Requiem for a Dream. Aronofsky is a legend and totally up my alley but this and a couple other films he has done I only have the energy to watch once.
this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2026
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I thought of this one as well. It's my favorite movie I never want to see again.
I, too, remember this one. But it's so long since I've seen it. But every time I consider a re-watch I wuss out.
I'm sure there are others, but in my brainhole this one sure is a headliner for such a question.
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I would say Grave of the Fireflies, but like a lot of people I've never wanted to watch it again so I'm not sure if I could say it's my favourite.
To this day I've watched it once and I'll never forget.
The Road
The only truly realistic post-apocalyptic movie.
There is no hope. There is no humanity pulling together in times of crisis.
Just one man trying to keep his son and himself alive for another day, after losing everything else.
Maybe I just didn't give it enough of a chance, but I really just didn't get this film honestly. For me it just felt like a sort of 'depression porn' without really much substance to it.
The movie is an adaptation of the book by Cormac McCarthy. The book won the Pulitzer and the James Tait Memorial Prize.
"Depression Porn without substance" is a funny way to characterize the movie.
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Interstellar and Arrival The scene where cooper watches his kids grow up and get kids of their own in like 5 minutes always gets me.
Anything like this with kids/families gets me pretty good nowadays :(
There was something in Trainspotting that fucked me up so hard I never, ever went near that movie again.
And it's not explicitly a horror movie, so valid in this context.
Trainspotting csme to mind for me too. The violence in that movie is emotionally devastating but its not emotionally devastating for the human interactions & relstionships so it doesnt make my list.
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Tough call to just choose one.
Dead Man
Pan's Labyrinth
Human Nature
Dead Man is incredible, love seeing it occasionally get the recognition it deserves.
Dear Zachary
Yep. This right here.
When I say 'favourite', I mean it's the most compelling, devastating, truthful movie I've ever seen that I was transfixed by for it's entire duration, and never want to see again.
I've been on job seeker's allowance. I've suffered the indignity of the weekly visits to the job centre to be sneered at for not applying for an adequate number of jobs, of for not just accepting the first shitty delivery jobs on the list. But I was lucky enough to be healthy. I can't imagine having to deal with all that shit while also being sick.
Being in that situation right now - damn, I don't think I could watch it.
Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it. I mean, it's a beautiful, powerful film, but yeah.
Here's hoping your fortunes improve x
Everything Everywhere All At Once. I watch it every year and I pretend I'm a different character every time. I'm in my Waymond phase now. Watch it from his point of view when you're ready.
君の名は。 (your name.) — the first big twist. When ya boy Taki first sets foot on the school (as himself) and looks at the lake and you realise what the movie's been doing this whole time.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did it like 15-20 years prior (and I loved that episode) but I never saw it coming. You go back and watch, and the movie kinda slaps you with a fresh fish with the clues, especially the date where he and his coworker are looking at all the photos. Camera stays there a good little while, too. Like damn. Stevie Wonder coulda saw that twist coming. But I was captivated by the beauty of the film. And the music.
The Whale broke me. And Zone of Interest is also a really hard pill to swallow. First time I was sitting in a fully packed theater and not a single person bought any snacks. We all knew it would be horrible.
Holy fuck The Whale. I rarely get emotional for sad movies and usually my eyes well up at most but The Whale opened the flood gates. Watched it at the movie theaters and remember the credits rolling in silence while everyone is sniffling and sobbing. Cried on the way home too. I bought it on blu ray and have not worked up the courage to rewatch it.
Powder
Schindler's List
Powder is such a unique choice - not one many probably even remember.
Saw it in theater way back. Oddly, the power went out midway through.
It was touching.
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Nobody mentioned Requiem For a Dream yet?
Man on Fire is one of my favourites and it gets me every time.
We watched it at the cinema and then bought it on Blu-ray but haven’t managed to watch it yet.
One Hour Photo always stuck with me. Sy is an extremely sympathetic villain that my heart just broke for the entire film.
The Neverending Story
Leaving Las Vagas
Then La La Land
Life of others (Das leben der anderen)
Prisoners
I almost gave up during the final chase scene.
Took me three attempts to watch this movie. Absolutely superb.
Revolutionary Road
Triangle.
Plus, it has replay value.
Strangely these are my favourite kind of films, as there is something cathartic about emerging from an emotional roller coaster. These films have stayed me with long after:
- Irreversible
- 21 Grams
- Never Let Me Go
- Burning
- First Reformed
- The Long Walk
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Happiness (1998) is extremely dark and very funny at the same time
The War Zone (1999) is relentlessly bleak and uncomfortable
The breakfast scene in that movie (happiness). Just ..... Fuck.
it's full of those sort of sinking feelings but that's a grim one
Reprise by Lars von Trier. Probably my favourite movie but I struggle to explain why.
Honorouble mentions:
- THE IRONCLAW! It's not the most emotionally devaststing for me but it was for a lot of people who saw it. To me it is really special though because it's a beautifully simple film and you sit right there alongside Von Erich as he walks through different stsges of his life. You feel everything.
- That irish schoolboy rugby romance - Handsome Devil, i think its called
- The Whale
Least favourite emotionally defastating movies:
The Devil All The Time and "Love Story"
Lilya 4-ever. So sad. So excellent...
The Secret Of Nimh
Requiem For A Dream
Dancer In The Dark
Grave Of The Fireflies
SLC Punk. Such a fun movie all the way through then suddenly WHAM. Reality just slaps you in the face.
Favourite in the sense that they ripped me up by the emotional gonads and I thought the movie was really good:
The broken circle breakdown
La haine
The whale
Secrets and lies
The grey zone
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