Draining Movies

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Obviously not movies with draining in.

Inspired by the "Scenes That Stay With You" thread, what about movies that have drained and stunned you into silence after exiting the theatre? I'm not sure what it would be like to re-watch 12 Monkeys (I'm guessing I'd find it exasperatingly silly), but when I caught it back in '95 at a late-night showing, the four of us couldn't speak on the whole drive home.

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Night and Fog

I doubt I will ever watch it again, despite it being of short length.

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 21:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Irreversible certainly caused some damage. I saw it on a rainy afternoon, with about 35 people in the audience, mostly all on their own. I felt like crap when I left the theater.

Also, Requiem for a Dream. Just couldn't speak after that.

― BabyBuddha, Wednesday, 14 January 2004 22:13 (twenty-two years ago)

well, after the class i was in watched "silverlake life" (see the "scenes that stay with you" thread), the 30-odd people remained for about 5-10 minutes, either crying to themselves or in complete shock, finally mustering up the energy to leave. this was a 7-10pm class... there certainly wasn't any incentive to stay.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 22:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Requiem for a Dream goes down quite easy for me.

Cries & Whispers on the other hand. (Agree w/ BB about Irreversible)

― Leee Majors (Leee), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 22:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Mulholland Drive really drained me, in a good way.

― Anthony (Anthony F), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah Mulholland Drive kinda freaked me out and stuck with me--that's probably the closest i have come to this experience in the last few years.

― ryan (ryan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Satantango if you watch it all at once.

― dean! (deangulberry), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 23:43 (twenty-two years ago)

honestly, is there any possible way for me to see that movie living in Texas?

― ryan (ryan), Wednesday, 14 January 2004 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

The last thing I can remember is "In the Bedroom".

"Cries and Whispers" is a great example--even better, Bergman's "Through a Glass Darkly," Cassavettes' "Woman Under the Influence" or Korine's "Julian Donkey-Boy" If those aren't draining movies, I don't know what are. I'd probably be left numb for days if I watched them back to back on a rainy sunday afternoon....

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Thursday, 15 January 2004 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

woman under the influence seconded

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 15 January 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Woman Under the Influence trebled. (thirded?)

Yes, also, on Satantango (I've seen that three times in the theater -- that's about 21 hours total -- each time as powerful as the first.)

Oh yes -- Funny Games and La Pianiste (both by Michael Haneke) were pretty draining.

― BabyBuddha, Thursday, 15 January 2004 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

The Decalogue, even if you only take it an hour or two at a time.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 16 January 2004 04:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Recent movies after which I've been literally wordless:

Lost Highway
Songs from the Second Floor
Eureka

I think movies can have a "draining" effect only when seen in the cinema. Even such an emotionally powerful film as "Night and Fog" loses some of it's impact when seen on the TV screen.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 20 January 2004 12:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Which Eureka?

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Tuesday, 20 January 2004 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

honestly, is there any possible way for me to see that movie [Satantango] living in Texas? Probably not without getting it from somewhere else. Ebay, perhaps. I know they have copies of it on DVD and VHS on there. Other than that .. I hear Austin is ecclectic. ...

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 20 January 2004 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Satantango on DVD? Wow -- I must check Ebay!

There is a VHS release on 3 or 4 tapes that is available -- I'm just not sure where. Try Facets.

― BabyBuddha (BabyBuddha), Tuesday, 20 January 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Which Eureka?

The Shinji Aoyama one (there are others?).

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 21 January 2004 09:29 (twenty-two years ago)

yes, the Roeg one

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Wednesday, 21 January 2004 12:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, the funny thing is that Aoyama named his film after the Jim O'Rourke song (which features... Jim O'Rourke names all his Drag City records after Roeg films.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 21 January 2004 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh shit, what about Wages of Fear? Classic or instrument of torture?

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Wednesday, 21 January 2004 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I purchased a DVD of "Cries & Whispers" cheap recently from a Cambridge Oxfam and the husband & wife team on the till (who had clearly seen the film not too long ago) - well the husband primarily was trying to warn me off buying it as it was a very 'frightening' film and such like. The wife then went, 'Good, but... well, yes... a little disturbing'. Was a bantering conversation that most amused me... :) Though I've not been able to watch the film yet... ;)

― Tom May (Tom May), Thursday, 22 January 2004 01:29 (twenty-two years ago)

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