Some films are good for entertainment. Some leave an emotional mark. But then there are those films, so rare and devastating, that you just can’t revisit them again.
Here are our picks of the top 25 movies so intense that you’ll never watch them again. There is something so brutally raw when it comes to how these movies portray humanity that makes it impossible to face them again.
25. Schindler’s List (1993)
This 1993 Steven Spielberg classic is considered one of the best films of all time. Based on the 1982 novel ‘Schindler’s Ark’, the movie follows the titular Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who takes advantage of the government program that hired out Jewish workers for forced labor at very low cost. Eventually becoming sympathetic, he saves more than a thousand refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during the Second World War.
Related: 25 Most Important Holocaust Movies Ever Made, Ranked
24. 127 Hours (2010)
This 2010 biopic by Danny Boyle is based on the memoir of an avid mountaineer, Aron Ralston. While canyoneering in the remote wilderness of Utah, Aron gets trapped by a boulder that pins his arm, leaving him stuck. The film follows the 127 hours Ralston spends in the isolated canyon, fighting for his life with the few resources he has to make it out alive.
23. Life Is Beautiful (1997)
When Guido and his family are sent to the Nazi concentration camp, he is determined to save his son from the horrors around them. By using his imagination, he convinces his son that they are part of an elaborate game and that a prize awaits them at the end. Guido’s humor and creativity become a shield of hope against their brutal reality.
22. There Will Be Blood (2007)
Set in the early 20th century, the film follows a man’s drive to create an empire after his focus shifts from precious metals to oil during the Californian oil drive. In the process of doing so, he won’t back out from doing whatever it takes to achieve his goals, whether it is at a great expense to those around him.
21. Nightcrawler (2014)
A petty thief who is desperate for work, Lou turns to the profession of a stringer, a freelance photojournalist who explores the violent and morbid events happening late in the night in Los Angeles. However, the more he learns about the profession of filming these scenes and selling the exclusive footage to news stations, the more unhinged he becomes.
20. Black Swan (2010)
This one tells the story of Nina Sayers and the New York City Ballet company’s production of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’. Nina takes up the role of the innocent and fragile white swan, Odette, and the sensual and dark black swan, Odile. While Nina is a perfect fit for the white swan, the role of the black swan asks too much of her, slowly descending her into madness.
In Case You Missed It: 10 Must-Watch Alternate History TV Shows That Rewrite the Past
19. The Machinist (2004)
The 2004 psychological thriller follows Christian Bale as the titular machinist, Trevor. An extreme case of insomnia has led him to not sleep for a year, his body withering away to almost nothing. With this comes paranoia and delusion. Trevor starts to believe someone or some people are out to get him and goes to find this phantom assailant.
18. Uncut Gems (2019)
This movie tells the story of Howard Ratner, portrayed by Adam Sandler, a jeweler and gambling addict who owes money to almost everyone in the business. When an opportunity comes to retrieve an expensive gem to pay off all his debt, he risks everything in hopes of staying afloat and alive.
17. Prisoners (2013)
This 2013 American psychological thriller is every parent’s worst nightmare. When Keller Dover’s six-year-old daughter and her friend go missing one night, the family is left with no evidence to go after. After the police release the only suspect, Dover takes matters into his own hands to go as far as it takes to protect his family.
16. Oldboy (2003)
This cult classic South Korean thriller tells the story of Oh Dae Su. Not knowing how or why he was drugged, imprisoned, and tortured for 15 years, Dae Su has 5 days to find his captor. Or else, the captor might kill himself, and Dae Su might never know the identity of his captor or his motives.
15. Se7en (1995)
Starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, the movie is set in an unnamed, crime-ridden city that is on the brink of decay. The story follows an unlikely duo, a nearly retired detective and a newly transferred detective, as they try to stop a serial killer who is committing a series of murders based on the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, and wrath.
Related: Top 25 Movies Based On True Stories, Ranked
14. Hereditary (2018)
This 2018 psychological horror film stars Toni Collette as the miniature artist Annie Graham. After the death of her mother, Annie is grieving when her children start to behave unusually. Soon, she starts to find disturbing secrets about her mother, followed by sinister occurrences tormenting her whole family.
13. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas (2008)
Based on the novel of the same name, ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas‘ is set against the backdrop of World War 2. It follows the story of eight-year-old Bruno. After his family relocates to Nazi-occupied Poland, Bruno comes across a Jewish boy imprisoned in the nearby concentration camp. The two start to develop a friendship over the barbed wire fences.
12. Angst (1983)
Based loosely on the real-life mass murderer Werner Kniesek, the movie follows an unnamed protagonist who is finally released after spending 10 years in prison. As his dormant homicidal tendencies start to grow, he comes across a secluded house inhabited by a woman living with her son and daughter.
11. We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
Based on the novel of the same name, ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ follows a mother’s struggle to come to terms with her psychopathic son. Once a successful writer, Eva puts aside her career to give birth to Kevin. But as the strange child grows up, his actions become increasingly dangerous.
10. The Road (2009)
It is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland after an unspecified catastrophe has killed almost every life on Earth. In this cold, lifeless world, the film follows a father and his son as they try to survive and reach the sea in search of a safer environment.
In Case You Missed It: Top 10 Highest-Grossing Biopics Of All Time
9. Manchester By The Sea (2016)
This one tells the story of Lee Chandler, a depressed, social loner living and working alone in Boston. When one winter day, he gets the news of his brother’s death, he not only has to deal with the grief but also becomes a legal guardian to his teenage nephew. Moreover, as he moves back to his hometown, ghosts from the past start to appear one by one.
8. The Pianist (2002)
This historical biopic is based on the memoir of pianist and Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman. The film follows the man’s experiences as he sees his world change with the beginning of World War 2, eventually losing his family, hiding, and trying to survive through the brutalities.
7. 12 Years A Slave (2013)
Based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, ’12 Years a Slave’ tells the story of a man’s fight for survival and freedom. In upstate New York, a free Black man gets abducted and is sold into slavery. He is put to work on a plantation in Louisiana, facing the cruelty of his owners for 12 years before he is released.
6. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
The film is narrated by Stingo, an aspiring writer who moves to New York right after the Second World War. He moves next to a couple, Sophie and Nathan, and the trio soon hit it off, becoming close friends. But soon, Stingo starts to realize Nathan’s mental state is unraveling, and Sophie is hiding a traumatic past.
5. The Zone of Interest (2023)
This one tells the story of a couple, Rudolf Höss, who is a German Auschwitz commander, and his wife, Hedwig, who live next to the Auschwitz concentration camp. As the Höss family leads their seemingly normal life, hosting picnics and parties, a genocide takes place next door.
Related: 10 Most Intense Movies of All Time
4. Dancer In The Dark (2000)
This one follows a Czechoslovakian immigrant, Selma, and her son, who live in poverty and face tragedy. But Selma’s passion for music gives her the courage to deal with a disease that’s making her lose her eyesight. She tries her best to gather enough money to treat her son so that he doesn’t meet the same fate, but unending tragedies keep hitting her.
3. Requiem For A Dream (2000)
The film studies how addiction evolves and manifests through the four main characters. As their addiction grows more and more intense, we get to see how this alters their life, leading them into a life of delusion. But when they finally come to terms with their reality, they are forced to deal with the catastrophic consequences of drug addiction.
2. Grave Of The Fireflies (1988)
This is a Japanese anime war film, animated by Studio Ghibli and based on the semi-autobiographical story of the same name. It is set in Kobe, shortly after the bombings by the U.S. Army. The film follows two orphaned siblings desperately struggling to survive through brutal situations.
1. Come And See (1985)
It is a Soviet anti-war epic based on survivor testimonies of the German occupation of Byelorussia during World War II. The film follows a young Belarusian teenager who wants to take up weapons to defend his homeland. But what he faces is mass atrocities inflicted upon the common population. He gives a first-hand account of these unspeakable horrors he faces.
You Might Also Like To Read: 10 Sci-Fi Movies That Took Their Craziest Ideas From Real Life
