acting but wow, I've never seen a cinema so quiet after it finished
jeff stone 5 hours ago
Sleepers, the only film I've ever watched in the cinema and no one spoke after it
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