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Ten films sure to leave a bitter taste in your mouth
Monday 19th August 2013 | Valery
Modern cinema has come a long way in terms of blood and gore but sometimes the most awful feeling will be left behind by a film that is poignant purely psychologically
1. Misery (1990) – Rob Reiner
This masterpiece is based on the Stephen King novel, so this is probably your first hint of the fact that this will not be a sunshine-filled escapade with a happy ending. Novelist Paul Sheldon is the author of a successful series of books featuring a character called Misery Chastain. Deciding to start focusing on more serious work, he begins to write a manuscript for a completely new idea. Following an accident as he drives through a blizzard, he awakes to find he has been rescued by a nurse named Annie, who has brought him to her home and nursed him back to health. Both of Paul's legs are broken and he has a dislocated shoulder, so he can't get out of bed. He soon discovers that Annie is not only his “number one fan” but also a crazed and obsessive psychopath who straps him to the bed, has a history of stealing children from hospitals and breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer when he tries to escape. If this isn’t enough to make you turn away from the screen, Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Annie makes you positively shudder in discomfort as she creates an eerie sense of raw fear and claustrophobia with her piercing glare and ‘gentle’ words.
2. Antichrist (2009) – Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier has a history of slightly discomforting work, but the 2009 cult classic Antichrist takes a whole new turn. Following the death of their infant son, a couple retreats to a cabin in the middle of the woods where the husband begins to experience increasingly terrifying visions and the wife generates violently sexual behaviour. Combined with the dark and shadowed cinematography and black & white opening scene, as well as Willem Dafoe’s impeccable acting, the film creates a strong feeling of insecurity when the stability of the main characters is almost painfully ripped apart before your very eyes.
3. Requiem for a Dream (2000) – Darren Aronofsky
More widely renowned for his 2010 film Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky has a knack for creating the most poignant of effects in his work. Requiem for a Dream focuses on the incredible and raw downward spiral of four individuals controlled by drugs. Harry Goldfarb, his best friend and girlfriend are struggling to make a living in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn by distributing heroin, whilst being fuelled by their own addiction. Harry’s mother Sara is a lonely widow living alone and growing more and more introverted and absorbed into her television. When she receives an invitation to appear on a game show, she takes drastic measures to lose weight and fit into a red dress she wore on her son’s graduation, when her husband was still alive. With this, she turns to amphetamine diet pills. Paired with the haunting violin soundtrack of Clint Mansell the lives of the four are thrown into only the worst torture, with a disturbing ending sure to stay with you for a long time.
4. The Shining (1980) – Stanley Kubrick
Another Stephen King adaptation, The Shining is another classic horror film sure to bring an air of fear to anyone watching. Jack Nicholson is simply amazing with his portrayal of a writer who has taken a seasonal job taking care of an eerie, isolated hotel. His son possesses psychic abilities and talks to an imaginary friend. If the terrifying twins in the hallways don’t immediately creep you out, the walls of rushing blood and decaying woman in the bathtub are sure to do so. The Shining has been ranked as one of the scariest films of all time plainly for its level of silent enigma, one thing is guaranteed, if you are a first time watcher, you will not be disappointed.
5. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) – Lynne Ramsey
Another novel adaptation, We Need to Talk about Kevin starts out with Kevin Katchadourian in prison after committing a massacre at his high school. The film carefully and vividly outlines Kevin’s life from the day he was born through his mother’s flashbacks who is struggling to come to terms with what her son has become and the murders he has committed. The film is a grotesquely moving tale of an almost monstrous and inhumane child. Kevin’s childhood portrayal is incredibly disturbing as he blinds his sister, savagely murders family pets and finishes it all off with a sickly-sweet angelic smile. The film expertly explores and delves straight into the image of the ‘bad seed’ creating a creatively brilliant a destructive atmosphere.
6. Oldboy (2003) – Chan-wook Park
This Korean drama focuses on businessman Oh Dae-Su when he is kidnapped the night of his daughter's birthday and placed in solitary confinement in a hotel-like prison. He is confined without any human contact and no explanation or reasoning behind it. He is held captive for 15 years, during which time he spends his days training himself in the art of shadow-boxing. The film received raving positive reviews and is haunting, violent, disgusting, and definitely not for the squeamish, as the lead actor performs dizzying real-life performances such as cutting into his skin and eating live octopi. This film shows with striking reality how far long-awaited vengeance can stretch.
7. Lilya 4-Ever (2002) – Lukas Moodysson
Another foreign addition to the list, Lilya 4-Ever is a non-stop ride of misery and humiliation. After being abandoned by her mother, 16 year-old Lilya is left alone to live by herself in a poverty-stricken area of Estonia. After her aunt takes away her home, Lilya is forced to move to a dishevelled old apartment belonging to a deceased old man. With no money, she turns to sniffing glue, a popular pastime for their area. After being framed for her friend’s prostitution habit, she is abandoned again, but this time by her friends. Her journey continues, with the death of her best friend, and being sold as a prostitute and trafficked to Sweden, finally ending with her suicide. The film is a heart-breaking story without a single glimmer of happiness, and it is definitely one to leave a haunting memory in your mind.
8. This is England (2006) – Shane Meadows
An unmissable drama based on English skinheads in the 80’s, This is England is a gripping tale of racial prejudice centring around the time of the Falkland’s War when Margaret Thatcher was in power. 12 year-old schoolboy Shaun gets accepted into a group of skinheads, one of whom he sees as a father figure. Fuelled by poverty, anarchy and a chilling soundtrack by Ludovico Einaudi, the film depicts the lifestyle of this time with distinct clarity.
9. The Machinist (2004) – Brad Anderson
A gripping tale of a man’s slow transgression into delirium. Trevor Reznik is a machinist who has been held captive by a long-term bout of insomnia. He has not slept for a year and has become severely emaciated. He is haunted by flashes of recurring images, involving an unsolved game of hangman on his refrigerator (which is presumed to spell out the word KILLER). Christian Bale delivers an outstanding performance of method acting in this film, and lost over 60lbs in order to fit the characters appearance, having to be hospitalised shortly after filming. The film is dark and disturbing, triggering fleeting emotions of fear and empathy for the character. The Machinist is an outstanding piece of work that will be remembered for long after it’s time.
10. 127 Hours (2010) – Danny Boyle
A stunningly visual biographical journey of the real story of Aron Ralston, who in 2003 was buried and had his arm lodged between two rocks and was trapped for a jaw-dropping length of time whilst canyoneering. James Franco portrays the hero with unmistakable emotional lucidity, and was one of the few people in the world allowed to see Aron Ralston’s original video diary footage, that he filmed on his camcorder at the time he was stuck. James Franco also endured countless hours’ worth of filming in the claustrophobia-inducing set. The tale is one of incredible bravery, as Aron Ralston, close to death, envisioned his unborn strength and with an adrenaline-fuelled rush of health managed to remove his own arm, because survival was the only thing left on his mind.
by Valery Roslikova
