Five movies nobody ever needs to watch more than once
We all have those movies we could watch over and over. They might be a feel-good family comedy or a delightful rom-com, perhaps a tense thriller or an exciting horror movie. Whatever it is, it brings us comfort and a sense of familiarity, allowing us to sit back and relax as we immerse ourselves in the world presented on the screen in front of us.
Then there are movies that do the opposite, designed to shock us or make us think about the bleaker aspects of life. These are films full of violence and unthinkable acts of cruelty, grotesqueness, and images that are hard to erase. That’s not to say that these are bad films; merely, they’re ones that, once you’ve watched them and got the message, it might take a lot of convincing for you to return to them.
Many of these kinds of difficult-to-watch films are regarded incredibly highly, often considered films you must see before you die. Still, that doesn’t mean that we need to return to them any more than once, as is the case with the movies we’ve listed below.
From the blood-curdling horrors of Martyrs to the brutal adolescent activities in Kids, here are five movies nobody needs to watch more than once.
Five movies nobody should watch more than once:
5. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975)
If any film deserves a place on this list, it’s Pier Paolo Pasolini’s arthouse horror masterpiece Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. Your imagination might not even be able to conjure up some of the terrors found in the film, which is full of heinous acts of torture as a group of teenagers are rounded up, stripped naked, and subjected to 120 days of pure hell at the hands of some ruthless libertines.
The controversial film contains many abject images that will have you recoiling at the thought of chocolate cake for months to come. Yet, it is a brilliant film about the horrors of capitalism, consumerism, power and totalitarianism, made by one of Italy’s most fiercely political and creative artists. With that being said, watch it once, and you’ll hardly want to press play on it again out of the fear of being sick.
4. Martyrs (Pascal Laugier, 2008)
Often classed as part of the New French Extremity, Martyrs is far from easy-watching, with its relentless violence and gore that pushes both the characters and the audience to the limit. Pascal Laugier’s film forces us to question the nature of trauma, pain, femininity, violence, power, and the line between life and death, and to do so, he confronts us with many visceral images.
The film follows a young woman as she seeks revenge on the people who kept her locked up and abused as a child, fearlessly bursting into their home with a gun, only to discover a world of pain that’s worse than we could imagine. It is certainly a clever film, but one that turns your stomach in the process of getting its message across.
3. Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985)
Films about war often linger with audiences for the rest of their lives when executed successfully. When we are shown the most heinous acts of violence, aware that they’re based on reality, it can be hard to grasp what we are watching and wonder how anyone could possibly be so heartless. Elem Klimov’s Come and See is one of the most brutal and unrelenting anti-war films ever made, depicting the atrocities committed by the Nazis from the perspective of a teenage boy, played by Aleksei Kravchenko.
It is vital viewing, showing audiences just how inconceivable and terrifying it was to be a victim of the Nazis and to live in a state of fear and uncertainty. Come and See is a hard watch – the kind of film that most people can only stomach once. Still, it is worth a try simply because Klimov delivers such a tragic story with such heartbreaking beauty and skill.
2. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)
Few movies have shown the harsh and upsetting realities of drug abuse, like Requiem for a Dream, which was released in 2000. While Darren Aronofsky would go on to direct movies like Black Swan and Mother!, Requiem for a Dream arguably remains his most harrowing film. It starred Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Ellen Burstyn, and Marlon Wayans, exploring various characters as they battle with drug addiction and its disastrous consequences.
There are many hard-to-watch scenes in the film, which see the characters completely lose sight of themselves as they give themselves away to various substances. The ending is particularly unforgettable; that sequence alone is enough to make you not want to watch the movie again – or experiment with drugs, for that matter.
1. Kids (Larry Clark, 1995)
Harmony Korine’s first film job was writing Kids after photographer Larry Clark approached him in a skate park and asked him to come up with an idea for a movie that young people could relate to. As a result, Kids bleeds with adolescent fury, dissatisfaction, and selfishness, with the characters often doing terrible things, unbothered by the consequences of their actions.
The movie begins with a sex scene between the 17-year-old protagonist, Telly, and a very young-looking teen girl, something that stirred up considerable controversy. Yet, as the movie continues, we see even more graphic and uncomfortable scenes that, upon its release, led certain critics to question the ethics of the film. The boys are cruel, and with themes like STDs, rape, drug abuse, and extreme violence, Kids is a bleak film you won’t find yourself desperate to return to.
