Summary

• Some great movies are too emotionally draining to watch more than once, whether due to heavy themes or disturbing scenes.
• Different people have different tastes in movies, and what may be disturbing for some is mundane for others.
• Even if a movie is not a comfort movie, it can still be worthwhile and impactful in its own way.

Even great movies can be difficult to watch more than once. Some movies discuss such heavy themes that, despite their brilliance, they can be too emotionally draining to endure a second time. In other cases, a horror movie can be too effective and disturbing, or a thriller ratchets the tension up to unbearable levels. Whatever the reason, not every great movie can become a comfort movie, but that doesn't make them any less worthwhile.

Different people have different tastes when it comes to movies, and what some find disturbing, others might find mundane. Usually, movies that people return to again and again inspire positive emotions, but this isn't always the case. Even a reliable tearjerker can be enjoyed many times, because they facilitate a kind of cathartic release. But when a movie goes for a more downbeat tone, a constant drone of sadness as opposed to a climactic burst, it can the ranks of excellent movies that should only be seen once.

15 American History X (1998)

Dir. Tony Kaye

The world of American History X is populated by tribal groups split by ethnicity. It is not just the violent skinheads adorned with Nazi tattoos, but there is an overt racial fault line running through Los Angeles that reflects the darkest periods of human history. While the vile faux-academic hatred is repulsive, one scene in particular throws a more ferocious gut punch. Edward Norton's Derek attacks a group of black men, grinding a man's teeth into the curb. It's an instinctively disgusting scene that jars with the rest of the movie in such a way that it becomes unforgettable.

14 Manchester By The Sea (2016)

Dir. Kenneth Lonergan

Manchester By the Sea presents a grim philosophy of the irreparable injustices of modern life. Casey Affleck plays Lee, a working-class custodian who must care for his nephew after his brother dies. On the surface, this seems like the first act of an uplifting narrative about familial resilience, but Manchester By the Sea makes no attempt at a saccharine Hollywood ending. The lack of redemption colors ordinary scenes in a new light. Plenty of movies feature a conversation in a hospital where a man receives some bad news, but they are rarely as profound and hopeless.

13 The Machinist (2004)

Dir. Brad Anderson

There's a deep-seated human sense of unease that creeps in when people see physical manifestations of severe illness. It's a survival instinct to avoid infection, and The Machinist inspires the same reaction. Beyond the hollow physicality of Bale, however, The Machinist holds many more uncomfortable surprises. There's a detached coolness to the color palette, which deepens the impact of the occasional crimson smear of blood, such as when a man loses his entire forearm in an industrial mishap.

12 The Whale (2022)

Dir. Darren Aronofsky

The Whale deals with fatphobia and social isolation, but it's also a meditation on grief and generational trauma.

The Whale's controversial portrayal of morbid obesity makes it an extremely uncomfortable watch for many people. Brendan Fraser won an Oscar for his transformative performance as Charlie, a reclusive English teacher, but the movie's dark subject and melancholic tone contribute to an overbearingly depressing atmosphere. The Whale deals with fatphobia and social isolation, but it's also a meditation on grief and generational trauma, as Charlie grapples with the emotional fallout of his partner's recent suicide.

11 Schindler's List (1993)

Dir. Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg's gut-wrenching Holocaust drama tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, who worked tirelessly to save Jewish people from the Nazis. Spielberg has earned a reputation as a masterful entertainer, but Schindler's List strips away all of his characteristic magic and leaves behind a bleak portrait of industrialized human cruelty. Schindler's List reveals the dark heart of the Holocaust in staggering detail. Although it's not a horror movie, Schindler's List is just as viscerally upsetting, even if there is hope for the endurance of the human spirit.

10 The Revenant (2015)

Dir. Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Iñárritu's use of long takes creates a disturbingly immersive experience from which there is no escape.

Like Schindler's List, Alejandro Iñárritu's The Revenant tells a true story with far more brutality than most fiction could muster. From the opening scene where Hugh Glass and his company of fur trappers are attacked by a hatchet-wielding tribe, The Revenant spirals like a never-ending nightmare. Iñárritu's use of long takes creates a disturbingly immersive experience from which there is neither escape nor respite. Leonardo DiCaprio is outstanding as Glass, who fights desperately to survive in the ferocious wilderness.

9 The ion Of The Christ (2004)

Dir. Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson's controversial biblical epic makes for tough viewing, even for those without a connection to Christianity. Gibson takes inspiration from his own faith to portray the last days of Jesus' life with an intense rage and the sentiment of injustice. Jim Caviezel plays the role of Jesus as a stoic martyr, but even the son of God is eventually broken down by the explicit lashings inflicted upon him. Even if the religious context is sidelined, Gibson's gratuitous use of prosthetics and blood highlights the extreme pain of the public execution.

Almost two decades later, Mel Gibson is set to release a ion of the Christ sequel, which could be broken into multiple parts.

8 The Farewell (2019)

Dir. Lulu Wang

In a touching tale of grief and duty, a Chinese family conceal a grandmother's terminal diagnosis from her, deciding instead to let her live out her final days in peace. Awkwafina is excellent as Billi in this culture-clash drama. Her natural comedic flair manages to temper the moribund tone to a certain degree, but the creeping threat of death touches every corner of The Farewell. It's an outstanding portrait of a family that deserves widespread attention, but its personal touches hit very close to home, especially for anyone with a particularly close relationship to their grandparents.

7 Inside (2023)

Dir. Vasilis Katsoupis

Willem Dafoe plays Nemo, a thief who gets trapped inside a luxury apartment and abandoned by his crew, but Inside lacks all the madcap fun that is usually associated with the heist genre. Despite his seemingly comfortable surroundings, Nemo struggles with hunger, dehydration, extreme temperature fluctuations, and social isolation. As these factors mount and the pressure to escape rises, Dafoe's features grow increasingly gaunt and withered, reflecting his character's tortured mental state. There are moments when his skin looks ready to slough off of his face, which fills the entire frame in extreme high definition.

6 Annihilation (2018)

Dir. Alex Garland

The dark mystery of Annihilation makes it extremely hard to pin down, but there is a pervasive sense of unease which colors every twisted development.

As a group of scientists venture deeper into the heart of a supernatural anomaly, the sinister forces around them close in. The dark mystery of Annihilation makes it extremely hard to pin down, but there is a pervasive sense of unease which colors every twisted development. Annihilation splices sci-fi body horror with a more existential, psychological horror, resulting in a disquiet that is hard to shake. There are shocking images, especially the mutated bear mimicking human voices, but the overall discordant feeling of the entire movie is even more memorable.