Fall
Scott Mann’s 2022 psychological thriller, Fall, is the only movie I’ve ever had to pause just to let my nerves settle. Its brilliance lies in its simplicity. After Becky’s husband Dan dies suddenly in a climbing accident, leaving her traumatized and suicidal, her thrill-seeking friend Hunter persuades her to face her fears through a daring climb. Their goal is a decommissioned TV tower in the California desert, nearly twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower. But when the ladder they used collapses, stranding them on a small platform at the top, they find themselves in a desperate situation. The film delivers one tense, palm-sweating scene after another, yet it also delves deep into the complex friendship between Hunter and Becky, exploring how Becky slowly rediscovers her inner strength. With news of a potential franchise in the works, I can’t wait for the next installment to get my adrenaline pumping again.
Gaslight
Only one thriller has made such an impact that its title became a common term for psychological manipulation. And no one does it better than Charles Boyer’s character, Gregory, in Gaslight. Set in Victorian London, Gregory moves his new wife, Paula (Ingrid Bergman), into a grand townhouse where her aunt was murdered—a case still unsolved. There, he methodically tries to convince her she’s losing her mind. Even after 80 years, George Cukor’s slow-burn film remains intensely frustrating, thanks to Bergman’s Oscar-winning performance; she portrays strength even as her character unravels. I’ve never seen Gaslight in a theater, and I’m not sure I could—my last viewing left me so unsettled I had to pause every ten minutes to walk around my apartment. Make sure you have your comfort of choice nearby when you watch this one.
The Vanishing
Forget The Ring, The Exorcist, or 127 Hours—the movie that truly shook me was The Vanishing, a subtle Dutch thriller from 1988. Its power and disturbing effect have been somewhat overshadowed by the director’s later Hollywood remake with a completely different ending. I saw it when it first came out, with no prior knowledge, as was common before the internet. Without giving away the climax, the story follows a man whose girlfriend disappears at a gas station. Years later, he meets someone who offers to reveal her fate if he takes a sleeping pill. When he wakes up and lights his cigarette lighter, I—along with the entire audience—completely lost it. I don’t usually drink, but it took several whiskeys at the cinema bar to calm my nerves afterward.
Uncut Gems
I first heard about Uncut Gems on Twitter, that hub for anxious scrollers seeking their next dose of drama. Even after reading countless tweets praising the film’s relentless tension, I was still caught off guard by the overwhelming anxiety of the Safdie brothers’ 2019 masterpiece. In just the first ten minutes (which Netflix highlighted as proof it might be the most stressful movie ever), diamond dealer Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) undergoes a colonoscopy, places a risky bet, is confronted by thugs over a $100,000 debt, and yells at his loan shark as if it’s a negotiation.A character irrationally trashes a dress and pawns an item from The Weeknd for $23,500, yet that’s the least tense moment in the film. The rest is a relentless descent into poor decisions, desperate gambles, high-stakes deception, and Howie’s persistently aggressive behavior. My stress levels have been permanently affected. – Adrian Horton
Full Time
If everyday sounds like a morning alarm or a closing train door trigger your anxiety, you might want to tread carefully with this relatable urban thriller. Laure Calamy delivers a standout performance as Julie, a single mother barely holding it together, acutely aware of every challenge she faces. Her life revolves around a tightly scheduled routine—getting the kids to school, catching the train to her city cleaning job—all while relying on her meager income and child support. But everything falls apart: payments are delayed, her babysitter quits, and a strike halts all trains just as she lands an interview for a job that could change her life. Director Eric Gravel immerses the audience in Julie’s chaos, using a frantic electronic score and unsettling background noise to mirror her desperate race against time. – Pamela Hutchinson
Her Smell
In the opening of Alex Ross Perry’s intense yet ultimately uplifting rock drama, Elisabeth Moss’s troubled singer, Becky Something, storms through a backstage area, lashing out at everyone in a drug-fueled mental breakdown. It’s a harrowing scene that makes you long for an escape route, but there is none. We’re forced to witness her hit rock bottom. The film later offers moments of redemption and tenderness, but those initial minutes are almost unbearable. What makes it brilliant is how Perry avoids completely alienating the audience, and Moss, in her finest role, reveals glimpses of vulnerability beneath Becky’s destructive exterior. It’s a tough watch, but ultimately rewarding, serving as a poignant metaphor for loving someone struggling with addiction. – Richard Lawson
Baby Boy
No matter how many Fast & Furious films Tyrese Gibson stars in or side projects he pursues, for many of us, he’ll always be Jody from the 2001 film Baby Boy. Jody is an immature young man with little self-awareness, claiming to love his girlfriend Yvette (Taraji P. Henson) while still chasing other women. He resents his mother’s new boyfriend (Ving Rhames) even though, at 20, he has no right to still be living at home. He acts tough but crumbles when faced with a real threat like Snoop Dogg’s Rodney. Marketed as a coming-of-age story, the film instead shows Jody being frightened into change rather than maturing on his own. Director John Singleton captures the unshakable ego of wannabe gangsters, making Baby Boy an uncomfortable but insightful watch. – Andrew Lawrence
Clockwise
Why isn’t Clockwise—Michael Frayn’s flawless comedy featuring John Cleese as a headmaster racing to give a speech in Norwich—more draining to watch? It taps into a common nightmare of things going wrong, but Cleese shoulders the stress for the audience. His character, Brian Stimpson, emerged six years after Basil Fawlty and, despite some similarities, is a relatable and believable figure: a martyr trying to maintain order in a chaotic world.Beneath his stern mustache, the man tries to quiet his own outbursts—a well-meaning soul who falls prey not only to his own aggressive efficiency but to circumstances beyond his control. Cleese delivers a surprisingly nuanced and brilliant performance. I’m now convinced that Daniel Day-Lewis borrowed the tone of his “milkshake” speech in There Will Be Blood from Stimpson’s final breakdown.
A nod also to Penelope Wilton, who endures subtle strains as a weeping kidnapping victim trapped in a car in a field, and to Alison Steadman and Geoffrey Palmer, both struggling at times to manage three elderly women with dementia. Palmer’s gradual shift from patient endurance to near hysteria is particularly masterful. And praise to the actors portraying those women: Constance Chapman, who only wants to find a restroom or a hospital; Joan Hickson, endlessly recounting a feud over sherry glasses; and the delightful Ann Way, who remains cheerful no matter what. I’d forgotten the moment when Steadman is dealing with an angry woman at her suburban door, and Way pops up to ask, “Can we tour the house? Is it open today?” I’ll never forget her joyful singing of “This Is My Lovely Day” over the climactic car crash. Clockwise turns stress into something elegant—a truly underrated breakdown.
Catherine Shoard
Good Time
Before parting ways, the Safdie brothers (Benny and Josh) became known for films that evoke panic and anxiety, focusing on characters trapped by their own destructive choices. Their high-stakes gambling thriller Uncut Gems is the flashier, more entertaining entry—thanks to its style, humor, and Adam Sandler’s presence. But Good Time, featuring a fearless and superb Robert Pattinson as Connie, a small-time criminal, is the one that truly gets under your skin. Connie’s schemes—robbing a bank, scamming drug dealers—are all desperate attempts to keep his developmentally delayed brother (played by co-director Benny) out of institutions or jail. We sympathize with Connie, but what makes Good Time so tense and unsettling is how he exploits that sympathy. He pleads and bargains, sometimes politely, always masking his sense of entitlement with desperation. In this unnerving portrait of hitting rock bottom, Connie’s struggles overshadow the hardships of the Black characters around him, whom he either victimizes or uses as scapegoats—clinging to his white privilege when he has nothing else.
Radheyan Simonpillai
Punch-Drunk Love
Looking back, it’s clear that Paul Thomas Anderson doesn’t actually enjoy tormenting his characters—more of his films end on a hopeful note than not. But in 2002, with fewer movies to his name, that wasn’t so obvious. His romantic comedy Punch-Drunk Love expertly captures the feeling of a waking nightmare or mounting panic attack. During my first viewing, I watched with clenched, sweaty fists, afraid that something terrible would happen to Barry Egan (Adam Sandler), the timid yet volatile hero, or to Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), his unlikely romantic interest. Anderson uses Sandler’s capacity for violence—usually played for laughs in his comedies—as a constant underlying threat. You’re not really worried he’ll harm Lena, but that he might spiral out of control without the safety net of a typical feel-good Sandler film. Despite this tension, the movie remains frequently funny and even romantic—a high-wire act that still works as a rom-com. Repeat viewings, once you know where it’s headed, feel different. But that first time in 2002 was a unique experience. Sandler, of course, would later star in the nerve-wracking Uncut Gems, which I’m sure someone else has picked for this list. Who knew?Who would have thought that the guy behind the Chanukah Song would become such a master of cinematic tension? Jesse Hassenger reflects on this in his piece, “Guardian writers on their ultimate feelgood movies: ‘Radical in its own way’.”
I recall going on a date to see Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or-winning film, “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.” I only had a vague idea of the plot, but I chose it to impress a somewhat pretentious but very handsome older academic, pretending I wasn’t at all interested in watching “Alien vs Predator: Requiem” instead. Before the movie started, we were holding hands in the dark, completely unaware of what was to come. Then it began with a ticking clock and a nosebleed, and we were thrown into the intensity.
What I expected to be a thoughtful arthouse drama gradually turned into one of the most gripping and unsettling thrillers I’ve ever seen. Its stark realism made it even harder to watch. The story follows a young woman, Otilia, as she helps her friend Găbița secure an illegal abortion in 1980s Romania, with each step of their dangerous journey filled with suspense. While the abortion scene itself is harrowing, it was the aftermath that truly affected me. Otilia leaves Găbița alone in the hotel room to recover under the abortionist’s harsh instructions and must sit through a trivial dinner conversation with her boyfriend’s family, her mind racing with fear. It was then I noticed my palms were sweating—and awkwardly, so did my date, who gently pulled his hand away to wipe it dry. Benjamin Lee
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful and clear FAQs about Guardian critics and the films they found pushed them to the edge of endurance
General Beginner Questions
1 What does pushed to the edge of endurance mean in this context
It means the film was so intense disturbing emotionally draining or graphically challenging that the critic found it difficult to sit through even as part of their job
2 Why would a film critic watch movies that are so hard to endure
Its their job to experience and review the full spectrum of cinema including films designed to provoke strong uncomfortable reactions They watch them so audiences can make an informed choice
3 Are these endurance test movies just gory horror films
Not always While some are graphically violent others are emotionally devastating psychologically unsettling or feature slow monotonous pacing that tests a viewers patience
4 Can you give me an example of a film that was mentioned
Yes a commonly cited example is Requiem for a Dream noted for its harrowing and unflinching portrayal of addiction that leaves viewers feeling emotionally shattered
5 Is there any value in watching these difficult films
Many critics and viewers argue yes These films can offer powerful social commentary evoke profound empathy and provide a cinematic experience that is memorable and thoughtprovoking even if its not enjoyable in a traditional sense
Deeper Advanced Questions
6 Whats the difference between a film being challenging and just being bad
A challenging film uses its difficult content with artistic intent to provoke a specific thoughtful response A bad film may be unpleasant due to poor execution bad acting or a weak story without any deeper purpose
7 Do critics have strategies for getting through these kinds of movies
Yes some common strategies include taking short breaks watching with a friend to decompress afterwards and mentally framing the experience as an analysis of the filmmakers craft rather than just passive viewing
8 How do personal biases affect a critics endurance
Everyone has different thresholds A critics own life experiences fears and sensitivities will greatly influence which films they find most challenging One might be deeply affected by a psychological thriller while another is more disturbed by body horror
