Does cinema serve a single purpose? Is the filmgoing experience a universal one? I don’t know, but one popular movie forum discussed some films that instilled shock, thought, confusion, and wonder in them after viewing. Here is what the viewers said.
1. Martyrs (2008)
The 2008 French film from visionary Pascal Laugier focuses on two girls determined to seek revenge on their perpetrators of abuse. The revenge tale soon unfolds into a bleak conversation about class struggles, class disparity, the meaning of life, and the inevitability of death.
2. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
This 2016 film centers around a deceased woman with no identifiable clues. The morticians operate on Jane Doe, trying to solve her murder, and what they find startles them to their core. Instead of using CGI for Jane’s body, actress Olwen Kelly, lays on the cold metal slab with unblinking eyes and an unwavering body. Without spoiling anything, Jane Doe is a bone-chilling horror flick with one of the best still actors working today.
3. The Invitation (2015)
Like most sub-genres, cult movies are a hit or miss. The Invitation, 2015, not the awful 2022 vampire film, focuses on a dinner party turned vile. The Invitation begs the question, do we ever really know our neighbors?
4. Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
Unless you’re dealing with Suspiria, the original iteration of a film is superior. Plagued by trauma and terror faced in the Vietnam War, Jacob (Tim Robbins) returns home to a confused mental state and indistinguishable realities. A few doctors, his wife, and friends try to reach him, but he dissociates beyond reach.Â
5. Kids (1995)
Larry Clark’s films don’t appeal to everyone. His films are harrowing depictions of life and the disgusting and terrible aspects of the human condition. Kids, written by Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers), follows a group of adolescent best friends, one of which is HIV positive and refuses to tell others. Kids is squeamish, graphic, and brutal, but it opens your eyes to issues society commonly brushes under the rug.
6. Waves (2019)
Waves showcases an expert narrative shift. The first act hones in on Tyler, his wrestling passion, and his undying love for his high school sweetheart. After a tragic accident, the film shifts to his sister, Emily’s point of view. Waves has a stellar soundtrack full of the most heart-wrenching Frank Ocean songs.
7. Mother! (2017)
Mother! is a controversial Jennifer Lawrence film that split audience opinions in half. If you like Mother!, you either love it with unending adoration and if you don’t like Mother!, you go to great ends to discuss how much you despise the allegory for mother nature and The Bible. Â
8. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer tells the tale of Jean Baptiste, a friendless orphan with the incredible skill to determine the ingredients in perfume. His superhuman sense of smell possesses him to create the best-smelling perfume of all time—one made from the corpses of women—the ending of Perfume floors, even seasoned mind-twisting film enthusiasts.
9. Coherence (2013)
If you’re looking for a film that contemplates existence, alternate realities, and possibilities, look no further than Coherence. The 2013 film is another dinner party scenario. However, this dinner event occurs during a comet that knocks the power out. Soon the group learns other versions of themselves may exist.Â
10. Enter The Void (2009)
As Gaspar Noe’s catalog goes, Enter the Void is a meditation on life and death imbued with vibrant colors and alluring cinematography. After the main character, Oscar, is killed by police in a drug bust, he flashes back through critical moments in his and his sister’s life.
Source: Reddit.
