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40 Movies People Praise As Great But Too “Emotionally Traumatizing” To Be Watched Again
Watching movies is one of the great ways to spend our free time. The variety of genres allows us to “move” to certain places, feel different emotions and simply escape our reality. Some movies are great for being a “noise” in the background, while others really get us involved. If you are the type of person that doesn’t find it easy to pick a movie worth watching because you simply feel lost in all the variety, the good people of the internet can really save you by sharing their own suggestions on the topic.
Having this in mind, Reddit user u/akambe asked people to share “what movie is so good you'd recommend it to all your friends, but so emotionally traumatic that you'll never watch it again?” The post with 391k views soon became a never-ending list of movies that left people in shock and surprise, from old movies that depict historic events, such as the Holocaust, to dramas that remind us of how short life is and what’s truly important. This question led to a discussion of why people find certain things in these movies touching or even traumatizing: a strong character portrayal, emotionally hard movie scenes, unexpected plot twists, or the mix of it all.
Do you see your choice on the list? If not, what movie did you watch that left you speechless and that you probably won’t watch again? Feel free to leave your recommendations in the comments down below!
More Info: Reddit
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#1
Came here to say this.
This movie... no words. Still haunts me. Still f***s me up, takes me back there, breaks my heart.
They hired the lead actor, Asa Butterfield, for his innocence. He knew nothing about the holocaust. They didn't tell him anything about the holocaust or the gist of the story, he was just playing a little boy who played with another little boy through a fence. They maintained that brilliant innocence of his throughout the movie. THAT'S what makes the ending of this movie just so very soul wrenching. I'm still so very moved by this film.
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#2
I just watched this for the first time about a month ago. I held it together fine until Oskar broke down crying because he couldn't save more people. Then came the waterworks.
#3
The last line gets me thinking everytime; "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?"
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)
I have watched this movie countless times. Good movie and the soundtrack is great.
#4
I love Stephen King and tried to read this book...big nope. Then watched the movie and I'm forever traumatized by John saying he's afraid of the dark...among other sad scenes in this movie. Dropping tears just typing this comment. F**k.
#5
I thought I was going in to see a cool fantasy flick... And it turned out to be a movie dealing with trauma, abuse, and coping mechanisms
Still a great film, but so gut-wrenching
#6
I'm never, EVER, gonna watch that s**t again. It's from Studio Ghibli, the same from Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro). An absolute masterpiece for sure, but don't expect to find happy little creatures in it.
#7
Dude the f*****g curb stomp is still clear in my mind and it's been years
#9
This movie is unspeakably tragic. But its also profoundly beautiful. The love that the family had for each other gets me every time. Roberto Benigni was perfection in this role!
cassiushumanmother 3 years ago (edited)
I watched it several times. It's poetic, tragic and besides the horror able to give you some smiles, that's quite a piece of art. My favorite one about the Holocaust, with Shindler's list (who is in this list too of course lol, i had not seen it yet)
#10
Very well made; almost everything about that movie is incredible but it’s so emotionally intense and has such graphic subject matter that I’ll never watch it again. It’s one of those movies you see because it’s great but once you’ve seen it you’re like “Ok, cool. Mark that one off the list” and never touch it again
cassiushumanmother 3 years ago
Should be far higher on the list, that's a really disturbing and violent one on so many levels.
#11
That ending montage made me physically ill.
Only movie that's ever done that to me.
François Carré 3 years ago
Best. Antidrug. Campaign. Ever. (Well, ex aequo with Trainspotting, maybe).
#13
My childhood literally ended after finishing that movie.
#14
Its the most beautiful movie and I think everyone should watch it at least once, but I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it since Robin Williams died. I actually haven't watched anything he's in since he died.
Jennie-Lind Normand 3 years ago
A group of us randomly decided on seeing this in the theatre, it was a 'compromise' when none of us could decide on the other features playing and we all ended up loving this movie so much! Robin was a brilliant comic, but his performance in this movie was just amazing
#15
I can't bring myself to watch it again. The anger and hopelessness I felt for that man and those people is beyond compare
#16
I watched the very first bit of it when I was in officer training and thought it was a comedy. A few months later I sat down and watched the whole thing. It's not a comedy...
#18
For a kid's movie it's so emotionally crushing right from the get go and then you have the tragic murder of the 10-year-old voice actress for Ducky that just adds more sadness to that film.
#19
I was 18 when I first saw it for the last time. Joaquin Pheonix's line about people seeing a story about genocide on the news and not caring was a crushing "weight of the world" moment for me.
#20
Leonardo DiCaprio is phenomenal in that. He did character studies to get his role to be believable.
#21
It was such a beautiful film, so very emotional and then it just broke me. Watched it once in the movie theater and never again after.
#23
Steel Magnolias, especially now that I have kids. I can't even think about Sally Field's breakdown without tearing up.
#24
Man, I rarely cry during movies, but I teared up with that movie. The symbolism is absolutely beautiful.
#25
My favourite bit of trivia about that film is when Stephen King watched the ending, he apparently said that he wished he had thought of it.
#27
Incredible movie but I'll never watch it again. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a sociopath too well; so much so that I struggle to watch him in other things now.
#28
watched this with a girl on a netflix and chill date cus we'd both heard good things, but had no idea what it was about. There was no chill, and no second date.
#29
Nicolas Cage is amazing in it (Won an Oscar for it!), but as a recovered alcoholic, that film hits WAY too close to home. Good film though.
François Carré 3 years ago
I mentioned this film a few days ago in another post and got downvoted to hell, I don't know why.
#30
soul crashing. can’t bring myself to watch it 2nd time. but must see. alcohol fueled domestic violence abusive families all over the world are the same. it was so on point.
#31
Saw the screener with my film class and had no idea what to expect. Needless to say I was completely blown away and have re-watched it quite a few times since.
Jim Carrey’s performance is phenomenal.
#32
Amazing performance by Bjork and brutally sad. I bought a copy of the DVD after seeing the movie because I loved it so much. I lent the disc to several friends and looked at it many times myself, but could just never summon the energy to watch it again.
#33
Watched it when it first came out. Loved it. Can’t put myself through it again though. It’s so hard going and heartbreaking.
#34
This movie showed how a man can be fully socially functional while suffering from major depression. That aspect hit me the hardest.
#35
Really disturbing. Don't think I've ever really gotten over it.
#36
I got really invested in it when I was watching it for the first time, and I've had an absolute fear of cults since I was a kid. I don't find the film scary at all, but by the end of it, I was just completely frozen.
I've watched it since then cuz I love it but I have to take like months to prepare myself to watch it again lmao
Flash Henry 3 years ago
I could watch that movie over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over forever
#37
That. F*****g. Movie.
Things it shows:
children should not be exposed to pornography
Children who are being questioned to see if they were abused should only have that questioning done by a specially trained expert and possibly with potentially a trained advocate present because it’s too easy to lead them to a conclusion they think the questioner wants to hear, especially if they think they are in trouble
(note: I edited this due to the several very good points several people said about parents shouldn’t be present, some people are also saying best practice is one on one with that trained forensic questioner.)
basically everyone in that story ended up f****d up
cassiushumanmother 3 years ago
I loved it, Mads was excellent as usual, you can feel the tension during all of it, mostly through him.
#38
It's such a beautiful movie and so damn sad. I've recommended it to lots of people but it's hard to find.
#39
I've actually put myself through watching this movie multiple times because it's so good but, wow, traumatizing. For anyone on the fence about it, it does have a satisfying conclusion.
Maripat Webber 3 years ago
Very underrated, under appreciated film. But I couldn't see it again.
#40
Wonderful movie, but even more devastating than Grave of the Fireflies, in my opinion.
What do you think ?
Johnny 3 years ago (edited)
One movie that I found to be surprisingly emotionally intense (since it's an animated children's movie) is "Up". Not the whole movie, just the montage with carl and ellie as they age - I've watched the movie several times and always fast forward to the start of the balloon scene.
Kiss Army 3 years ago (edited)
I watched the crime documentary "Don't F*ck With Cats" on Netflix. I am a crime buff and watch and read this stuff all the time but that one got to me. I could not get it out of my mind and had sleepless nights and/or nightmares for well over a week... I still can't think about it too much or my mind gets flooded with it again.
Amanda Panda 3 years ago
Precious was really difficult for me to watch. It's just too real. There are so many children suffering horribly at the hands of their own parents.
Abby Parker 3 years ago
The Lovely Bones. Book was amazing. Film didn’t follow along too closely but, the villain was genuinely creepy and omg, the tension in the last part of the film? Never again.
Shelby P 3 years ago
I will not watch a movie that is 'critically acclaimed' if it's going to make me cry or feel bad. Movies are for entertainment and that is just not entertaining to me.
Marianne Bosch 3 years ago
I saw Watership Down when I was kid and was scarred by one scene with the fence. The same animation company did Plague Dogs, and I read the synopsis, and decided to pass because I could not think of experiencing another trauma
lara 3 years ago
These are all "crying" films but none even begin to approach SOPHIE'S CHOICE. That film broke my heart.
Troux 3 years ago
A true children's movie that hits me hard: 'The Fox & the Hound'. The heavy dose of realism that just steps on everything you fell in love with in the movie. Ugh, it hurts. I cry just thinking about it. -"And we'll always be friends forever, won't we?" -"Yeah, forever."
Nikole 3 years ago (edited)
The White Ribbon. It's a German movie and everything that happens in it is terrible. I still get incredibly disturbed thinking about what the group of kids did to one boy. Very well done movie but I'll never watch it again. And I've seen A Serbian Film unedited multiple times. Edit: I just realized it's by the same guy who did Funny Games...
Maja-Stine Foged 3 years ago
1917. I have never been so touched by a film before. It ruined the rest of my day. I recommend it and think everybody else should watch it, but I myself would never want to watch again. MV5BMGQ0N2...556b2d.jpg 
Philly Bob Squires 3 years ago
I ran movie theaters as a projectionist for many years... I've seen them come and go. Imagine having to watch some of these films for 2 to 20 weeks sometimes! But one that made me literally cry in the theater in front of my friends though was "The Rose." Great movie, love Bette Midler's performance. Never watched it again.
Sonia Bailey 3 years ago
Can't believe When the Wind Blows was not mentioned. Based on the story by Raymond Briggs, it is beautifully animated and hauntingly tragic watching these two very ordinary people try to make sense of a devastating nuclear war. The ending was desparetly sad.
IlovemydogShilo 3 years ago
Watership Down. An animated film of the book of the same name. Rabbits running around either fighting and killing each or dying of Myxomatosis. To this day I cannot understand why my dad thought it was suitable viewing for a 7 year old. I had nightmares for ages afterwards. I wouldn't watch it now 40 years later. The video of the song of the film "Bright Eyes" by Art Garfunkel is bad enough. See here . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGyQmH9NZcw
Roadkill The Brave 3 years ago
Radio. I can't do it. Cuba Gooding JR did an amazing job but I can't watch it again. Animal Farm. I moved around a lot and I've seen at school but I won't watch it again. Everyone should see it at least once though. Marley and Me. I can't watch it again but it's a good movie. Lorenzo's Oil (1992) very good movie but I can't watch it again. I've had to face some stuff in life and the realism in that movie of everything that's going on and how time doesn't care or stop gets to me in a way it never used to.
Jon Parker 3 years ago
It's probably cliche to say "Joker," but for me it's true. I have Social Anxiety Disorder, and while I'm good for the most part due to medication, so many scenes pushed me to the edge of a panic attack for the first time in years.
Esther (she/her) 3 years ago (edited)
studio ghibli does have some good movies but spirited away.. some time back when I watched it i was shocked and couldn’t get it out of my head. Im the type of person that if i get scared or shocked i admit it. Last time i got like this before i watched the movie was when i was 7/8
tuzdayschild 3 years ago
The Color Purple. Once only. No one should have to live like Celie was force to live.
Eevi 3 years ago
Okay has anyone seen the Dancer in the dark?? Because I've seen most of these films on the list and comments, and nothing beats that.
Doc Thissen 3 years ago
I just caught the end of "Crash", (2004). I had almost forgot how gut-wrenching this film is. Not just facing bigotry head on, but the scene with Don Cheadle's mother who blames him for his brothers death. Really tough film to watch.
Alethia Nyx 3 years ago
What about Atonement? That was such a well done movie, that dress will forever be an iconic costume, but it was so raw and devastating. I left the cinema feeling so heartbroken. I've never been able to reach it.
Tammie Johnson 3 years ago
Se7en....the scene about lust....that scene made me wince, shudder, tremble, made me angry, disgusted, dejected, nauseated...made me feel all sorts of things I'd never EVER felt before or since. The way the whole movie was portrayed, the way the scenes were visualized and acted out was detestable to me, BUT THE LUST SCENE.....the lust scene was absolutely repulsive! I have never even thought about watching it again, much less thought for a split second to suggest this movie to anyone else within the entire 16 years since it's release! I've never even tried to finish watching the movie myself. Once they showed the guy being interrogated and the scene went back to show what the guy was forced to do to the woman, HUH UH! I turned it off and threw the disc away and never gave it a second thought as far as trying to finish it. Turned my stomach and emotions inside out for weeks after! I can handle at of things. I love scary movies! I love horror, suspense, thrillers, psychological movies even. Se7en was way too much for me, though. Completely crossed the line for what I can handle. It's the only movie I've ever seen that I could not handle....and I've seen almost every abhorrent film out there.
Isabela Ivan 3 years ago
Mother ,starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. That' s the epithome of cruelty
Kimberly Brown 3 years ago
I’m quite surprised Silent Running isn’t on this list. It’s the most depressing movie ever made.
𝓴𝓪𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓲_𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓻𝓮𝔂 3 years ago
I'm never watching Grave of the Fireflies again. My parents and I have never seen it before, so we decided we wanted to watch it because we all love Studio Ghibli movies. I wanted to cry through 99.99999999% of it lmfao
Tacos Are Tasty 3 years ago
Kids, from 1995 or so was one of the most disturbing movies I've ever watched. I think that movie launched the careers of Chloe Sévigny and Rosario Dawson, but it can only be watched once.
Sergio Bicerra 3 years ago
The Killing Fields. Not just the movie, but the story behind Dith Prang (the real one) and the actor who played him is sad.
Angela Jester 3 years ago
Blindness 2008= the world is afflicted by a virus that makes nearly everyone in the world blind, suddenly. It's really good,very deep and though I'm glad I did see it I couldn't rewatch it.
Kamila Podolak 3 years ago
The tale (2018) I was crying for about 1/3 of the movie and couple times after (I do not cry easily, soooometimes I shed a tear). Even writing this comment puts me near crying, after almost two years after seeing the movie. I guess that's a mild PTSD (sorry if someone felt offended, but it's not normal to react like I am), seeing Laura Dern makes me sick (and I used to really like her).
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
Night of the Living Dead 1968 black and white, George Romero. Brilliant, terrifying, and still timely. Only reason I saw it the second time was to introduce my hubby to it. He then went on to become a Romero film buff. (Yeah, that didn't work out for me, did it...)
Steve Barnett 3 years ago
'A Serbian Film'. Watched it with my wife, both agreed it was a good film and well-made/directed. But watch it again? No, it’s dark, I mean REALLY dark and I've only seen the cut version.
La Petite Morte 3 years ago
I'm genuinely surprised no one has mentioned Closetland. Only 2 actors, Madeleine Stowe and Alan Rickman. One room, nothing brutal happens on screen but the use of sound is... I spent weeks afterwards going '...what? I... what?...just... what?...'
Diana Murtaugh 3 years ago
The movies (but mostly one (The girl next door), based on the terrible cruelty that led to Sylvia Likens death in 1965. That s*it f'd me up!!
LuckyPineapple 3 years ago
I’m surprised Inside Out isn’t on this list. Great movie, but effffff putting myself through that again
Jackie Butts 3 years ago
For me it was "Million Dollar Baby". I was depressed for about 2 weeks after watching it. I was a great movie, but I will never watch it again.
Jacques de Wit 3 years ago
Beasts of No Nation - I will not be able to ever watch that movie again; when a 12-year-old child soldier asks “God, are you watching what we are doing?”
Brenda Gollihue 3 years ago
The Stoning of Saraya M. Well done, but I sobbed and will never watch it again.
H.L.Lewis 3 years ago
No one mentioned Bambi. I know it's animated and a kids movie, but I didn't see it until I was in my 30's. Never Again. What was Disney thinking!
Karen Fahel 3 years ago
I'm not a particularly "strong" person, and I'm a classic movie crier (heck, I cry at a well-made commercial!), but I've seen quite a few movies on this list multiple times: Grave of the Fireflies; Schindler's List; A Clockwork Orange; The Green Mile...just to name a few. The only ones that are on this list that I've seen and never want to see again are "What Dreams May Come" and "The Mist"...because they both p*ssed me off...and I've lightened up on "the Mist" since hearing that King, himself, liked the ending.
Melissa Angel 3 years ago
Quills, about the Marquis de Sade. Great movie, amazing cast, but that ending just f****d me up and still haunts me. It’s been 15 years since I first watched it and I’m still not ready to watch it again.
Carito alias La Cototina 3 years ago
They forgot 12 Years a Slave. I had nightmares after watching it. I felt like a witness more than a spectator.
Turnip and a Frog 3 years ago (edited)
My Week with Marilyn. I saw it only once. I’’ve always been interested in the life of Marilyn Monroe. I think Michelle Williams was perfect in not trying to look like, or imitate Marilyn - she managed to emanate her character and psychological struggles, that innocence and robust sexuality, toned down emotion and state of hyper awareness. Amazing acting job. And Jane Fonda talks about her in a touching manner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9GYhQUpGFk
Stannous Flouride 3 years ago
I know I'm not the only veteran who couldn't handle the opening of "Saving Private Ryan." It was reported that many who were at the D-Day and other WW2 invasions just got up and left. I went to the lobby and waited until a friend came and told me that part was over before going in and finishing it.
HermitCrab 3 years ago
One flew over the cuckoos nest. It left me horrified and heartbroken...
Natalie Zayas-Bazan 3 years ago
I’ve watched a lot of These more than once. I think I’m A psychopath. 🤣 Mine was the 2018 ‘a star is born’. Never been so messed up EVER.
Luke Fosbury 3 years ago
Definitely missing 'The House of Sand & Fog' from this list! Also, 'Old Boy' is one of my favourite Movies, I must have watched in a dozen times.
Margot Snijder 3 years ago
First movie that I think of is 'the terminal' ... so much different feelings when I watch this. Made me sad, mad, happy etc all at the same time. A Rollercoaster for me .
Donna Troy 3 years ago
How about the very disturbing old movies? Could never watch Black Beauty, White Fang, even Bambi, where hunters are trying to kill the main characters.
Michelle MyBell 3 years ago (edited)
What about Hunger (2008, dir. Steve McQueen)? That was a powerful film. And anyone remember the movie Threads (1984)? That did a number on my teenage head for years and years after. Thinking about it now, at that time, Chernobyl hadn't happened yet. Oi! When she gives birth alone and has to cut the umbilical cord with her teeth!
Miss Frankfurter 3 years ago
The Art of Racing In the Rain. Read the book. Once. I still have it. Maybe I'll read it again. Maybe. The movie just broke me. The opening scenes start wrenching your heart. It is joyful in some places. Some places, really hard. Kevin Costner does the voice of Enzo. Yes it anthropomorphizes, but who doesn't with their pet? The end is sweet and heart wrenching at the same time. There were men crying. For those who have read the post about losing a pet, you will have read about my Lucy. It took me there. I ran to my car and broke down. After one scene you will never express out & out anger at your pet again. I have recorded it on my TV, but haven't watched it. I may never. But its there in case.
BlueReaper 3 years ago
Some movies that hit me hard were The Plague Dogs and Barefoot Gen. Both are animated movies but don’t take them for granted they are extremely dark, I recommend them to anyone who is prepared.
M Calad 3 years ago (edited)
Omg... nobody mentioned "Irreversible"! That movie is just so disturbing that left me with nightmares for a week and I don't dare to see it ever again. The direction, production and performances in this movie are impecable, though! I would also include "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. I got very depressed every time I saw it (twice).
Aunt Messy 3 years ago
Also, "Donnie Darko", "A Thousand Acres", "Night of the Hunter", "The Joker"..... I'm sure there are more.
Ausrine Ciapaite 3 years ago
I would definitely add "Mr Nobody" to the list. It is a move with so much to teach, that every time you watch it, you will find something you have missed last time. I watched it 6 times already and I will watch it 6 more.
Raccoon Queen 3 years ago
I’m going to add my own movie that although I love it, I spent 40 minutes of it sobbing. Mockingjay pt2. When people start dropping like flies and then Prim, destroys me every time
Snowy Tundra 3 years ago
The Joy Luck Club. I saw this one with my mom. I was crying so hard. Mom took me into the bathroom after it was over so I could compose myself. To this day, I'm not sure what it was that made me so emotional.
Laura Green 3 years ago
For me it's the Gaga and Bradley "A Star is Born". Walked to my car silently after and then burst into tears when I got in. Had to call my mom. Beautiful soundtrack and amazing performances, but I will never watch it again. The dog. The dog!
Laura Green 3 years ago
For me it's the Gaga and Bradley "A Star is Born". I had never seen the previous ones and although I knew it wasn't going to be happy, I was destroyed by it. I walked silently to my car after the theater and then burst into tears and called my mom. The soundtrack is amazing, but I will never watch it again.
Kira Okah 3 years ago
Bodyguards and Assassins still messes me up, still have trouble watching it. Hong Kong film set near the start of the Chinese Xinhai Revolution in 1911, where they are protecting Dr Sun Yat-Sen from being assassinated in Hong Kong. The way it goes through the effort of exploring each character involved and their backstory, before pretty viciously slaughtering them to show their sacrifice in saving Dr Sun and so the Xinhai Revolution.
Whawhawhatsis 3 years ago
One amazing but emotionally destroying movie, based on an equally amazing but emotionally destroying movie,was "On the Beach, "story written by Nevil Shute. (He also wrote another wonderful WWII book that was dramatized on Masterpiece Theater called "A Town Like Alice" that is one of my favorites to this day.) The movie is about the last humans left, in New Zealand plus the crew of an American submarine that got that far, as nuclear fallout is drifting over them, and everyone has to die. It's not like it's a secret. But oh my god, I cried and cried and cried over both the book and the movie, and to this day can't decide which one was the move powerful. Just astonishingly wrenching!
pinkk-sugar 3 years ago
And to a lesser degree: Lord of the Flies, AI, Bicentennial Man, The Green Mile, What Dreams May Come (especially now 😭😭)
Lara Verne 3 years ago
Malèna (2000) House of Sand and Fog (2003) Aurore (2005) Le Fils/The Son (2002) La ciociara/Two Women (1960)
I'm lay sheep in China 3 years ago
Suicide Room (2011) also leave me traumatised. Good movie for teenagers and Parents who r against Love and didn't have times for their child(ren)
Seabeast 3 years ago
The silent film The Blue Angel is supposed to be a film masterpiece and a classic. I thought it was one of the most depressing movies I'd ever seen.
colonel Kira Nerys 3 years ago
WHERE IS SERENITY ON THIS LIST? SERENITY NEEDS TO BE ON THIS LIST
Auntriarch 3 years ago
I haven't seen a single one of these films. Not bloody likely to either. As a lifelong wuss, thanks for the heads up fellow Pandas
ScarlettofHydraIsland 3 years ago (edited)
Naked Among Wolves. The movie was incredible and the actors spot on, but holy crap it was disturbing. It literally gave me repetitive nightmares for years after watching it (I was 12 when I first saw it and probably way too young)
Carmen Sandiego 3 years ago
Not really a movie, but an english translation of RK Narayan's story of which I forgot the name. Basically the student keeps failing and commits suicide in the end.
Charlotte A. 3 years ago
I don't care to see most movies more than once and these two I guess I might try to see again if the opportunity presents itself, but they made me literally cry with rage when I saw them. In both cases because I felt things were just so unfair. One was the Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor (I felt that she was being forced into something she didn't want) and the other was One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. I hated that nurse! (Or was there more than one? It's been so long...)
Daria B 3 years ago (edited)
Here's a few from me. Oseam -> Korean animated film about two orphans (little brother and blind big sister), will make you cry from start until the end. Hadashi no Gen. If you liked Grave of the Fireflies, chances are high you will like this one too, it's the same topic, BUT! This one is a film made by the manga created by Keiji Nakazawa, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima and created the manga as a form of therapy for the trauma. The (animated) film is such a sad horror movie, it terrified me more than any classic ghost or gore story out there. Turtles Can Fly, Kurdish war film starring child characters working at a mine field. I think I said enough. Taegukgi Hwinalrimyeo, about two brothers fighting in the Korean war at opposite sides, and, finally, another one about the Korean war, Welcome to Dongmakgol. If you liked Life if Beautiful and Jojo Rabbit, this may be the film for you. A touching anti-war comedy-drama. Have a nice movie marathon! ♡
ilikeplants 3 years ago
Nurse Betty. Holy sh*t. I grew up watching horror movies, but the scalping scene in that movie messed me up for a looooong time. I had nightmares for weeks and was terrified to stay home by myself. And I was a full grown adult at the time. I don't know what it was about that particular movie, but I swear to god I've never watched anything gorey or horror related ever again. Messed. me. up.
Agnes Jekyll 3 years ago
Celebration should be on this list (I think the American version is Rachel Getting married?). Such an excellent film that I will never see again--you don't need to--it is seared into your brain--and it tells you everything you need to know about the damage abuse wrecks.
Pascale Pierloot 3 years ago
Instinct with Anthony Hopkins...Great Movie but the end and how we looked upon other beings, upset and haunted me and sometimes still does. Also a lot more older movies. Not surprising as nowadays we are more used to violence in games and on TV because we see much more of it and it's more accessible so there is a lot less that shocks us and there are to many to choose from. For some younger people, triggers aren't the same and their "normal" has changed a lot too.
Viviane 3 years ago
For me, several of the films listed. Plus: the Russian film "Loveless"; "The Invitation" - slow and brooding, then picks up speed halfway through; "The Gift" with Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall - partway through, I found myself questioning who the real villain is...
Matt Sharack 3 years ago
I'm gonna add Amores Perros. Beautifully movie but was only able to watch it once.
Susan Stead 3 years ago
The Guilty was riveting. It's an amazing movie. I'll never watch it again.
AzKhaleesi 3 years ago
How is Notebook not on here? Talk about a gut wrenching beautiful movie.
Markus Weiler 4 months ago
Is there a list of the mentioned flicks? From a screenshot I can't figure out the title...
Johanna Swanson 2 years ago (edited)
I'd add in Happiness. I have not been able to rewatch that movie. It's a Philip Seymour Hoffman movie. Also 5 Years a Slave was brutal watch.
Thea Sieling 3 years ago
I saw "I am Sam" once, that's another one I will never be able to watch again. Semi happy ending, but too sad.
Sue Phillips 3 years ago
This is probably a reflection on me in some way, but I started crying about a third of the way through the Aileen Wournos biopic, Monster, and did not stop until it was over. Full on sobbing, not just tears. As a comparison, I was the only one in the theater not crying at the end of Titanic.
sylvanticx 3 years ago
Avengers: Endgame. Not like the others on this list, but it made me cry and **SPOILER ALERT** my two favorite characters, Tony Stark and Black Widow died and then Cap decided to become elderly so now U.S. Agent is in the MCU and honestly who likes that guy he sucks. Only read him in Marvel Civil War comics and he made me want to punch him. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU, JOHN WALKER. YA BASIC AND ALSO YOU AIN'T STEVE ROGERS SO YOU'RE OBSELETE AND I'M DONATING YOU TO THE CITY COLLEGE.
Johnny 3 years ago (edited)
One movie that I found to be surprisingly emotionally intense (since it's an animated children's movie) is "Up". Not the whole movie, just the montage with carl and ellie as they age - I've watched the movie several times and always fast forward to the start of the balloon scene.
Kiss Army 3 years ago (edited)
I watched the crime documentary "Don't F*ck With Cats" on Netflix. I am a crime buff and watch and read this stuff all the time but that one got to me. I could not get it out of my mind and had sleepless nights and/or nightmares for well over a week... I still can't think about it too much or my mind gets flooded with it again.
Amanda Panda 3 years ago
Precious was really difficult for me to watch. It's just too real. There are so many children suffering horribly at the hands of their own parents.
Abby Parker 3 years ago
The Lovely Bones. Book was amazing. Film didn’t follow along too closely but, the villain was genuinely creepy and omg, the tension in the last part of the film? Never again.
Shelby P 3 years ago
I will not watch a movie that is 'critically acclaimed' if it's going to make me cry or feel bad. Movies are for entertainment and that is just not entertaining to me.
Marianne Bosch 3 years ago
I saw Watership Down when I was kid and was scarred by one scene with the fence. The same animation company did Plague Dogs, and I read the synopsis, and decided to pass because I could not think of experiencing another trauma
lara 3 years ago
These are all "crying" films but none even begin to approach SOPHIE'S CHOICE. That film broke my heart.
Troux 3 years ago
A true children's movie that hits me hard: 'The Fox & the Hound'. The heavy dose of realism that just steps on everything you fell in love with in the movie. Ugh, it hurts. I cry just thinking about it. -"And we'll always be friends forever, won't we?" -"Yeah, forever."
Nikole 3 years ago (edited)
The White Ribbon. It's a German movie and everything that happens in it is terrible. I still get incredibly disturbed thinking about what the group of kids did to one boy. Very well done movie but I'll never watch it again. And I've seen A Serbian Film unedited multiple times. Edit: I just realized it's by the same guy who did Funny Games...
Maja-Stine Foged 3 years ago
1917. I have never been so touched by a film before. It ruined the rest of my day. I recommend it and think everybody else should watch it, but I myself would never want to watch again. MV5BMGQ0N2...556b2d.jpg
Philly Bob Squires 3 years ago
I ran movie theaters as a projectionist for many years... I've seen them come and go. Imagine having to watch some of these films for 2 to 20 weeks sometimes! But one that made me literally cry in the theater in front of my friends though was "The Rose." Great movie, love Bette Midler's performance. Never watched it again.
Sonia Bailey 3 years ago
Can't believe When the Wind Blows was not mentioned. Based on the story by Raymond Briggs, it is beautifully animated and hauntingly tragic watching these two very ordinary people try to make sense of a devastating nuclear war. The ending was desparetly sad.
IlovemydogShilo 3 years ago
Watership Down. An animated film of the book of the same name. Rabbits running around either fighting and killing each or dying of Myxomatosis. To this day I cannot understand why my dad thought it was suitable viewing for a 7 year old. I had nightmares for ages afterwards. I wouldn't watch it now 40 years later. The video of the song of the film "Bright Eyes" by Art Garfunkel is bad enough. See here . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGyQmH9NZcw
Roadkill The Brave 3 years ago
Radio. I can't do it. Cuba Gooding JR did an amazing job but I can't watch it again. Animal Farm. I moved around a lot and I've seen at school but I won't watch it again. Everyone should see it at least once though. Marley and Me. I can't watch it again but it's a good movie. Lorenzo's Oil (1992) very good movie but I can't watch it again. I've had to face some stuff in life and the realism in that movie of everything that's going on and how time doesn't care or stop gets to me in a way it never used to.
Jon Parker 3 years ago
It's probably cliche to say "Joker," but for me it's true. I have Social Anxiety Disorder, and while I'm good for the most part due to medication, so many scenes pushed me to the edge of a panic attack for the first time in years.
Esther (she/her) 3 years ago (edited)
studio ghibli does have some good movies but spirited away.. some time back when I watched it i was shocked and couldn’t get it out of my head. Im the type of person that if i get scared or shocked i admit it. Last time i got like this before i watched the movie was when i was 7/8
tuzdayschild 3 years ago
The Color Purple. Once only. No one should have to live like Celie was force to live.
Eevi 3 years ago
Okay has anyone seen the Dancer in the dark?? Because I've seen most of these films on the list and comments, and nothing beats that.
Doc Thissen 3 years ago
I just caught the end of "Crash", (2004). I had almost forgot how gut-wrenching this film is. Not just facing bigotry head on, but the scene with Don Cheadle's mother who blames him for his brothers death. Really tough film to watch.
Alethia Nyx 3 years ago
What about Atonement? That was such a well done movie, that dress will forever be an iconic costume, but it was so raw and devastating. I left the cinema feeling so heartbroken. I've never been able to reach it.
Tammie Johnson 3 years ago
Se7en....the scene about lust....that scene made me wince, shudder, tremble, made me angry, disgusted, dejected, nauseated...made me feel all sorts of things I'd never EVER felt before or since. The way the whole movie was portrayed, the way the scenes were visualized and acted out was detestable to me, BUT THE LUST SCENE.....the lust scene was absolutely repulsive! I have never even thought about watching it again, much less thought for a split second to suggest this movie to anyone else within the entire 16 years since it's release! I've never even tried to finish watching the movie myself. Once they showed the guy being interrogated and the scene went back to show what the guy was forced to do to the woman, HUH UH! I turned it off and threw the disc away and never gave it a second thought as far as trying to finish it. Turned my stomach and emotions inside out for weeks after! I can handle at of things. I love scary movies! I love horror, suspense, thrillers, psychological movies even. Se7en was way too much for me, though. Completely crossed the line for what I can handle. It's the only movie I've ever seen that I could not handle....and I've seen almost every abhorrent film out there.
Isabela Ivan 3 years ago
Mother ,starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. That' s the epithome of cruelty
Kimberly Brown 3 years ago
I’m quite surprised Silent Running isn’t on this list. It’s the most depressing movie ever made.
𝓴𝓪𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓲_𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓻𝓮𝔂 3 years ago
I'm never watching Grave of the Fireflies again. My parents and I have never seen it before, so we decided we wanted to watch it because we all love Studio Ghibli movies. I wanted to cry through 99.99999999% of it lmfao
Tacos Are Tasty 3 years ago
Kids, from 1995 or so was one of the most disturbing movies I've ever watched. I think that movie launched the careers of Chloe Sévigny and Rosario Dawson, but it can only be watched once.
Sergio Bicerra 3 years ago
The Killing Fields. Not just the movie, but the story behind Dith Prang (the real one) and the actor who played him is sad.
Angela Jester 3 years ago
Blindness 2008= the world is afflicted by a virus that makes nearly everyone in the world blind, suddenly. It's really good,very deep and though I'm glad I did see it I couldn't rewatch it.
Kamila Podolak 3 years ago
The tale (2018) I was crying for about 1/3 of the movie and couple times after (I do not cry easily, soooometimes I shed a tear). Even writing this comment puts me near crying, after almost two years after seeing the movie. I guess that's a mild PTSD (sorry if someone felt offended, but it's not normal to react like I am), seeing Laura Dern makes me sick (and I used to really like her).
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
Night of the Living Dead 1968 black and white, George Romero. Brilliant, terrifying, and still timely. Only reason I saw it the second time was to introduce my hubby to it. He then went on to become a Romero film buff. (Yeah, that didn't work out for me, did it...)
Steve Barnett 3 years ago
'A Serbian Film'. Watched it with my wife, both agreed it was a good film and well-made/directed. But watch it again? No, it’s dark, I mean REALLY dark and I've only seen the cut version.
La Petite Morte 3 years ago
I'm genuinely surprised no one has mentioned Closetland. Only 2 actors, Madeleine Stowe and Alan Rickman. One room, nothing brutal happens on screen but the use of sound is... I spent weeks afterwards going '...what? I... what?...just... what?...'
Diana Murtaugh 3 years ago
The movies (but mostly one (The girl next door), based on the terrible cruelty that led to Sylvia Likens death in 1965. That s*it f'd me up!!
LuckyPineapple 3 years ago
I’m surprised Inside Out isn’t on this list. Great movie, but effffff putting myself through that again
Jackie Butts 3 years ago
For me it was "Million Dollar Baby". I was depressed for about 2 weeks after watching it. I was a great movie, but I will never watch it again.
Jacques de Wit 3 years ago
Beasts of No Nation - I will not be able to ever watch that movie again; when a 12-year-old child soldier asks “God, are you watching what we are doing?”
Brenda Gollihue 3 years ago
The Stoning of Saraya M. Well done, but I sobbed and will never watch it again.
H.L.Lewis 3 years ago
No one mentioned Bambi. I know it's animated and a kids movie, but I didn't see it until I was in my 30's. Never Again. What was Disney thinking!
Karen Fahel 3 years ago
I'm not a particularly "strong" person, and I'm a classic movie crier (heck, I cry at a well-made commercial!), but I've seen quite a few movies on this list multiple times: Grave of the Fireflies; Schindler's List; A Clockwork Orange; The Green Mile...just to name a few. The only ones that are on this list that I've seen and never want to see again are "What Dreams May Come" and "The Mist"...because they both p*ssed me off...and I've lightened up on "the Mist" since hearing that King, himself, liked the ending.
Melissa Angel 3 years ago
Quills, about the Marquis de Sade. Great movie, amazing cast, but that ending just f****d me up and still haunts me. It’s been 15 years since I first watched it and I’m still not ready to watch it again.
Carito alias La Cototina 3 years ago
They forgot 12 Years a Slave. I had nightmares after watching it. I felt like a witness more than a spectator.
Turnip and a Frog 3 years ago (edited)
My Week with Marilyn. I saw it only once. I’’ve always been interested in the life of Marilyn Monroe. I think Michelle Williams was perfect in not trying to look like, or imitate Marilyn - she managed to emanate her character and psychological struggles, that innocence and robust sexuality, toned down emotion and state of hyper awareness. Amazing acting job. And Jane Fonda talks about her in a touching manner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9GYhQUpGFk
Stannous Flouride 3 years ago
I know I'm not the only veteran who couldn't handle the opening of "Saving Private Ryan." It was reported that many who were at the D-Day and other WW2 invasions just got up and left. I went to the lobby and waited until a friend came and told me that part was over before going in and finishing it.
HermitCrab 3 years ago
One flew over the cuckoos nest. It left me horrified and heartbroken...
Natalie Zayas-Bazan 3 years ago
I’ve watched a lot of These more than once. I think I’m A psychopath. 🤣 Mine was the 2018 ‘a star is born’. Never been so messed up EVER.
Luke Fosbury 3 years ago
Definitely missing 'The House of Sand & Fog' from this list! Also, 'Old Boy' is one of my favourite Movies, I must have watched in a dozen times.
Margot Snijder 3 years ago
First movie that I think of is 'the terminal' ... so much different feelings when I watch this. Made me sad, mad, happy etc all at the same time. A Rollercoaster for me .
Donna Troy 3 years ago
How about the very disturbing old movies? Could never watch Black Beauty, White Fang, even Bambi, where hunters are trying to kill the main characters.
Michelle MyBell 3 years ago (edited)
What about Hunger (2008, dir. Steve McQueen)? That was a powerful film. And anyone remember the movie Threads (1984)? That did a number on my teenage head for years and years after. Thinking about it now, at that time, Chernobyl hadn't happened yet. Oi! When she gives birth alone and has to cut the umbilical cord with her teeth!
Miss Frankfurter 3 years ago
The Art of Racing In the Rain. Read the book. Once. I still have it. Maybe I'll read it again. Maybe. The movie just broke me. The opening scenes start wrenching your heart. It is joyful in some places. Some places, really hard. Kevin Costner does the voice of Enzo. Yes it anthropomorphizes, but who doesn't with their pet? The end is sweet and heart wrenching at the same time. There were men crying. For those who have read the post about losing a pet, you will have read about my Lucy. It took me there. I ran to my car and broke down. After one scene you will never express out & out anger at your pet again. I have recorded it on my TV, but haven't watched it. I may never. But its there in case.
BlueReaper 3 years ago
Some movies that hit me hard were The Plague Dogs and Barefoot Gen. Both are animated movies but don’t take them for granted they are extremely dark, I recommend them to anyone who is prepared.
M Calad 3 years ago (edited)
Omg... nobody mentioned "Irreversible"! That movie is just so disturbing that left me with nightmares for a week and I don't dare to see it ever again. The direction, production and performances in this movie are impecable, though! I would also include "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. I got very depressed every time I saw it (twice).
Aunt Messy 3 years ago
Also, "Donnie Darko", "A Thousand Acres", "Night of the Hunter", "The Joker"..... I'm sure there are more.
Ausrine Ciapaite 3 years ago
I would definitely add "Mr Nobody" to the list. It is a move with so much to teach, that every time you watch it, you will find something you have missed last time. I watched it 6 times already and I will watch it 6 more.
Raccoon Queen 3 years ago
I’m going to add my own movie that although I love it, I spent 40 minutes of it sobbing. Mockingjay pt2. When people start dropping like flies and then Prim, destroys me every time
Snowy Tundra 3 years ago
The Joy Luck Club. I saw this one with my mom. I was crying so hard. Mom took me into the bathroom after it was over so I could compose myself. To this day, I'm not sure what it was that made me so emotional.
Laura Green 3 years ago
For me it's the Gaga and Bradley "A Star is Born". Walked to my car silently after and then burst into tears when I got in. Had to call my mom. Beautiful soundtrack and amazing performances, but I will never watch it again. The dog. The dog!
Laura Green 3 years ago
For me it's the Gaga and Bradley "A Star is Born". I had never seen the previous ones and although I knew it wasn't going to be happy, I was destroyed by it. I walked silently to my car after the theater and then burst into tears and called my mom. The soundtrack is amazing, but I will never watch it again.
Kira Okah 3 years ago
Bodyguards and Assassins still messes me up, still have trouble watching it. Hong Kong film set near the start of the Chinese Xinhai Revolution in 1911, where they are protecting Dr Sun Yat-Sen from being assassinated in Hong Kong. The way it goes through the effort of exploring each character involved and their backstory, before pretty viciously slaughtering them to show their sacrifice in saving Dr Sun and so the Xinhai Revolution.
Whawhawhatsis 3 years ago
One amazing but emotionally destroying movie, based on an equally amazing but emotionally destroying movie,was "On the Beach, "story written by Nevil Shute. (He also wrote another wonderful WWII book that was dramatized on Masterpiece Theater called "A Town Like Alice" that is one of my favorites to this day.) The movie is about the last humans left, in New Zealand plus the crew of an American submarine that got that far, as nuclear fallout is drifting over them, and everyone has to die. It's not like it's a secret. But oh my god, I cried and cried and cried over both the book and the movie, and to this day can't decide which one was the move powerful. Just astonishingly wrenching!
pinkk-sugar 3 years ago
And to a lesser degree: Lord of the Flies, AI, Bicentennial Man, The Green Mile, What Dreams May Come (especially now 😭😭)
Lara Verne 3 years ago
Malèna (2000) House of Sand and Fog (2003) Aurore (2005) Le Fils/The Son (2002) La ciociara/Two Women (1960)
I'm lay sheep in China 3 years ago
Suicide Room (2011) also leave me traumatised. Good movie for teenagers and Parents who r against Love and didn't have times for their child(ren)
Seabeast 3 years ago
The silent film The Blue Angel is supposed to be a film masterpiece and a classic. I thought it was one of the most depressing movies I'd ever seen.
colonel Kira Nerys 3 years ago
WHERE IS SERENITY ON THIS LIST? SERENITY NEEDS TO BE ON THIS LIST
Auntriarch 3 years ago
I haven't seen a single one of these films. Not bloody likely to either. As a lifelong wuss, thanks for the heads up fellow Pandas
ScarlettofHydraIsland 3 years ago (edited)
Naked Among Wolves. The movie was incredible and the actors spot on, but holy crap it was disturbing. It literally gave me repetitive nightmares for years after watching it (I was 12 when I first saw it and probably way too young)
Carmen Sandiego 3 years ago
Not really a movie, but an english translation of RK Narayan's story of which I forgot the name. Basically the student keeps failing and commits suicide in the end.
Charlotte A. 3 years ago
I don't care to see most movies more than once and these two I guess I might try to see again if the opportunity presents itself, but they made me literally cry with rage when I saw them. In both cases because I felt things were just so unfair. One was the Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor (I felt that she was being forced into something she didn't want) and the other was One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. I hated that nurse! (Or was there more than one? It's been so long...)
Daria B 3 years ago (edited)
Here's a few from me. Oseam -> Korean animated film about two orphans (little brother and blind big sister), will make you cry from start until the end. Hadashi no Gen. If you liked Grave of the Fireflies, chances are high you will like this one too, it's the same topic, BUT! This one is a film made by the manga created by Keiji Nakazawa, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima and created the manga as a form of therapy for the trauma. The (animated) film is such a sad horror movie, it terrified me more than any classic ghost or gore story out there. Turtles Can Fly, Kurdish war film starring child characters working at a mine field. I think I said enough. Taegukgi Hwinalrimyeo, about two brothers fighting in the Korean war at opposite sides, and, finally, another one about the Korean war, Welcome to Dongmakgol. If you liked Life if Beautiful and Jojo Rabbit, this may be the film for you. A touching anti-war comedy-drama. Have a nice movie marathon! ♡
ilikeplants 3 years ago
Nurse Betty. Holy sh*t. I grew up watching horror movies, but the scalping scene in that movie messed me up for a looooong time. I had nightmares for weeks and was terrified to stay home by myself. And I was a full grown adult at the time. I don't know what it was about that particular movie, but I swear to god I've never watched anything gorey or horror related ever again. Messed. me. up.
Agnes Jekyll 3 years ago
Celebration should be on this list (I think the American version is Rachel Getting married?). Such an excellent film that I will never see again--you don't need to--it is seared into your brain--and it tells you everything you need to know about the damage abuse wrecks.
Pascale Pierloot 3 years ago
Instinct with Anthony Hopkins...Great Movie but the end and how we looked upon other beings, upset and haunted me and sometimes still does. Also a lot more older movies. Not surprising as nowadays we are more used to violence in games and on TV because we see much more of it and it's more accessible so there is a lot less that shocks us and there are to many to choose from. For some younger people, triggers aren't the same and their "normal" has changed a lot too.
Viviane 3 years ago
For me, several of the films listed. Plus: the Russian film "Loveless"; "The Invitation" - slow and brooding, then picks up speed halfway through; "The Gift" with Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall - partway through, I found myself questioning who the real villain is...
Matt Sharack 3 years ago
I'm gonna add Amores Perros. Beautifully movie but was only able to watch it once.
Susan Stead 3 years ago
The Guilty was riveting. It's an amazing movie. I'll never watch it again.
AzKhaleesi 3 years ago
How is Notebook not on here? Talk about a gut wrenching beautiful movie.
Markus Weiler 4 months ago
Is there a list of the mentioned flicks? From a screenshot I can't figure out the title...
Johanna Swanson 2 years ago (edited)
I'd add in Happiness. I have not been able to rewatch that movie. It's a Philip Seymour Hoffman movie. Also 5 Years a Slave was brutal watch.
Thea Sieling 3 years ago
I saw "I am Sam" once, that's another one I will never be able to watch again. Semi happy ending, but too sad.
Sue Phillips 3 years ago
This is probably a reflection on me in some way, but I started crying about a third of the way through the Aileen Wournos biopic, Monster, and did not stop until it was over. Full on sobbing, not just tears. As a comparison, I was the only one in the theater not crying at the end of Titanic.
sylvanticx 3 years ago
Avengers: Endgame. Not like the others on this list, but it made me cry and **SPOILER ALERT** my two favorite characters, Tony Stark and Black Widow died and then Cap decided to become elderly so now U.S. Agent is in the MCU and honestly who likes that guy he sucks. Only read him in Marvel Civil War comics and he made me want to punch him. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU, JOHN WALKER. YA BASIC AND ALSO YOU AIN'T STEVE ROGERS SO YOU'RE OBSELETE AND I'M DONATING YOU TO THE CITY COLLEGE.
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