Top 10 Soul Crushing Films In World Cinema
We at subtitledonline.com like to do things differently, so while your internet browser may be chock a block this Halloween with top-ten-must-watch-gory-horror film lists, we thought we’d go for a different angle. So if you are looking for some quality world cinema films to watch this Halloween season, rather than pigging out on gore, go the whole nine yards and imbue yourself with that soul crushing human horror that Hollywood steers clear of – and which only foreign language films can truly muster.
Here is a list of the top ten depressing films that venture into the dark shadows of the human monster, and may potentially cause you to lose your faith in humanity. And all just in time for the witching hour, Happy Halloween!
Dancer In The Dark (Spain/Argentina, 2000)
Quite possibly one of the most powerful films ever made that. By the time the climax has slapped you square in the face, it may cause you to consider locking yourself away in a dark room to weep for hours. Directed by Lars von Trier (Anti-Christ/Melancholia) and starring Bjork, who delivers a power house of a performance, Dancer In The Dark follows the plight of Selma Jezkova (Bjork) who is suffering from a wasting disease where she will eventually go completely blind. Her son is similarly inflicted, but if she saves enough money, she will be able to afford for him to have the corrective surgery that she missed out on. You’ll be simultaneously transfixed while also begging to get the experience over with, especially when the ominous presence of the landlord (David Morse) itches at the narrative.
Lilya 4-Ever (Sweden/Denmark, 2002)
Don’t be fooled by the frivolous cute sounding title, Lilya 4-Ever is another entry on the list that manages to completely assault the viewer in every way imaginable. It starts off perfectly average; Lilya is a 16-year-old living in Estonia looking for a way out of her dire living situation after her mother abandons her for a life in America. She meets Andrej and becomes besotted, having finally found someone to love who also loves her back. Andrej invites her to move to Sweden and she accepts having been promised work and an apartment. Naturally, it is the biggest mistake of her life, and instantly Lilya falls victim to the underground world of sex trafficking, transforming Lilya 4-Ever into a harrowing and affecting (yet brilliantly made) film that will leave an after-effect for days to come.
The Pianist (France/Poland, 2002)
Roman Polanski is never one to back out of the depressing elements of a narrative (Chinatown anyone?) and The Pianist is no exception. Spearheaded with an astonishing performance from Adrien Brody, it regales the tale of a Polish Jewish musician who stumbles through the devastation of a Warsaw ghetto during the time of the Second World War. Naturally, Polanski refuses to shy away from the violent and emotional damage human’s visit upon their fellow man, and it dives between moments of false hope to sudden terror. The lengthy run time allows for a harrowing depiction of the rapid eroding of the Polish city as the German’s invade and the character of Władysław Szpilman (Adrien Brody) – based on the real man’s auto biography – struggles to survive and hide from the Nazi invasion.
Martyrs (France/Canada, 2008)
The first film on the list that is actually of the ‘horror’ genre, Martyrs was released with a handful of buzz surrounding it. And while it was instantly labelled as goretastic (which it is), it has far more to offer than simple lashings of crimson. Without wanting to spoil the sudden carpet pull midway through the proceedings, it initially focuses upon two damaged girls (Morjana Alaoui and Mylene Jampanoi) who violently crash their way into a family home to seek out revenge. What is so hauntingly fascinating about Martyrs is the approach that director Pascal Laugier takes, and we find ourselves questioning what is real and what is imagined. That is until it is all turned upon its head for the second half, where it descends into far more sinister realms, with the monster elements dispensed with and replaced with the scariest thing of all – devoutly religious people. The final moment is one of thought provoking shock.
Das Boot (West Germany, 1981)
Another film that reflects upon the horrors of war, Das Boot follows the naval crew of a German U-Boat in WWII, and outlines the sheer terror and unnerving claustrophobic nature of working upon a submerged battleship vessel. It isn’t until the end, once you’ve sat through 149 minutes or so of following these men and sympathising with their plight, that you feel you can finally breathe once they are out in open air on Christmas Eve. Wrong again. The crew are mercilessly shot down in an air raid having reached solid ground after they’ve suffered through the horrendous conditions of the U-Boat. The final shot gives us the image of the captain bleeding to death as his boat sinks in the background. Soul crushing, indeed.
City Of God (Brazil/France, 2002)
Set in the violent neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, City Of God revolves around two young boys who gradually grow apart as they mature. While the central character, Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), becomes a photographer and tries to escape the somewhat barbaric lifestyle of a number of his peers, the other finds himself falling into the dark world of drug dealing. A morality tale of this nature can only end with tragedy, and the directors (Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund) keep the tension and foreboding nature elevated by following the warring feuds that are found amongst the drug dealers and gang members of Rio during the period of the 1960s to the 1980s.
Irreversible (France, 2003)
Critically praised upon its release, Irreversible was washed with overbearing phrases such as “emotionally devastating,” “masterful cinema,” and “a combo of sex and violence,” and while they are all correct, it must be noted this film is not for the faint of heart (not that any of the other films on this list are.) Directed by Gaspar Noe, Irreversible begins with the closing credits reeling backwards and then goes on to reveal the fractured narrative, which focuses upon the dark side of the human psyche; violence, revenge, lust and general depravity, with the scene the film is most memorable for being the brutal rape of central character Alex (Monica Belluci). Kim Newman sums it up quite nicely, “this is not a film most would subject themselves to twice, but it is something that stays in the mind for days after viewing.”
Inside (France, 2007)
The second horror on this list of soul crushing films revolves around a prominent feature of some of the all-time great horror films; pregnancy. Inside, however, has more in common with the ‘in your face’ outrageousness of the birthing scene from Alien than the slow moving nature of Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby. It all starts off relatively slowly, with the pregnant protagonist Sarah (Alysson Paradis) at home, ready to go into labour in a few hours, if all goes to plan. That is until an intruder (Beatrice Dalle) makes an unwelcome appearance – an intruder who seems to know Sarah and is desperate to cut the baby out of her. Like Martyr’s, it is another bloody entry on this list, but the sheer force of nature that the film becomes, and the way it overpowers the viewer due to its direction (Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury), rather than its buckets of red, is the most impressive element of Inside.
Grave Of The Fireflies (Japan, 1988)
Studio Ghibli are infamous for their feel good colourful fantasy adventures (Spirited Away/Arrietty), so it may surprise some to find this on the list. For those that have seen Grave Of The Fireflies, it won’t be a surprise at all. Set during the Second World War, it follows Seita and Setsuko, a brother and sister, who struggled across the landscape of a war torn Japan as they lose their family and attempt to survive. Things don’t go quite go to plan, of course, and it doesn’t help matters when the younger sister is so adorable. Living in a cave near a lake the brother tries to stay positive, even as the two of them slowly begin to succumb to starvation.
Funny Games (Austria, 1997)
This last entry is mainly on this list because of one astonishingly frustrating moment midway through when director Michael Haneke breaks the illusive fourth wall of cinema and has his characters mercilessly toy with the sequence of the film. It all begins when two seemingly polite, yet instantly sinister young boys come knocking on a family vacation home. Things dovetail as the film partners itself up with the sub-genre of home invasion, but it is much more than your average horror, and even using the label of the horror genre seems to burden Funny Games into a category that it should not be placed in. Like the majority of the films on this list, it all revolves around the evil man can commit upon fellow man (and woman and child), but, as stated, the techniques and dialogue Haneke plays with elevate it into an artistic yet maddening experience.
James Cheetham is a London based freelance journalist who focuses upon film
criticism. He has contributed to various websites, such as…
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