What's your favourite emotionally devastating movie?

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.

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.

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.

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.

The first 5 minutes of Up. Cutting onions every time.

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.

Tough call to just choose one.

Dead Man

Pan's Labyrinth

Human Nature

I, Daniel Blake

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.

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.

Dear Zachary

Man on Fire is one of my favourites and it gets me every time.

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.

Nobody mentioned Requiem For a Dream yet?

I guess I'm getting old

Revolutionary Road

Powder

Schindler's List

A Star Is Born (2018)

We watched it at the cinema and then bought it on Blu-ray but haven’t managed to watch it yet.

The Neverending Story

Prisoners

I almost gave up during the final chase scene.

One Hour Photo always stuck with me. Sy is an extremely sympathetic villain that my heart just broke for the entire film.

Happiness (1998) is extremely dark and very funny at the same time

The War Zone (1999) is relentlessly bleak and uncomfortable

Leaving Las Vagas

Then La La Land

Bridge to Terabithia

The Secret Of Nimh

Requiem For A Dream

Dancer In The Dark

Grave Of The Fireflies

Life of others (Das leben der anderen)

Triangle.

Plus, it has replay value.

Beast of no nation. Watched it once, it was very good, don't need to watch it again.

Lilya 4-ever. So sad. So excellent...

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

La la land. Not the whole movie but the scene at the end always makes me emotional. It reminds of my ex, who I spent almost 10 years with. What if our relationship worked out?

Reprise by Lars von Trier. Probably my favourite movie but I struggle to explain why.

Honorouble mentions:

1. 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.
2. That irish schoolboy rugby romance - Handsome Devil, i think its called
3. The Whale

Least favourite emotionally defastating movies:

The Devil All The Time and "Love Story"

• One flew over the cuckoo's nest
• Aftersun
• The father
• Manchester by the sea
• Million dollar baby

SLC Punk. Such a fun movie all the way through then suddenly WHAM. Reality just slaps you in the face.

Here's one not everyone will already know:

Sacco and Vanzetti (1971)

The Art of Racing in the Rain (and also the book). No matter how many times I watch it, I'm going to cry every time

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

into the wild.

Waves is an insane ride of a movie. So many emotions and so many great performances. The directing and editing are really impressive as well.

Battle Royale (original Japanese version). The plot and development is horrifying in its own right, and after it ends and the credits rolled, the class picture is shown. It's absolutely gutting (I bawled - I have never cried after a psychological horror film before or since this movie).

Instructions Not Included.

There's a horror movie about a couple that kidnaps and tortures who they thought killed their child only to find out it was the wrong person and the person unalives themself. The whole movie though was them going back and forth on their morality/justification for committing the torture. Don't recall the name.