Extreme shock for the Cinephile
by sneaker-peeker | created - 16 Jul 2013 | updated - 16 Jul 2013 | PublicUnappreciated by most critics for its shock value, disturbing and nihilist films have earned an underground and cult status among cinephiles. It is important to be aware that the appeal for these productions doesn´t necessarily defines a sick or perverted personality, since in cinema as in any other aspect of life, the more you broaden your horizons the more you learn about a certain topic and since movies allows us to learn different points of view, the more you diversify your taste the wider your criteria gets. So in short, movies always leave room for interpretation and sometimes a filmmaker must lean on extreme visuals and concepts in order to make an extreme statement. These movies are some of the most extreme films I have seen that I consider to be worth seeing:
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1. Irreversible (2002)
Not Rated | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, Philippe Nahon
Votes: 147,511 | Gross: $0.75M
2. Bijitâ Q (2001)
R | 84 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
A troubled and perverted family find their lives intruded by a mysterious stranger who seems to help find a balance in their disturbing natures.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Ken'ichi Endô, Shungiku Uchida, Kazushi Watanabe, Jun Mutô
Votes: 17,037
3. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
TV-MA | 117 min | Drama
In World War II Italy, four fascist libertines round up nine adolescent boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of physical, mental, and sexual torture.
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini | Stars: Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Uberto Paolo Quintavalle, Aldo Valletti
Votes: 65,743
4. A Serbian Film (2010)
NC-17 | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An aging porn star agrees to participate in an "art film" in order to make a clean break from the business, only to discover that he has been drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia themed snuff film.
Director: Srdjan Spasojevic | Stars: Srdjan 'Zika' Todorovic, Sergej Trifunovic, Jelena Gavrilovic, Slobodan Bestic
Votes: 71,571
5. Happiness (1998)
NC-17 | 134 min | Comedy, Drama
The lives of several individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts which society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Jane Adams, Jon Lovitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dylan Baker
Votes: 74,366 | Gross: $2.81M
6. Kids (1995)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Votes: 84,563 | Gross: $7.42M
7. Pink Flamingos (1972)
NC-17 | 93 min | Comedy, Crime
Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".
Director: John Waters | Stars: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole
Votes: 27,853 | Gross: $0.18M
8. Baise-moi (2000)
Not Rated | 77 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two young women, marginalised by society, go on a destructive tour of sex and violence. Breaking norms and killing men - and shattering the complacency of polite cinema audiences.
Directors: Virginie Despentes, Coralie Trinh Thi | Stars: Raffaëla Anderson, Karen Lancaume, Céline Beugnot, Adama Niane
Votes: 18,551 | Gross: $0.01M
9. Antichrist (2009)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm
Votes: 136,409 | Gross: $0.40M
10. Man Behind the Sun (1988)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama, History, Horror
Japanese troops round up Chinese and Russian prisoners of war and take them to unit 731, where they're horribly tortured and experimented on to test new biological weapons.
Director: Tun-Fei Mou | Stars: Gang Wang, Dai Yao Wu, Runshen Wang, Zhe Quan
Votes: 7,263
11. Begotten (1989)
Unrated | 72 min | Fantasy, Horror
Presented in a surreal, gory and entirely visual manner, Begotten tells of the death of religion, the abuse of nature by Man and a nihilistic outlook on what life ultimately is.
Director: E. Elias Merhige | Stars: Brian Salzberg, Donna Dempsey, Stephen Charles Barry, James Gandia
Votes: 11,743
12. In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
NC-17 | 109 min | Drama, Romance
A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda, Aoi Nakajima, Yasuko Matsui
Votes: 22,773
13. Bad Boy Bubby (1993)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.
Director: Rolf de Heer | Stars: Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Syd Brisbane
Votes: 15,010
14. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each others' rectums.
Director: Tom Six | Stars: Dieter Laser, Winter Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura
Votes: 87,164 | Gross: $0.18M
15. Ken Park (2002)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama
Ken Park is about several Californian skateboarders' lives and relationships with and without their parents.
Directors: Larry Clark, Edward Lachman | Stars: Adam Chubbuck, James Bullard, Seth Gray, Eddie Daniels
Votes: 30,794
16. Dog Days (2001)
R | 121 min | Drama
In the tomb-like quiet of their ranch-style purgatory, a divorced husband and wife fight a wordless war while mourning an unspeakable mutual loss. A sadistic lover's ritual humiliation spawns both tenderness and revenge.
Director: Ulrich Seidl | Stars: Maria Hofstätter, Christine Jirku, Viktor Hennemann, Georg Friedrich
Votes: 6,546 | Gross: $0.01M
17. Fat Girl (2001)
Not Rated | 86 min | Drama
Two sisters confront their sexual attitudes and experiences while on a family holiday.
Director: Catherine Breillat | Stars: Anaïs Reboux, Roxane Mesquida, Libero De Rienzo, Arsinée Khanjian
Votes: 12,808 | Gross: $0.72M
18. Straw Dogs (1971)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young American and his English wife come to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment.
Director: Sam Peckinpah | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Susan George, Peter Vaughan, T.P. McKenna
Votes: 64,452
19. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama
A lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contemporary life.
Director: Miranda July | Stars: John Hawkes, Miranda July, Miles Thompson, Brandon Ratcliff
Votes: 37,418 | Gross: $3.89M
20. Storytelling (2001)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
College and high school serve as the backdrop for two stories about dysfunction and personal turmoil.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Selma Blair, Leo Fitzpatrick, Robert Wisdom, Maria Thayer
Votes: 18,321 | Gross: $0.91M
21. Enter the Void (2009)
Not Rated | 161 min | Drama, Fantasy
An American drug dealer living in Tokyo is betrayed by his best friend and killed in a drug deal. His soul, observing the repercussions of his death, seeks resurrection.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, Cyril Roy, Olly Alexander
Votes: 87,962 | Gross: $0.34M
22. El Topo (1970)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama, Western
A mysterious black-clad gunfighter wanders a mystical Western landscape encountering multiple bizarre characters.
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky | Stars: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Brontis Jodorowsky, José Legarreta, Alfonso Arau
Votes: 31,354 | Gross: $0.04M
23. Canoa: A Shameful Memory (1976)
Not Rated | 115 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
A group of university employees arrive in a small village during a hiking expedition. Once there, the local priest accuses them of being university students who're attempting to spread communism and mobilizes the townspeople to lynch them.
Director: Felipe Cazals | Stars: Enrique Lucero, Salvador Sánchez, Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Roberto Sosa
Votes: 1,860
24. Man Bites Dog (1992)
NC-17 | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.
Directors: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde | Stars: Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert, Hector Pappaert
Votes: 43,689 | Gross: $0.21M
25. 9 Songs (2004)
Not Rated | 71 min | Drama, Music, Romance
In London, intense sexual encounters take place between an American college student, named Lisa, and an English scientist, named Matt, between attending rock concerts.
Director: Michael Winterbottom | Stars: Kieran O'Brien, Margo Stilley, Robert Levon Been, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Votes: 23,972 | Gross: $0.05M
26. Dogtooth (2009)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Thriller
A controlling, manipulative father locks his three adult offsprings in a state of perpetual childhood by keeping them prisoner within the sprawling family compound.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos | Stars: Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Angeliki Papoulia, Christos Passalis
Votes: 110,197 | Gross: $0.11M
27. Ma mère (2004)
NC-17 | 110 min | Drama, Romance
When his father dies, a young man is introduced by his attractive, amoral mother to a world of hedonism and depravity.
Director: Christophe Honoré | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Louis Garrel, Emma de Caunes, Joana Preiss
Votes: 7,597 | Gross: $0.07M
28. Bully (2001)
R | 108 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A pack of naïve teenagers conspire to murder a mutual friend, whose aggressive demeanour has proven too much.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Brad Renfro, Nick Stahl, Bijou Phillips, Rachel Miner
Votes: 40,492 | Gross: $1.54M
29. Tideland (2005)
R | 120 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Because of the actions of her irresponsible parents, a young girl is left alone on a decrepit country estate and survives inside her fantastic imagination.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Tilly, Jodelle Ferland, Janet McTeer
Votes: 34,673 | Gross: $0.07M
30. Michael (II) (2011)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Thriller
Five months in the life of a pedophile who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement.
Director: Markus Schleinzer | Stars: Michael Fuith, David Rauchenberger, Christine Kain, Ursula Strauss
Votes: 5,111 | Gross: $0.02M
31. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Not Rated | 144 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Chun Ho-jin
Votes: 145,987 | Gross: $0.13M
32. Mysterious Skin (2004)
Unrated | 105 min | Drama
Two pre-adolescent boys both experienced a strange event and later it affects their lives in different ways. One becomes a reckless, sexually adventurous prostitute, while the other retreats into a reclusive fantasy of alien abduction.
Director: Gregg Araki | Stars: Brady Corbet, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elisabeth Shue, Chase Ellison
Votes: 76,224 | Gross: $0.70M
33. Romance (1999)
R | 84 min | Drama, Romance
Frustrated by the lack of intimacy in her relationship, a young schoolteacher goes through a series of intimidating and often violent sexual partners.
Director: Catherine Breillat | Stars: Caroline Ducey, Sagamore Stévenin, François Berléand, Rocco Siffredi
Votes: 11,985 | Gross: $1.28M
34. I Stand Alone (1998)
Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A horse butcher's life and mind begin to break down as he lashes out against various factions of society while attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughter.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Philippe Nahon, Blandine Lenoir, Frankie Pain, Martine Audrain
Votes: 25,765 | Gross: $0.05M
35. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Unrated | 95 min | Adventure, Horror
During a rescue mission into the Amazon rainforest, a professor stumbles across lost film shot by a missing documentary crew.
Director: Ruggero Deodato | Stars: Robert Kerman, Francesca Ciardi, Perry Pirkanen, Luca Barbareschi
Votes: 61,051
36. Cold Fish (2010)
Not Rated | 146 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The lives of a bored suburban couple are changed forever when a seemingly nice old man gives their daughter a job at his fish store, and soon his gruesome hobbies are brought to light.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka Kurosawa, Megumi Kagurazaka
Votes: 14,500
37. Alexandra's Project (2003)
Unrated | 103 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A regular suburban family man comes home from work on his birthday to find a deserted house and a videotape waiting to be played...
Director: Rolf de Heer | Stars: Gary Sweet, Helen Buday, Bogdan Koca, Samantha Knigge
Votes: 5,217
38. Palindromes (2004)
Not Rated | 100 min | Comedy, Drama
Aviva is thirteen, awkward and sensitive. Her mother Joyce is warm and loving, as is her father, Steve, a regular guy who does have a fierce temper from time to time. The film revolves around her family, friends and neighbors.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ellen Barkin, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Matthew Faber
Votes: 12,865 | Gross: $0.55M
39. Meet the Feebles (1989)
Not Rated | 97 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Music
Multiple animals and insects experience the sleazier side of show business while working on a variety show.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Danny Mulheron, Donna Akersten, Stuart Devenie, Mark Hadlow
Votes: 22,193
40. Teeth (I) (2007)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Still a stranger to her own body, a high school student discovers she has a physical advantage when she becomes the object of male violence.
Director: Mitchell Lichtenstein | Stars: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais, Hale Appleman
Votes: 46,431 | Gross: $0.35M
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