10 Intense Movies That Took Redditors Days To Process What They Watched – Screen Rant

Movies are known for entertaining but some films go beyond that, providing viewers with an intense viewing experience that requires more thinking.
Sometimes a movie like the new horror flick Smile, or anything by Christopher Nolan, takes time to fully understand and process. This can be due to obscure dialogue, intense themes, or just monumentally complex storytelling.
Whatever the reason, there are some films that stick with viewers long after they finished watching. Redditors have discussed their favorite and most impactful films, and what it is about them that keeps viewers contemplating long after the credits roll.
Jordan Peele's directorial debut Get Out accompanies Chris as he travels to meet his girlfriend's partner for the first time but uncovers something more sinister than the dreaded in-laws. The thriller hooks fans through its dialogue-heavy plot that abandons the jump scares horror fans rely on for a more nuanced and symbolic type of horror.
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Get Out uses social commentary to explore the chilling reality of racism as it references themes of slavery and highlights the continued prominence of racism in a modern society that could do much more, which led to one Redditor explaining that "it tunes into the terrifying side of history and sadly the present day".It makes for deliberately uncomfortable watching that forces the viewer to confront their own bias' and subconscious racism that's casually employed throughout the movie.
Sicario is often described as being packed with suspense that haunts viewers' minds even today. The action thriller depicts a female FBI agent tasked with shutting down a drug cartel, but the operation proves to be more dangerous and damaging than she expected.
Silver_Branch3034 explained how "there are some scenes from Sicario that are so quiet yet bursting at the seams with tension", with its opening scene alone signifying the strained cinematic experience viewers were about to experience. The intensity of the movie alongside its raw scenes of violence left viewers to think about the world they live in, including the dark underworld that haunts it. It prompts questions about how it impacts those that uncover it in addition to those that live within it, seeing the movie act as an active warning to viewers.
Requiem For A Dream has been labeled an extraordinary film that just isn't rewatchable due to its mind-bending plot leaving viewers completely traumatized. The psychological drama observes a widower who begins taking pills to lose weight but soon enters into a drug-induced state where the lines between reality and illusion are blurred as three other people begin to experience the same thing.
The movie situates its audience as if they are having a drug-induced experience by creating many obscure scenes that are seriously unsettling and mirror the way the characters see the world through a hazy lens that often sees warped images. The thriller sought to represent a raw and unglorified picture of drug taking, something which filmmakers had failed to do before its release, resulting in xijaro suggesting that it is "not a fun movie by any means but very powerful" as it sought to replace the party element of drug taking with an explicit exploration of the consequences of drug taking.
Memento is one of Christopher Nolan's best works as it observes Leonard attempting to find the person responsible for his wife's murder, but it proves to be a more difficult task than first thought due to Leonard suffering from Amnesia.
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The film is considered a masterpiece due to abandoning the linear narrative usually employed in visual storytelling and instead provides viewers with an insight into Leonard's amnesia. Last_Lorien stated that "Memento by Nolan really f***** [them] up" due to its confusing narrative structure, but it was its shocking plot twist where Leonard was revealed as his wife's killer that truly haunted fans as they spent the following days trying to piece together every clue they missed.
Uncut Gems has been labeled the most nerve-wracking movie ever as Adam Sandler embodies a jeweler whose high place stake could see the end to his family, his business, and him.
Uncut Gems adopts a fast pace to entice its viewers and, in doing so, sparks an immense amount of pressure, with every minute of the movie feeling like a continuous shot that fails to allow its audience an escape from the metaphorical headache Howard is facing. The film is so extreme that one Redditor even explained how it's "like watching a panic attack in real-time" as it provides them with an insight into the dominant role of money over family and the trouble it can cause in a shockingly real representation of the gambling world.
A Quiet Place garnered a lot of attention when it was released in 2018 and takes place in a dystopian world where the Abbott family live in silence to ensure their survival.
The horror thriller omits sound for most of the movie, creating some heart-racing scenes of suspense that places the viewer right in the center of the action, with one Redditor labeling it "magnificent". A Quiet Place shocked its viewers into imagining their own world if it was to become the victim of a similar attack and haunts their mind with the idea of having to live with something that continuously poses a threat that is inescapable.
Hereditary is considered one of the scariest horror movies of all time as Annie and the rest of the Grahams begin grieving the loss of her mother and soon start to experience unusual events that uncover the Graham's dark ancestral past.
The movie is a disturbing watch that caused many viewers to feel emotionally drained as it spurred no gory detail and often pictured each family member suffering a brutal attack. EverymanGirl explained how after watching Hereditary they "had trouble sleeping" as it subtly hints at the raw emotions that come with grief alongside the unusual behaviors it can spark in individuals, heightened through the character's fixation on death, their angry outbursts and their attempts at bargaining.
Fight Club is a great cult classic about an underground fight club created by an unhappy employee and a salesman, but their hidden club soon turns into something much more sinister.
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Fight Club pushed the boundaries of cinema and was labeled a controversial flick due to its excessive use of violence that delved into some tense topics like toxic masculinity, the impact burnout can have on one's mental health. The movie's twist ending cemented its role within cinema as it tricked fans and left many like Cartman_The_Psychic "on the edge of [their] seat", especially its important lesson about capitalist culture.
The Lighthouse is the most underrated psychological horror movie from the past decade whilst also being one of A24's best horror movies to date. Starring Robert Pattinson and William Dafoe tasked with manning the lighthouse, the movie depicts how they slowly begin to experience the effects of being isolated from humanity.
The Lighthouse's employment of black and white lighting creates an eerie feeling, heightened by the character's hallucinations that begin to appear as the suspense builds. The isolated setting of the film causes viewers to feel the same seclusion as the two men and instills a sense of claustrophobia which many viewers, including narf_hots, expressing how it made them feel as though "[they're] trapped in there and [they're] not getting out" which mirrors the unsaid effects isolation can have on ones mental state.
Whiplash is one of the most emotionally exhausting yet incredible music films to date as it follows Andrew, who dreams of being a drummer and undergoes training to boost his career.
Reddit user wouldthousokindly expressed the "immeasurable amount of anxiety" they had whilst watching the movie as it showcased the harsh lengths performers will go to in order to be the best. The movie left its viewers with a brutal reminder about overworking and burnout in a painful depiction that showcases that it doesn't always pay off, highlighting how one should value more important things than just best the best.
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Amy is a freelance list writer for Screen Rant where her content covers a variety of genres within the world of Film and Televsion. In 2020, Amy graduated with a first class BA Honours degree in English, Film and Television, majoring in Film and Tv. In her final year of study, Amy completed her dissertation which focussed on the representation of disability in horror films, specifically whether the new sub genre of sensory horror was replacing outdated cultural scripts with a more positive representation. Amy lives in the UK and is often found at the latest cinematic release or glued to a book in true introvert style!

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