Top ten films too traumatic to watch again

 There are some films that are so bad or boring that you can never face watching them again. You can see my list of those films here. But there are also some films that are so traumatic or depressing or upsetting that it's far too painful to watch them again.

Most of the films I'm about to mention feature on the top 1000 films of all time. I'm watching and reviewing them here. This list is in no particular order.

Requiem for a Dream

This is the only film on this list that I've been brave enough to watch twice. The first time was in 2016. The second time was in 2022. I went six years between the first and second watch. And that was not enough time.

Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, Jennifer Connelly and Ellen Burstyn give brilliant performances as drug addicts in New York. Darren Aronofsky's direction offers a brutal, unflinching look into this dark world. You will not find any happy endings here especially with Ellen Burstyn's character. Her performance was heart-breaking. I would count this film as one of my favourites of all time even if it is too traumatic to watch for a third time.

This is England

British white nationalism is as pervasive and dangerous now as it was back in 1982 where This is England is set. Following a gang of skinheads, we witness a horrific look into how they can brainwash the youth with their propaganda.

But what makes this film so scary is its realism. We're not talking zombies or demonic puppets, but real humans with real hatred in their hearts. Nowhere is that more present than with Stephen Graham who was magnificent as Combo - leader of the skinhead gang. He was so terrifying that he had trouble finding work after the film. I know I will have trouble watching the film again.

Precious

This is a powerful, but stark look into family abuse. It follows Precious (Gabourney Sidibe) a young black woman who was not only raped by her father, but also psychologically abused by her mother (Mon'ique.) Do you see what I mean about it being a rough watch?

Like This is England, it shows its villains as being incredibly cruel, but also incredibly human. It's horrible to watch, but you can't also look away. Mon'ique gave an Oscar-winning performance, but Mariah Carey was also surprisingly good in a supporting role. And, of course, Gabourney Sidibe was the star of the show. 

This is a film I won't be strong enough to watch again anytime soon.

Grave of the Fireflies

When you think of Studio Ghibli, you think of the adorable Totoro or the wonderful world of Spirited Away. You don't think of this heart-breaking tale of World War Two Japan.

Seen through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Seita and his little sister Setsuko, we see how they struggle to survive amidst the twilight years of the war. It is a tragic story that ends predictably tragically, but it is no less gut-wrenching. It made me cry after all.

It is also one of my favourite films of all time, but it is one of the few Studio Ghibli films that I won't be watching over and over again.

Amores Perros

If I were to describe why I wouldn't watch this film again, I would give you one compound word: dog-fighting.

This disgusting practice is central to the film's plot. It plays out in shocking detail. As an animal and dog-lover, this was distressing to watch. It's also difficult to root for characters who willingly enter their dogs into these fights.

Thankfully, Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's later films: 21 Grams and Babel are far easier watches.

Blue Valentine

Although this film isn't traumatic in the sense of depicting violent subject matter, it is still one of the bleakest films I've ever seen.

We follow Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) as their marriage and relationship self-destructs. Cue lots of shouting and tears and very little reason to smile while watching this film. And very little reason why I would want to watch it again.

Manchester by the Sea

Similarly to Blue Valentine, Manchester by the Sea was depression personified. It stars Casey Affleck as a man trying to move on after a house fire kills his entire family. Affleck was well-deserving of the best Actor Oscar, but the film's tragic storyline would surely win the Oscar for most depressing film ever.

The Celebration

This Danish film made for a deeply uncomfortable watch. At a birthday party for the aging patriarch of the Klingenfeldt-Hansen family, we see the whole affair descend into chaos as the whole family goes to war with each other. Cue shouting, arguments, casual racism and nasty people being nasty to each other. It's not a celebration. And there was nothing comedic about it, despite it being labelled a black-comedy. I did not enjoy watching this at all.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

This American classic was also an uncomfortable watch for similar reasons to the above. It was so just relentlessly depressing. Paul Newman and Liz Taylor star as a couple who spend the entire film yelling at each other and everybody around them.

Homophobic attitudes of the time saw the removal of a key storyline that would have added much needed meaning to all the shouting. Otherwise this was an uncomfortable watch.

Midsommer

Ari Aster's horror film is too modern to feature on the top 1000 films of all time, but I still hated watching it. Florrence Pugh stars as Dani - a young woman attempting to get over the death of her family by holidaying in Sweden with her boyfriend and friends. There they find an idyllic cult, but everything is not what it seems.

While I can respect the craft, I found this film intensely disturbing. It freaked me out and I can never watch it again. I'm sure this is just me, as I have heard others say it is boring, dull and tame compared to some other horror films. I'm sure those same people would say I'm a wimp, which would be true. But this film still made me deeply uncomfortable.

None of this is to say these films are bad, but they were either so traumatic, upsetting or disturbing that I could never watch them again. Did I miss any films? Let me know in the comments.

Amores Perros Review

 Number 193 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Mexican psychological drama 'Amores Perros.'

Roughly translating to "Love's a bitch," this movie tells three separate but interconnecting stories that all revolve around the theme of dogs. The first follows Octavio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Susanna (Vanessa Bauche.) Octavio is in love with Susanna who happens to be his brother's, Ramiro (Marco Perez) girlfriend. Ramiro is abusive and unfaithful and Susanna slowly starts to return Octavio's feelings. However, they need money to run away, so Octavio starts entering his rottweiler Cofi into dog fighting contests.

However, after a fight goes awry, and Octavio needs to make a quick getaway, he crashes his car into Valeria's car (Goya Toledo,) kickstarting the second story. Valeria is a supermodel whose boyfriend Daniel (Alvaro Guerrero) has left his family to be with her. The car crash leaves her wheelchair bound with a broken leg. While Daniel is at work, Valeria's only companion is her dog Richie. But he becomes trapped after falling through a hole in the floorboards.

The final story revolves around El Chivo, an ex-convict and guerilla fighter, who is now homeless and takes care of Mexico's stray dogs. One of these dogs is Cofi who he rescues from the car crash. El Chivo is also a part-time hitman whom a man hires to kill his half brother.

Hyperlink structures like this always have the potential to be complicated and convoluted. Even other great hyperlink films like Pulp Fiction can be confusing for the unsuspecting view. However, Amores Perros was surprisingly simple in its execution. Rather than having the stories intercept at various points and viewers having to constantly track of who's who, the storyline is far more linear. Octavio crashing his car is the cause and effect that leads to Valeria injuring her leg, as well as El Chivo nursing Cofi back to health. That's all there was. Although I do wonder whether this is a film that worked better as a whole rather than in its individual parts.

And I am referring to the film's most traumatic scenes - the dog fighting. I've written a short story about dog fighting and I had to research into the brutal sport, if you can call it that. To watch these scenes was triggering to say the least. And as such it was difficult to root for a character like Octavio who voluntarily offered Cofi to the dog fight. If it was a last resort to make money, it would be more understandable, but not entirely. Beyond that, the guy is borderline creepy. In a different film, his persistence to win over Susanna would result in a restraining order.

Having said that, Susanna's Stockholm syndrome was played well. Like most domestic abuse victims, she doesn't even realise that she is being abused at first. And her abuser slowly alienates her from her family and friends. It takes her a while to snap out of her denial. And while Ramiro was a scumbag, it was nice to his motivations. He works a dead-end supermarket job for little money. Powerless in his working life, he takes control of his family life. This depth helped him to not be just another generic villain.

Valeria's storyline was far more interesting. It was one of loneliness and isolation. Due to Octavio's actions, she becomes housebound and can no longer work. Her relationship with Daniel becomes strained especially when her only companion, her dog, Richie, becomes trapped underneath the floorboards. Out of the three main characters, she is the most innocent and also the most tragic. It was sad to see her despair at the removal of her billboards around the city. Modelling is an unstable profession. It's all too easy to be replaced by a younger, prettier model.

Finally we come to El Chivo (Emilio Echevarria) - the homeless, hit-man hired to kill a businessman. However, he is sick of being used and exploited and instead manipulates the situation, so that his employer and intended victim come face to face. He loosely ties them up, leaves them a loaded gun and allows them to fight it out. And when he isn't being a hitman, he is taking care of the city's strays. This isn't the first time that I've seen an otherwise morally unredeemable character be redeemed by his love of animals, but it's a trope I never tire of seeing. And it leads to the film's saddest scene.

El Chivo comes home one day to see that Cofi has killed the rest of the dogs. Due to the horrible trauma he's experienced, he has become a killing machine. In El Chivo's rage, he holds a gun to Cofi's head, but is unable to pull the trigger. After all, this wasn't Cofi's fault, but the scumbag people who trained him to be a killer.

I would definitely recommend this film. It's a hell of a ride, but a powerful one. Just a warning about the dogfighting. Obviously it isn't real - it's just playfighting that's been skillfully edited, but that doesn't make it any less traumatic to watch. And that's just watching. Can you imagine what it would be like for the poor dogs who actually have to fight?