22 Movies So Intense We’ll Never Watch Them Again

Some films are so intense that no one wants to watch them twice. Even if they win myriad awards or clean up at the box office, certain movies are just a one-and-done experience for many viewers.

Whether we are talking about emotionally exhausting dramas, transgressive movies that push the envelope, or stories focusing on taboo and extreme subject matter, films such as Manchester by the Sea, Hereditary, Trainspotting, and The Whale are nobody’s idea of light entertainment and few go back for second helpings.

The following intense movies are just… a lot. How many have you seen more than once?

1. Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, the depressing drama Manchester by the Sea stars Casey Affleck as Lee — a miserable loner working as a janitor — who becomes the legal guardian of his nephew after the sudden death of Lee’s brother.

Although Affleck won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance and the movie also won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award, Manchester by the Sea‘s themes of guilt, loss, dysfunctional families, and PTSD are not go-to topics for anyone seeking a fun “escape” at the cinema.

2. Atonement (2007)

Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, the romantic drama Atonement follows the lives of a couple, Cecilia and Robbie (Keira Knightley and James McAvoy), over six decades and how a lie told by Cecilia’s jealous sister (Saoirse Ronan) shattered their lives.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences salivates over on-screen misery and predictably nominated Atonement for seven Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Ronan. Although all of the actors give solid performances, this doesn’t mean viewers will want to reexperience 60 years’ worth of pain and betrayal.

3. Come and See (1985)

This harrowing antiwar drama depicts the German occupation of Belarus during World War II as seen through the eyes of a teenage boy (Aleksei Kravchenko). Director Elem Klimov had to battle his own war with Soviet censors for eight years before anyone could come and see Come and See.

To call Come and See “intense” is the understatement of the century. The acclaimed film features one of the most powerful performances by a child actor in history and reminds everyone that victory comes at a great cost. Although one viewing might prove inspirational, repeated viewings are more akin to masochism.

4. Dunkirk (2017)

Christopher Nolan’s epic war film Dunkirk is about the Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo, during WWII. The ensemble cast includes Harry Styles in his feature-film debut as well as Nolan regular Cillian Murphy.

All of Nolan’s films are heavy, and Dunkirk is no exception as the movie relies on cinematography and music more than dialogue to depict the chaotic evacuation. Although critics ate up the spectacle and the Academy gifted the movie three Oscars, few people want to experience the atrocities of war over and over again on-screen.

5. Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Taika Waititi’s satirical drama Jojo Rabbit is about a 10-year-old boy who concocts an imaginary friend in the form of Adolf Hitler after he discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is harboring a Jewish girl in their attic during World War II.

Critics praised this unapologetic dark satire that a certain type of viewer will find uncomfortably humorous. Everyone else just feels uncomfortable in general watching the Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay, which is why few hop at the chance to see it more than once.

6. Threads (1984)

This British-Australian war drama depicts what happens in the city of Sheffield, England after the United States and U.S.S.R. engage in a nuclear war. The 1984 film is one of the first to depict what a nuclear winter might look like.

If you lived in the 1980s, the threat of nuclear war was something that hung heavy in the air every day and permeated the music, movies, and literature of the time. Although Threads won several BAFTA awards, who wants to revisit a postapocalyptic story about ordinary people caught in the crossfire when the real possibility of nuclear annihilation still looms 40 years later?

7. Irréversible (2002)

This ultraviolent art thriller is about two men (Vincent Cassel and Albert Dupontel) who try to avenge the woman (Monica Bellucci) they both love after she is assaulted and beaten.

Roger Ebert said that Irréversible is “so violent and cruel that most people will find it unwatchable.” Some moviegoers reportedly left the theater in disgust, so this isn’t a film that many can sit through once let alone multiple times.

8. Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods is about four Vietnam War vets who return to Vietnam to search for the remains of their squad leader as well as the buried treasure they left behind.

Da 5 Bloods received universal acclaim for its performances, but many will find the tonally uneven film’s run time of 2 hours and 34 minutes tedious and not something they would care to repeat. The movie received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.

9. Trainspotting (1996)

Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting follows a group of depraved addicts living — if you can call it that — in Edinburgh, Scotland. The black comedy-drama features the international breakthrough of Ewan McGregor as one of the junkies.

Trainspotting was off-putting in 1996 during the height of the heroin-chic look in modeling and pop culture, so it’s difficult to imagine wanting to spend more time with these broken souls nearly 30 years later. Everyone today is very aware of the opioid crisis in America and many are personally affected by it — there is still nothing funny about people wallowing in addiction.

10. Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Bone Tomahawk is a rare horror-Western hybrid about a small-town sheriff (Kurt Russell) who leads a rescue posse to a remote location to free three people abducted by a cannibalistic tribe of Native Americans. Directed by S. Craig Zahler in his directorial debut, Bone Tomahawk also stars Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and David Arquette.

Critics praised Bone Tomahawk for its performances, gorgeous cinematography, and haunting music by Jeff Herriott and S. Craig Zahler. Brutal scenes like one in which Russell’s sheriff fights off cave-dwelling cannibals might feature too much Tarantino-style violence for mainstream audiences, but horror fans liked it and gave the movie a deserved cult following.

11. Hereditary (2018)

Toni Collette plays Annie Graham — a miniatures artist whose family gets terrorized by supernatural forces after the death of Annie’s secretive mother — in Ari Aster’s Hereditary. We learn that Annie’s mother was a member of a sinister coven determined to find a human vessel for the demon king Paimon, which is why Annie’s house itself seems possessed.

A24’s Hereditary is one of the scariest movies of the past 10 years because it takes itself seriously and doesn’t rely on cheap scares, bursts of humor, or witty pop-culture references. Those things can be fun in another movie, but Hereditary gets underneath the skin by making us question if we really know the people closest to us. That said, some of the scenes — especially one in which a character loses her head out a car window — are too shocking to watch multiple times.

12. Dead Ringers (1988)

David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers stars Jeremy Irons as both Elliot and Beverly Mantle — two doctors who are identical twins and operate a clinic that treats fertility issues. Each Dr. Jekyll goes full Mr. Hyde after an actress comes between them.

Certain women find this creepy psychological thriller difficult to watch once, let alone several times. Rita Kempley of The Washington Post describes the movie as “every woman’s nightmare” and “really sordid stuff that becomes ridiculous, painful, unbelievable, and tedious.”

13. Breaking the Waves (1996)

Director Lars von Trier makes movies few will want to see once, so calling his films an “acquired taste” is just being polite. In the romantic drama Breaking the Waves, Emily Watson plays a woman who thinks she is doing God’s work by having intimate relationships with other men after her husband breaks his neck in an accident and is paralyzed.

We’re not sure what your definition of a “good time” is at the movies, but this torturous 158-minute exploration of desperation is probably not it. Watson, in her feature-film debut, received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance.

14. 8mm (1999)

Joel Schumacher directed this crime thriller starring Nicolas Cage as a private investigator and family man who does a deep dive into the underground world of snuff films after a client finds a disturbing videotape in her dead husband’s belongings.

The final two words in the 8mm screenplay are “save me,” which is exactly what critics who had to review the sleazy movie said to themselves after watching it.

15. The NeverEnding Story (1984)

In the fantasy film The NeverEnding Story, Barret Oliver plays a bullied 10-year-old boy named Bastian Bux who discovers a magical book that speaks of a young warrior tasked with saving Fantasia from a dark force known as the Nothing. A Luck Dragon named Falkor assists Bastian on his quest.

Young Gen Xers who saw The NeverEnding Story when it came out still find it precious, but the effects have not aged well and the existential story is kind of a downer. Although a global box office success, The NeverEnding Story and its European style did not translate as well in the United States.

16. The Elephant Man (1980)

David Lynch’s The Elephant Man stars John Hurt as Joseph Merrick — a real-life severely deformed man who lived in London in the 19th century. Merrick became a curiosity for English high society who enjoyed gawking at the “Elephant Man.”

This Oscar-nominated, black-and-white biographical drama is one of Lynch’s most emotionally powerful films as well as one that is too heartbreaking to watch repeatedly. When Merrick, who just wants some dignity, screams in frustration, “I am not an animal! I am a human being,” it feels like rubbing salt into your exposed heart.

17. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)

Pier Paolo Pasolini directed this shocking arthouse horror film about depraved Italian libertines who kidnap 18 teenagers and subject them to 4 months of unspeakable torture and degradation for their amusement.

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom depicts graphic violence, sexual torture, and the eating of excrement, which is why it is still banned in many countries. It’s just too sickening and disturbing for most viewers.

18. Uncut Gems (2019)

In the crime thriller Uncut Gems, Adam Sandler takes a brief sabbatical from comedy to play a gambling-addicted jeweler who must obtain a pricy gem in order to pay off his mounting debts.

Although critics agree that Uncut Gems is the best performance Sandler has ever given, it doesn’t mean that viewers will want to keep revisiting this grimy criminal underworld filled with sleazy characters. The 135-minute psychological exploration of Sandler’s character is just too exhausting.

19. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

The Japanese animated war drama Grave of the Fireflies follows two sibling orphans and their fight for survival after the end of World War II.

If you thought only live-action movies could render one emotionally depleted, you haven’t seen the acclaimed Grave of the Fireflies. Although considered one of the finest war films as well as one of the best Japanese animated films in history, the story is just too depressing to watch over and over.

20. The Whale (2022)

The Whale stars Brendan Fraser as a morbidly obese English teacher who doesn’t leave his home much but tries to reconnect with the teen daughter he left behind eight years prior.

Fraser deservedly won his first Best Actor Oscar for his comeback role as Charlie, but that doesn’t mean anyone is screaming for an encore or sequel. The movie’s exploration of the struggles of the morbidly obese drew criticism, but almost everyone agrees that Fraser put everything he had into the depressing character.

21. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Set in Normandy, France during World War II, Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan is about a group of soldiers headed by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) who try to locate and bring home Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) after his three brothers were killed in battle.

Spielberg has made a career out of tugging at heartstrings, and Saving Private Ryan will turn on the waterworks for anyone with eyeballs. The movie won several Oscars, including Best Director for Spielberg.

22. Beaches (1988)

Beaches tells the story of two lifelong BFFs (Barbara Hershey and Bette Midler) who, despite all of the ups and downs, are always there for each other. When Cecilia Carol “C.C.” Bloom (Midler) discovers that Hillary Whitney (Hershey) is dying, C.C. rushes to her side and reflects on their history together.

This is a movie that will make even the toughest birds cry. Midler’s emotional “Wind Beneath My Wings,” which won Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, increases the tissue count.