CONTROVERSIAL films worth seeing
by OJT | created - 30 Jun 2014 | updated - 08 Jul 2019 | PublicSometimes films are the best way of treating contriversial and difficult themes, which may also start important discussions. Here's some of the best when it comes to controversy!
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1. Adoration (2013)
R | 112 min | Drama, Romance
A pair of childhood friends and neighbors fall for each other's sons.
Director: Anne Fontaine | Stars: Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frecheville
Votes: 36,640 | Gross: $0.32M
2. Troubled Water (2008)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Music
A man convicted in his teens for killing a child is released on parole. He struggles to build a new life, but his past is uncovered.
Director: Erik Poppe | Stars: Pål Sverre Hagen, Trine Dyrholm, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Fredrik Grøndahl
Votes: 6,119
3. 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: 84,560 | Gross: $7.42M
4. In the House (2012)
R | 105 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A high school French teacher is drawn into a precocious student's increasingly transgressive story about his relationship with a friend's family.
Director: François Ozon | Stars: Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Schmitt, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas
Votes: 34,283 | Gross: $0.35M
5. Fight Club (1999)
R | 139 min | Drama
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier
Votes: 2,319,802 | Gross: $37.03M
6. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,796,169 | Gross: $100.13M
7. Benny's Video (1992)
Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Drama
A 14-year-old video enthusiast obsessed with violent films decides to make one of his own and show it to his parents, with tragic results.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Arno Frisch, Angela Winkler, Ulrich Mühe, Ingrid Stassner
Votes: 18,564
8. 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: 43,683 | Gross: $0.21M
9. Lune froide (1991)
92 min | Drama
Simon and Dede are best friends: two aimless drunks who spend their days getting sloshed and any other available time getting laid. Simon is living on unemployment benefits in a trailer ... See full summary »
Director: Patrick Bouchitey | Stars: Jean-François Stévenin, Patrick Bouchitey, Jean-Pierre Bisson, Consuelo De Haviland
Votes: 474
10. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,618 | Gross: $20.05M
11. The Hunt (2012)
R | 115 min | Drama
A teacher lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is about to be brutally shattered by an innocent little lie.
Director: Thomas Vinterberg | Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrøm
Votes: 363,855 | Gross: $0.69M
12. The Celebration (1998)
R | 105 min | Drama
At Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed.
Director: Thomas Vinterberg | Stars: Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Moritzen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Paprika Steen
Votes: 93,754 | Gross: $1.65M
13. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
R | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
Director: Steve McQueen | Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt
Votes: 740,609 | Gross: $56.67M
14. The Act of Killing (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn | Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
Votes: 40,761 | Gross: $0.49M
15. Prayers for Bobby (2009 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 90 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
True story of Mary Griffith, gay rights crusader, whose teenage son committed suicide due to her religious intolerance. Based on the book of the same title by Leroy Aarons.
Director: Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Henry Czerny, Ryan Kelley, Austin Nichols
Votes: 17,941
16. Harold and Maude (1971)
PG | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack
Votes: 81,783
17. The Graduate (1967)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, William Daniels
Votes: 288,153 | Gross: $104.95M
18. Caligula (1979)
Unrated | 156 min | Drama, History
A dramatization of the ascent to Caesar and subsequent reign of Caligula, one of the most notorious leaders of ancient Rome. We see his ambition, his scheming, his perversion and decadence, his brutality and his lunacy.
Director: Tinto Brass | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, Helen Mirren, Teresa Ann Savoy
Votes: 38,314 | Gross: $23.44M
19. The Reader (2008)
R | 124 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Jeanette Hain
Votes: 259,553 | Gross: $34.19M
20. Gulabi Gang (2012)
96 min | Documentary
In Bundelkhand, India, a revolution is in the making among the poorest of the poor, as the fiery women of the Gulabi Gang empower themselves and take up the fight against gender violence, caste oppression and widespread corruption.
Directors: Nishtha Jain, Torstein Grude | Stars: Sampat Pal Devi, Ram Dulari, Devrati, Babu
Votes: 232
21. I'm the One You Want (2014)
53 min | Drama
What would you say about a female teacher falling in love with a 15-year-old? What would you think when you heard her confession? How do you set borders for someones love and feelings?
Director: Dag Johan Haugerud | Star: Andrea Bræin Hovig
Votes: 147
22. Amour (2012)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama
Georges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, Alexandre Tharaud
Votes: 105,594 | Gross: $6.74M
23. Paradise: Love (2012)
Unrated | 120 min | Drama
Teresa, a fifty-year-old Austrian mother, travels to the paradise of the beaches of Kenya, seeking out love from African boys. But she must confront the hard truth that on the beaches of Kenya, love is a business.
Director: Ulrich Seidl | Stars: Margarete Tiesel, Peter Kazungu, Inge Maux, Dunja Sowinetz
Votes: 10,022 | Gross: $0.02M
24. Paradise: Faith (2012)
Unrated | 115 min | Drama
A single woman in her 50s devotes her vacations to doing Catholic missionary work in Vienna, descending into violent self-punishment as part of her faith.
Director: Ulrich Seidl | Stars: Maria Hofstätter, Nabil Saleh, René Rupnik, Natalija Baranova
Votes: 5,148 | Gross: $0.01M
25. Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976)
Not Rated | 115 min | Comedy, Drama
Four generations of a family live in a shantytown in the outskirts of Rome. The household engages in various forms of sexual idiosyncrasies, land swindles, incest, drugs and adultery.
Director: Ettore Scola | Stars: Francesco Anniballi, Maria Bosco, Giselda Castrini, Alfredo D'Ippolito
Votes: 9,097 | Gross: $0.01M
26. Deliverance (1972)
R | 109 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.
Director: John Boorman | Stars: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
Votes: 119,111 | Gross: $7.06M
27. Tears of Gaza (2010)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, War
In a rough style, by way of unique footage, the brutal consequences of modern wars are exposed. The film also depicts the ability of women and children to handle their everyday life after a... See full summary »
Director: Vibeke Løkkeberg
Votes: 572
28. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
R | 164 min | Drama
The life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Paul Greco
Votes: 63,017 | Gross: $7.63M
29. Death in Venice (1971)
GP | 130 min | Drama, Romance
While recovering in Venice, sickly composer Gustav von Aschenbach becomes dangerously fixated with teenager Tadzio.
Director: Luchino Visconti | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Romolo Valli, Mark Burns, Nora Ricci
Votes: 23,018 | Gross: $0.15M
30. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 880,439 | Gross: $6.21M
31. In the Bedroom (2001)
R | 131 min | Crime, Drama
A New England couple's college-aged son dates an older woman who has two small children and an unwelcome ex-husband.
Director: Todd Field | Stars: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei
Votes: 42,404 | Gross: $35.93M
32. Notes on a Scandal (2006)
R | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her fifteen-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond a platonic friendship.
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Andrew Simpson, Tom Georgeson
Votes: 84,497 | Gross: $17.51M
33. 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
34. Natural Born Killers (1994)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Romance
Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield
Votes: 251,551 | Gross: $50.28M
35. The Idiots (1998)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
The group of people gather at the house in Copenhagen suburb to break all the limitations and to bring out the "inner idiot" in themselves.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Bodil Jørgensen, Jens Albinus, Anne Louise Hassing, Troels Lyby
Votes: 33,933 | Gross: $0.01M
36. 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: 136,395 | Gross: $0.40M
37. Lost River (2014)
R | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town.
Director: Ryan Gosling | Stars: Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith, Saoirse Ronan
Votes: 19,097 | Gross: $0.04M
38. Sons of Denmark (2019)
Not Rated | 123 min | Drama, Thriller
Denmark four years into the future. After a major bomb attack in Copenhagen radicalization and ethnic tensions are running high, and a racist leader is leading the polls.19-year old Zakaria is afraid, wanting to do something.
Director: Ulaa Salim | Stars: Zaki Youssef, Mohammed Ismail Mohammed, Rasmus Bjerg, Imad Abul-Foul
Votes: 1,887
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