Now and then, scriptwriters, cinematographers, and actors produce such an incredibly moving work that it becomes an instant classic. While a few powerful films are eventually forgotten in mainstream pop culture, others remain prevalent in people's hearts and minds for decades after they initially drew crowds to the box office.
Still, even genuinely great works have their downsides. Often, the storylines and portrayals that made a movie so great also create too much of an emotional response in audiences to be truly enjoyable for a second viewing. Sometimes we can get away with fast-forwarding or skipping through a particularly bad or heart-wrenching scene and still enjoy most of the film. Other times, the war stories, historical dramas, and emotion-infused plotlines are just too intense for a casual rewatch.
This list features some of Weird History readers' most memorable films - but ones they could only watch once. Vote up those you wouldn't want to rewatch either, even though they're excellent.
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
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- Miramax Films
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Hard to watch?- 1Saving Private Ryan260 Votes
- 2Hacksaw Ridge252 Votes
- 3Fury164 Votes
- 4All Quiet on the Western Front35 Votes
From Facebook commenter Colette M.:
Hachi, I never cried so much watching a movie, [it's] so sad.
From Facebook commenter Martha S.:
Same here. It took me awhile to get over it. My husband and I cried out loud. My sister and her husband had the same reaction. A dog will love you until the day they leave this earth. My Molly died 4 years ago. That movie made me not get another one. At 70, I would be afraid I’d go first.
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From Facebook commenter Amy C.:
Sophie’s Choice is one of my picks. Every choice she made was the wrong choice. But the one choice I don’t think I could do it.
From Facebook commenter Melvin M.:
Sophie’s Choice cleverly leads you to think that it’s between the two men, until you find out what the real choice was.
Hard to watch?From Facebook commenter Amaara N.:
The Green Mile. I absolutely love it and I think it's an incredibly powerful film but most of the time, I just don't feel like willingly sobbing for two hours.
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From Facebook commenter Amanda J.:
The Pianist! Brilliant movie, super intense.
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From Facebook commenter Kathleen M.:
Grave of the Fireflies. Amazing movie, beautiful animation, but it is such a hard watch. I own it and I’ve only ever watched it once.
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From Facebook commenter Jason L.:
American History X. Great movie, but I’ve only watched it twice. Way [too] intense for a simple casual viewing.
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From Facebook commenter John P.:
I watched this movie while in a theater. Everyone cried: myself, wife and the Catholic bishop who happened to be sitting next to me. Heart wrenching. I just can’t bring myself to watch it a 2nd time. The movie:
The Passion of Christ
Hard to watch?From Facebook commenter Melanie P.:
War Horse. It’s a one-time film for me. Beautifully done and my whole family cried multiple times throughout it. However, it is a film that children as young as 7/8 can watch and enjoy.
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From Facebook commenter Monica M.:
Requiem for a Dream - so well-written, cast and acted but so depressing and disturbing. It leaves you feeling drained.
From Facebook commenter Rob C.:
I saw Requiem for a Dream in the theater, then bought the DVD after it came out because it was such an incredible movie.
I've never been able to bring myself to put the disc in the player.
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From Facebook commenter Christine D.:
Saving Private Ryan, it was one of the most disturbing films I have ever watched and I have no intention of ever watching it again. The acting was first class.
From Facebook commenter Romany D.:
Absolutely spot on! I cried all the way home from the cinema and have never watched it again.
Hard to watch?- 1Tom Hanks200 Votes
- 2Barry Pepper189 Votes
- 3Matt Damon265 Votes
- 4Tom Sizemore154 Votes
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From Facebook commenter Eni H.:
I just watched the German version. I hope they will win at least one Oscar. The film makers deserve all! It hit me hard as my grandfathers both fought on the Russian front in the second WW. And we all know people up there never suffer. Only the average person does. I cannot watch this movie ever again. It is traumatic and all those stories my Papa told me pretty much justifies all the horrific things they had to suffer through.
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From Facebook commenter Brandon J.:
The Deer Hunter although I’ve watched it a couple of times, it’s a very powerful, moving film for sure.
From Facebook commenter Charlie B.:
Came here to say this. Watched it about 20 years ago and while it is a great movie I have zero desire to watch it again.
From Facebook commenter Viki H.:
The [Deer Hunter]. I was so upset at the end, I sobbed all of the way home. It was especially hard knowing my father had been in Vietnam.
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From Facebook commenter Kassandra M.:
We Were Soldiers. I watched once & I'll never watch it again. It was an excellent movie but I wasn't prepared.
From Facebook commenter Patrick R.:
It IS a great movie. I actually watched it a second time, five years after my first viewing, to see if it was really as painful as I remembered it to be.
It was even more heart-wrenching than I remembered it.
Hard to watch?- 1Mel Gibson20 Votes
- 2Keri Russell11 Votes
- 3Madeleine Stowe22 Votes
- 4Sam Elliott16 Votes
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From Facebook commenter Becky-Darlene C.:
The Pursuit of Happyness - watched it a second time and broke me more. Now I’m a mummy - I can’t!!!
From Facebook commenter Raquel E.Y.:
Yes me too - I can’t click to watch it again, just knowing I’ll be crashing feeling depressed.
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From Facebook commenter Lori S.:
Irreversible. 2002. Outstanding but one of the most haunting movies I’ve ever seen.
From Facebook commenter Lise-Lene K.:
This is mine as well. I can’t imagine going through that experience again, but I loved the movie.
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From Facebook commenter Edward A:.
Gallipoli! Fantastic movie! Extremely sad!
From Facebook commenter Matthew O.:
I saw this movie when I was young - middle school maybe. I remember staring at the screen after the movie for what seemed like an eternity. [It] never occurred to me a movie could end like that. I was so angry, but it opened my mind to the reality of war. Probably the first time I shed a tear watching a movie.
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From Facebook commenter Natasha H.:
Jojo Rabbit. Brilliant film, [I just] cannot emotionally watch [it] again.
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25From Facebook commenter Liz U.:
Dunkirk. It affected me for days. The film was really well done and even had Harry Styles and Tom Hardy as eye candy. I couldn't stop thinking about [the] fact it really happened and the sacrifice made by our brave servicemen.
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From Facebook commenter Cyndie G.:
A Beautiful Mind, once you know what’s actually going on you look at it completely different and can’t un-see it.
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