Movies No One Wants to See More Than Once

[Totenkindly]

There are some powerful movies out there that are dark or intense enough that maybe a repeated viewing is not worth the emotional duress. (Note, we're not really talk about the movies probably not worth watching even once, like A Serbian Film or something...)

Movies no one wants to see more than once

The Looper list is here in the spoilers, if you don't feel like stepping through their page links.

Monster
Blue Valentine
Precious
12 years a Slave
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Irreversible
Brokeback Mountain
United 93
Boys Don't Cry
Bad Lieutenant
The Passion of the Christ
Dancer in the Dark
Dogville
American History X
Schindler's List
Requiem for a Dream
Grave of the Fireflies

Out of their list of 17, I've seen 10 of them; 4 of them more than once; and own 8 of them (some of them the ones I haven't seen, I just haven't gotten up my energy to make it through them.)

Any others that might fit on a list like this? Not in the sense of being bad movies, but in the sense of just being too much to endure more than once?

I would propose Lars Von Trier's "Anti-Christ" -- but honestly, most of Von Trier's films would be on this list. (Two of his films are already represented in Looper's list.) "Breaking the Waves" would be another, although I think "Melancholia" was a little more uplifting... as much as world armageddon is uplifting.

"Winter's Bone" and "The Road" also both come to mind.
"Gone Baby Gone"?
"Tusk"?
"The Grey"?
"Shame" (2011)?

 

[Population: 1]

The Road. It told me everything it needed to in one showing. I still want to read the book though as I'm sure it's able to get waaaaay darker.

Edit: Oops! Sorry didn't see the road was on there.

 

[burningranger]

The Passion of the Christ made me cringe (or whince, as in, it was difficult to watch). But I didn't find it a particularly good movie anyway.
Grave of the Fireflies was definately a hard pill to swallow. I wouldn't watch it again. But it was also boring so...

I tend to dislike movies who want to be shocking in this way....it's just torture...why would I want to watch it? So it's hard for me to watch one of these movies and say...it was a good movie. I can admire the craftmanship but the "aftertaste" of a movie is what becomes the litmus test to whether I truly valued the viewing experience. And that is what makes me say whether it was good or not.

BrokeBack Mountain...although it could in a sense fit into the category of hard to endure....but which I find a great movie is the only one on that list....that, well I would consider a good movie using my defintion. I did in fact watch it again.

I know it's heralded as one of the best movies, but Shashank Redemption I would put in that category...and it's a good movie. But it leaves me a bit distraught by the end. It's emotionally very draining.

 

[Atomic Fiend]

Clockers, a film by Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese.

It's so good it's average.

 

[Population: 1]

Okay got one if you love dogs. A Japanese film based off a true story. Antarctica. Vangelis did the soundtrack. Saddest fucking movie I've ever seen. Disney did a pathetic remake called 8 Below.

To this day if I watched that I'm not ashamed to say I'd cry like a little girl. Huskies dying in horrible ways. And believe it or not it was rated G! G! I would never let a kid watch that. I was fourteen I'm forty five in a few days and I'd never watch it again. I refuse to. The only reason I watched as a teenager was to see if any of the dogs made it. Once I started watching I HAD to know!

 

[Lucy_Ricardo]

Sophie's Choice. Truly one of the most devastating movies ever made. It's one that's hard to even contemplate after viewing.

Remains of the Day is another one. Anthony Hopkins's character is a type of detached evil that isn't apparent at first glance. He's subtly and passively horrible.

 

[magpie]

Grave of the Fireflies and Mysterious Skin

 

[Abcdenfp]

There are some powerful movies out there that are dark or intense enough that maybe a repeated viewing is not worth the emotional duress. (Note, we're not really talk about the movies probably not worth watching even once, like A Serbian Film or something...) Movies no one wants to see more than once The Looper list is here in the spoilers, if you don't feel like stepping through their page links.

Monster Blue Valentine Precious 12 years a Slave We Need to Talk About Kevin Irreversible Brokeback Mountain United 93 Boys Don't Cry Bad Lieutenant The Passion of the Christ Dancer in the Dark Dogville American History X Schindler's List Requiem for a Dream Grave of the Fireflies

Out of their list of 17, I've seen 10 of them; 4 of them more than once; and own 8 of them (some of them the ones I haven't seen, I just haven't gotten up my energy to make it through them.) Any others that might fit on a list like this? Not in the sense of being bad movies, but in the sense of just being too much to endure more than once? I would propose Lars Von Trier's "Anti-Christ" -- but honestly, most of Von Trier's films would be on this list. (Two of his films are already represented in Looper's list.) "Breaking the Waves" would be another, although I think "Melancholia" was a little more uplifting... as much as world armageddon is uplifting. "Winter's Bone" and "The Road" also both come to mind. "Gone Baby Gone"? "Tusk"? "The Grey"? "Shame" (2011)?

I have seen 9 and yes watching them once had enough of an emotional toll, I do agree "gone baby gone" "shame" and will add
Revolutionary road
garden of the night

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I really like Children of Men but it's a very bleak film that I only watch once in a blue moon. The car scene is particularly jarring; it all happens so fast and because it's one long single take and the camerawork is documentary-like, it's very realistic and a bit unsettling.

- - - Updated - - -

I'll never watch Irreversible again. Deliverance is a film I could watch once every 15 years--and that would be enough for me. But it's a really good movie.

 

[Totenkindly]

I have seen 9 and yes watching them once had enough of an emotional toll, I do agree "gone baby gone" "shame" and will add
Revolutionary road
garden of the night

Revolutionary Road! How did I forget that?

Yeah, I generally like Mendes' directorial efforts, and MIchael Shannon got an Oscar nomination for that. But I have never been able to summon the strength to watch it again.

I really like Children of Men but it's a very bleak film that I only watch once in a blue moon. The car scene is particularly jarring; it all happens so fast and because it's one long single take and the camerawork is documentary-like, it's very realistic and a bit unsettling.

Children of Men crossed my mind, but I found enough in it that was uplifting that I could handle it again. That car scene you mention was jarring and well-done, but yes, very shocking. There's also the jaw-dropping simulated single take (I think simulated, at least to the degree it went) at the end. There was a reason I gave that movie five stars. I'm still not sure what to say about it because it just sucks the air out of your lungs.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

There are some powerful movies out there that are dark or intense enough that maybe a repeated viewing is not worth the emotional duress. (Note, we're not really talk about the movies probably not worth watching even once, like A Serbian Film or something...)

Movies no one wants to see more than once

The Looper list is here in the spoilers, if you don't feel like stepping through their page links.

Monster
Blue Valentine
Precious
12 years a Slave
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Irreversible
Brokeback Mountain
United 93
Boys Don't Cry
Bad Lieutenant
The Passion of the Christ
Dancer in the Dark
Dogville
American History X
Schindler's List
Requiem for a Dream
Grave of the Fireflies

Out of their list of 17, I've seen 10 of them; 4 of them more than once; and own 8 of them (some of them the ones I haven't seen, I just haven't gotten up my energy to make it through them.)

Any others that might fit on a list like this? Not in the sense of being bad movies, but in the sense of just being too much to endure more than once?

I would propose Lars Von Trier's "Anti-Christ" -- but honestly, most of Von Trier's films would be on this list. (Two of his films are already represented in Looper's list.) "Breaking the Waves" would be another, although I think "Melancholia" was a little more uplifting... as much as world armageddon is uplifting.

"Winter's Bone" and "The Road" also both come to mind.
"Gone Baby Gone"?
"Tusk"?
"The Grey"?
"Shame" (2011)?

I didn't find that list to be too bad. I've seen Brokeback Mountain once but I didn't find it disturbing. I wouldn't have a problem seeing it again, it's just something where it hasn't occurred to me to watch it again. Bad Lieutenant is OK.

This is all very subjective. I dated a girl who didn't want to watch Castaway more than once because it was too "heavy" for her.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I wouldn't mind seeing The Road again. It's a bit depressing since it seems like even with the somewhat positive ending, there's really nowhere left to go, no chance of longterm survival for anyone. It's really just Mad Max minus the sensationalism.

 

[Abcdenfp]

I really like Children of Men but it's a very bleak film that I only watch once in a blue moon. The car scene is particularly jarring; it all happens so fast and because it's one long single take and the camerawork is documentary-like, it's very realistic and a bit unsettling. - - - Updated - - - I'll never watch Irreversible again. Deliverance is a film I could watch once every 15 years--and that would be enough for me. But it's a really good movie.

I've never watched irreversible or deliverance
children of men for me was fantastically done , but that not in my stomach I'll do without.

 

[Abcdenfp]

I didn't find that list to be too bad. I've seen Brokeback Mountain once but I didn't find it disturbing. I wouldn't have a problem seeing it again, it's just something where it hasn't occurred to me to watch it again. Bad Lieutenant is OK. This is all very subjective. I dated a girl who didn't want to watch Castaway more than once because it was too "heavy" for her.

I really enjoyed brokeback mountain , I wouldn't say it was heavy , I would say it was heart breaking,
million dollar baby, I couldn't watch again, I was dating a guy and he hadn't in the 3 years we were together seen me cry , I cried so much he had to take me home, and was like wtf lol.

 

[Totenkindly]

I didn't find that list to be too bad. I've seen Brokeback Mountain once but I didn't find it disturbing. I wouldn't have a problem seeing it again, it's just something where it hasn't occurred to me to watch it again. Bad Lieutenant is OK.

This is all very subjective. I dated a girl who didn't want to watch Castaway more than once because it was too "heavy" for her.

Yeah, definitely. Like I said I own a number of the films in that list, because I like intensity of feeling, and some of the ones mentioned by people aren't ones I found draining. I'm not sure if I can watch "We Need to Talk about Kevin" again, but the acting was tremendous -- it's more like I "understand" everything in the movie just fine, so I'm not drawn to it intellectually, it's far more an "experience" movie where you are coexist with the mother (Tilda Swinton, damn she's good) and it's just frustrating because her son hates her (partly because she's a naturally cold person who didn't seem like she wanted children, but partly because there's just some depth of seething rage in him), and there's nothing that seemingly can be done to resolve anything. So if you want to experience that whole slog, then it's worthwhile; if it's too much, you just want to bail.

I didn't mind Brokeback Mountain.

I love "The Grey" but some people feel let down or depressed over it, so I mentioned it -- it's a truly western-culture existential film and doesn't even provide the capstone to the plot that people unwilling to engage the existential were expecting.

I wondered if I should throw "Martyrs" (original version) in there but that's probably veering more into a genre that some consider exploitative by nature and people debate whether it had any redeeming quality. Then again, "Irreversible" made the list; I'm more in agreement with Ebert on the film's value, but some folks very the film very negatively; it's a hard watch.

I wouldn't mind seeing The Road again. It's a bit depressing since it seems like even with the somewhat positive ending, there's really nowhere left to go, no chance of longterm survival for anyone. It's really just Mad Max minus the sensationalism.

Agreed on that, and it's funny how the ending comes off as "positive" compared to the rest of the movie.

I really liked Charlize Theron's scenes, even though she is barely in the movie. The "feeling of her" (and her absence) in the movie still lingers with me. I like that, though.
[MENTION=33711]Abcdenfp[/MENTION]: "million dollar baby" -- oh yes (!). Yeah. Saw it once. Still kinda shell-shocked.

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

Agreed on that, and it's funny how the ending comes off as "positive" compared to the rest of the movie.

I really liked Charlize Theron's scenes, even though she is barely in the movie. The "feeling of her" (and her absence) in the movie still lingers with me. I like that, though.

Yes, she haunts the film and sets the mood.

 

[Abcdenfp]

Hmmm August Osage county, I couldn't watch again but I thought it was excellent, what's eating Gilbert grape and boys don't cry ...

 

[Atomic Fiend]

If I never see I am Sam again, I'll be happy.

 

[Qlip]

I loved it, but Pan's Labyrinth was too intense for me to revisit within a decade.

 

[StrawberryBoots]

The remake of Beauty and the Beast. I was held captive and forced to watch it against my will. I can't stand all that high pitched singin'!