Some films invite repeat viewings, but these ten great movies are difficult to watch more than once…
Everyone has favourite films that strike a chord, whether you rewatch them frequently or revisit them more irregularly. When it comes to seasons so intrinsically tied to cinema, like Halloween and Christmas, many movie fans have those annual staples they revisit every single year. Let’s face it, Christmas hasn’t started until Hans Gruber has taken his plunge from the Nakatomi Plaza.
Watching a film once and never again could be a sign you’ve just watched a Rob Schneider movie or the new Crow reboot, a sign of something so terrible you wish to wash it from your mind entirely. There are also some incredible films that despite their greatness, don’t instantly scream for a rewatch. In fact, some films can take such an investment and emotional toll from watching that you often can’t bring yourself to watch them again and yet they remain completely unforgettable. Here are 10 great movies you can only watch once, and spoilers abound…
Grave of the Fireflies
Studio Ghibli is one of the most endearing and consistent animation studios around, producing over 20 films which have transfixed kids and adults alike. Often the films weave in some mature themes beneath fantastical stories which often feature kids or young adult leads coming of age in some way. Spirited Away remains one of the greatest animated films of all time so filled to the brim with imagination and creative whimsy.
Then there’s Grave of the Fireflies which through large parts of the movie has a familiar sense of childlike innocence and wonder but is set against the backdrop of World War II as a boy is tasked with caring for his younger sister in grim circumstances. They make the best of it, drift into flights of fancy that help them escape the crushing reality surrounding them and then the film destroys you. It’s a work of artistic brilliance, arguably Ghibli’s finest hour but it does not lure you for repeat views like My Neighbor Totorro which gets at least three watches a year in my household. I watched Grave of the Fireflies a decade ago. It’s a masterpiece but I just can’t go back…yet.
Schindler’s List
Many call it Steven Spielberg’s greatest work and they’d have legitimate reason to make such a claim. It’s a technical marvel and impeccably made on every level. The cast is incredible with particularly stellar performances from Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes (who is chilling). Set during WWII and based on the real story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party who helped to save the lives of 1200 Jews during the Holocaust.
Given the setting and subject, it’s understandably tough viewing. It also requires your undivided attention for over three hours to look into a rabbit hole so starkly brought to life by Spielberg. Impossible to forget but incredibly difficult to bring yourself to revisit.
The Zone of Interest
Another film taking us into the Nazi regime during WWII and focusing on the horrific realities of the holocaust. Zone of Interest has a really chilling indirect and grounded approach to telling its story. Focusing on Rudolph Hoss and his family living a somewhat serene and uneventful life in their idyllic surroundings is at complete odds with what lies beyond the fenced-off camp lying constantly in their view. We never delve in there as an audience but every viewer watching this is aware of exactly what happens behind that fence and Jonathan Glazer feeds us intermittent and spine-chilling sound as well as a few visual clues (such as smoke).
It’s almost a semi-docu-style look at a seemingly normal family interrupted by Hoss’ visiting comrades and work and the horrors that the children in the family seem unaware of.
Christiane F
Based on the harrowing autobiography, Christiane F is a coming-of-age film that begins with more palatable hallmarks of a young girl blossoming into adulthood with a fixation on David Bowie. With gorgeous cinematography, a Bowie soundtrack and a mesmerising performance from Natja Brunckhorst (as the titular Christiane) the film lulls you into its clutches before taking a dark turn into the grimy underbelly Christiane fell into in Berlin. Drugs, prostitution and the consequences of being lured into this world.
By the end, memories of Bowie’s glorious German version of Heroes give way to the crushing heartbreak of a story with such an innocent youngster dealt a horrible hand in life. Uli Edel’s film is an exceptional cinematic achievement but can only sustain one unforgettable viewing.
Nil By Mouth
In 1997 Gary Oldman was riding high having broken Hollywood and was already considered one of the greatest character actors of his generation. He then stepped behind the director’s chair armed with a script he’d written, partially based on his experiences growing up with an alcoholic father. Nil By Mouth sees Oldman channel his inner Ken Loach/Mike Leigh with this raw, gritty and gut-wrenching familial drama with tour-de-force performances.
Ray Winstone is a powder keg of pent-up rage as the alcoholic and abusive Raymond, whilst Kathy Burke is equally superb as his long-suffering wife who bears the brunt of his violent episodes. It’s a viewing experience as tough as it is enthralling with Oldman showing a master’s hand as director and inspiring his cast (including his sister, Laila Morse) to produce arguably their finest hours. This is certainly a family you won’t rush to revisit.
Come and See
War films, particularly when grounded in an unromantic sense of reality, are inherently difficult to revisit. Come and See might well be the most harrowing and affecting (anti)war film ever made. Elem Klimov’s masterpiece of Soviet cinema sees an impressionable teenage boy longing to become a soldier and head off to war to fight, despite the protestations of his mother.
After finding a weapon buried in the dirt he’s taken off by the local Army to fight the Germans and very soon his fantastical views on the life of a soldier are shattered. He finds a brief respite when meeting a girl as they become separated from the conflict but war catches up with them and young Florya is shown even more horrors. Klimov’s film features hauntingly beautiful imagery and characters peer right at the viewer as we’re pulled alongside the lad to witness the same horrors he is, and in his torment where he’s never quite sure if he’s about to breathe his last breath. An undeniable cinematic masterpiece and a must-see movie and such is its impact, that you’ll only need to see it once. Aleksei Kravchenko’s performance will haunt you forever.
Dancer in the Dark
Lars von Trier isn’t particularly known for doing films that easily invite repeated viewing, even with films that might require it to fully comprehend. As far as Dancer in the Dark goes, it’s not as layered with subtext and complexity as some of his other works, but it’s a great film that puts the adorable Bjork completely through the meat grinder.
She plays a factory worker with progressively deteriorating vision, in dire need of an expensive operation and struggling to care for her son. She drifts into musical daydreams to escape her reality but continues to try and remain positive and hopeful. Trier destroys Selma, in a film that was almost as harrowing to perform for Bjork as it is for the audience to watch and yet she’s completely mesmerising. The musical part of it doesn’t exactly leave the audience with hummable ditties either.
The Revenant
Watching Leonardo DiCaprio crawling through the cold wet mud as if desperately digging himself toward his long-awaited first Oscar is punishing in itself. The Revenant saw Leo team up with Alejandro González Iñárritu to form a killer team in this relentlessly dirty but thrilling survival drama.
There are great set pieces, sterling support from Tom Hardy in particular and the film keeps you on the edge of your seat but it’s a truly gruelling and arduous journey with LDC that runs over two and a half hours of perpetual complications and obstacles. I’m still exhausted and it’s been nine years since I saw it. Excellent film though.
Blue is the Warmest Colour
This often dazzling and captivating relationship drama sees a young woman entering a life and sexuality-changing relationship with a blue-haired Lea Seydoux (in the film which made her a star). The film is brimming with energy and is beautifully shot but also challenging and emotional.
Though the film’s imperious runtime, which belies this genre, never lulls it’s still the kind of imposing three-hour visit that makes regular viewing difficult but that’s only amplified by the controversy surrounding it. From its premiere at Cannes, the sex scenes caused an uproar among sensitive viewers but the problematic revelations (after the release) about the working environment for leading ladies Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos, particularly during the intimate scenes give the film an ick factor that’s difficult to shake off. It’s a tough ask for repeat viewing even without that ick.
A Ghost Story
Though short, this contemplative look at grief, with pinches of sci-fi is an effective one-and-done film that’s simple yet compelling. Casey Affleck plays a man who dies tragically young, leaving his wife behind (Rooney Mara). We see her contend with her grief and processing how to move on, unaware she’s being watched by the ghost of her dead husband who lingers beneath a white bed sheet. It’s a simple, classic and yet effective image.
David Lowery lingers on shots and moments, giving us a sense of both the slowness of time whilst also jumping through moments to show just how quickly it whizzes by (before the film takes a more existential and sci-fi twist into time loops during the final act. It’s not that the film is gruelling or harrowing or makes rewatching a challenge but it just so perfectly says what it needs to in one sitting and Mara leaves enough of an impact with her incredible performance that you probably won’t desire to take that journey with her (or eat that pie) again.
Which great film can you only watch once? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe