77 Movies Too Good To Never See, But Too Emotionally Traumatizing To Watch More Than Once

"I just watched this two days ago and still can't get over it. I highly, highly recommend it, but I don't think I can watch it again."

—u/LeoFoster18

"Amazing movie, but I’ll never watch it again — especially knowing what happens to Solomon Northup in the end."

—murrays3

"It was an absolutely phenomenal film that I can never watch again. Witnessing THAT twist ending was enough to give me permanent 0_0 face whenever I think about it!"

—ashleyoftheroses

"It's very well made. Almost everything about that movie is incredible, but it’s so emotionally intense and has such a graphic subject matter that I’ll never watch it again. It’s one of those movies you see because it’s great, but, once you’ve seen it, you’re like, 'Okay, cool. Mark that one off the list,' and never touch it again."

—u/SomeGuyinaHood1e

"This may be an unpopular opinion, but it just really traumatized me. I can't watch that movie again. It didn't scare me as much as that movie did."

—gabbier6

"That movie wrecked my heart and my soul. I was depressed for a week, but stupidly watched it again the next week. Absolutely still haunts me to this very day."

—ltimmons5472

"I’ve said this movie so many times for so many different posts on this website, but it really did fuck me up! It was great to see once, so cool what they did there, but I’ll never watch it again!"

—rainaf4e29d925f

"Great film, but Forest Whitaker was far too convincing for me."

—trilingualmom

"Deeply unsettling at times and very sad at others. The movie actually made me go through the stages of grief while I was watching it. Highly, highly recommend, but I won’t watch it again."

—ciara15237

"I can’t believe this wasn't on the original list! I'm happy I saw it once because Bradley Cooper was remarkable, but there are scenes from it that still haunt me and I don’t think I could watch it again."

—kelzee05

"It's such an important movie to watch, but I cried off and on the whole time. It’s so emotional, especially since it’s a true story and things like that do happen to Black people. A positive ending, but a total rollercoaster. I think about it all the time."

—lnicolek012

"If you know, you know."

—spaced

"I will never watch it again, and — now that I have children — I'm even more adamant about that."

—livlintern

"It has an amazing performance by Björk, and it's brutally sad. I bought a copy of the DVD after seeing the movie because I loved it so much. I lent the disc to several friends and thought about it many times, but could just never summon the energy to watch it again myself."

—u/Trump_Card_Played

"Those people were not 'funny' in the least, and it really fucked me up when they just moved on to the next house at the end."

—jasond42d4442c9

"As a lover of animals, I could never watch this again without bawling my eyes out. It physically hurt me to watch."

—h2creech

"The garden party scene was wild, but — as much as I liked this movie — I can’t watch it again."

—shariffamawani

"This one might be an odd choice to be on here. It's a colorful and beautiful movie. I am Latina, so it was nice to see the representation — but Grandma Coco? Oof. It reminded me too much of my own late grandmother and I cried so hard."

—preistessofsass

"The emotional dinner scene did it for me. Toni Collette’s anguish over her daughter’s death was too much to handle. I watched the movie shortly after my mom died and it was just too raw."

—okokimono

"I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago. It was so raw and real. I can see why Julianne Moore won the Oscar, but it left me with such a deep sadness that I know I’ll never watch it again."

—jilll40e854a89

"The heavy usage of the N-word, the dog fights, the men who fight to the death, the slavery aspect...it absolutely traumatized me. I’m a Black woman who saw it with my ex (who was white and INSISTED on us seeing it). Yeah, no."

—melaniebee

"It was so good, but I almost had an anxiety attack in the theater and can’t bring myself to watch it again."

—marileib

"It was absolutely brilliant...maybe TOO brilliant, because I don't want to watch it ever again."

—adeledazeem

"Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay were both phenomenal, but it was an emotionally exhausting experience!"

—tessmarin

"I had to turn it off the second Gavroche died. The way they shot that scene was horrible, it really showed the pain everyone felt. It could also partly be that my mom wouldn't let me see this until I turned 16, but I really loved the soundtrack, so I basically grew up listening to the characters while having no idea that most of them died. I haven't watched it in years, but I can still remember all of the deaths."

—lunalovegood987

"It's so good, but it tripped me out too much."

—jryingling

"Everyone I've ever known who's seen this movie has had a visceral reaction to it, whether it be total disgust, violent anger, or whatever else. I personally think it's one of the must-see movies for those who want to get into B-movie horror, but I would be very concerned if you wanted to watch that shit multiple times."

—p1nkl3m0n4d3

"We watched it in class when I was 12. My teacher wanted us to understand that racism was (and still is) just as pervasive in the North as it is in the South. I’m 26 now, and I haven’t seen it since. I’ll NEVER forget how much that movie gutted me, but it's SO important to see."

—sierrao44a157429

"Incredible movie, great performances, but a heartbreaking ending."

—christig2

"The one with Liv Tyler. The mind games and the torture were a genuine nightmare!"

—ladyheather1229

"That movie bothered me. I hated to think that’s what teens were actually doing."

—jenniferw486be321c

"I saw it once. It was very well-made, but it also made me sick and I don't think I could ever watch it again."

—dianaelenac

"It's a good movie, but I can't watch it again because of that highway scene."

—u/JohnnyJayce

"I saw this movie ONCE and never again. It was emotionally draining and the ending was insane. Every time I think about it, I get super anxious."

—denisse

"Colin Firth gave a searing, devastating performance — he’s so good, I can’t see it again. I was emotionally drained at the end."

—stephanies4bcc536a5

"Great movie, would recommend it to everyone, but once was enough for me."

—jaida

"I had to watch it in history class in eighth grade, and....well, it's a beautiful film, but I can't watch it again or I'd never finish it due to tears."

—ivoryd97

"I'm never, EVER, going to watch that shit again. It's from Studio Ghibli, the same company who did Spirited Away. It's an absolute masterpiece, for sure, but don't expect to find happy little creatures in it."

—u/V02D

"It's on Netflix and it FUCKED me up. I was not expecting anything that happened and it was full-on gross and disturbing at some points. I would never watch it again, but it was too wild not to watch once!"

—abbeyp4ce88581e

"I watched the very first bit of it when I was in officer training and thought it was a comedy. A few months later, I sat down and watched the whole thing...it's not a comedy."

—u/Titanomicon

"I thought I was going in to see a cool fantasy flick. Instead, it turned out to be a movie dealing with trauma, abuse, and coping mechanisms. It's still a great film, but so gut-wrenching."

—u/JDazzleGM

"It would be sad enough if it were fiction, but the fact that it was based on real events makes it so hard to stomach."

—me98765

"I can't bring myself to watch it again. The anger and hopelessness I felt for that man and those people is beyond comparison."

—u/VibinWithDoggo

"Nicolas Cage is amazing in it (he won an Oscar for it), but, as a recovered alcoholic, that film hit WAY too close to home. Good film, though."

—u/Kryodamus

"It was so realistic to my life that it made me uncomfortable."

—u/Cold_Dishwater

"That ending montage made me physically ill. It's the only movie that's ever done that to me."

—u/huazzy

"It's the most beautiful movie, and I think everyone should watch it at least once, but I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it since Robin Williams died. I actually haven't watched anything he's in since he died."

—u/Leather_Mango

"I can't even think about Sally Field's breakdown without tearing up — especially now that I have kids."

—u/evelynnross

"It's an incredible movie, but I'll never watch it again. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a sociopath a little too well; so much so that I struggle to watch him in other things now."

—u/lowerrr

"It's really disturbing. I don't think I've ever really gotten over it."

—u/haliella

"That scene where they're sleeping in the bathroom was hard."

—u/edgarpickle

"I watched it when it first came out and loved it, but I can’t put myself through it again. It’s so heartbreaking."

—u/Chemical_Robot

"It's a beautiful, well done movie, but it is textbook emotionally exhaustive and traumatic. I actually had to take a break about halfway through because I'd cried so long and so hard that I had a headache from the dehydration. I'm getting misty-eyed just thinking about it!"

—lokisankle

"I got really invested in it when I was watching it for the first time, and I've had a fear of cults since I was a kid. I don't find the film scary at all, but, by the end of it, I was just completely frozen."

—u/killtoryscum

"It's one of the best movies I have ever seen, but leaves you with a lot of phantoms."

—u/littleliongirless

"It was such a beautiful film, so very emotional — it just broke me. I watched it once in the movie theater and then never again."

—u/makikoigami

"I remember sitting in the theater when the credits rolled — not one person got up and left until they were done, then everyone left in utter silence. I'd never seen that phenomenon before. In the cab ride home, I turned to my husband and said, 'What the fuck did we just watch?' We didn't even talk about the movie that night, that's how it impacted us. The next morning over coffee, I turned to him and said, 'I think that was the best movie I've ever seen, and I never want to see it again.'"

—jmboyd65

"A harsh reality coming-of-age movie. My mother made me watch it when I was young and it stuck with me ever since, and is more relatable and understandable as time passes."

—chamomilecowgirl

"I know this is a old one, but my parents played it for me and my brother when we were young kids (didn't realize how sad it would be). It still makes me sad thinking about it."

—lehagstrom

"With Dakota Fanning. Beyond disturbing. It breaks my heart."

—smehigan

"It destroyed me. To see them at the beginning of their relationship really loving and caring for each other, then life happened and it eventually all just fell apart. Too real and believable. Just heartbreaking."

—mariat4e50d731d