Transcription
What happens when you watch five films that people online are calling extremely taboo without knowing anything about them beforehand? I plucked from Reddit the first five films that I have never seen that were deemed taboo and here are the results. Let me tell you, just warning, this is going to get so uncomfortable.
Starting with *In the Realm of Senses* was a mistake to say the least because this is basically softcore. It is, it is, but it was a gap in my film knowledge. I am very aware now because *In the Realm of Senses* was so controversial at the time. It was released in 1976 and this French-Japanese co-production is a fictionalized retelling of the real-life story of Sada Abe, a former prostitute in 1930s Japan whose obsessive affair ends very dramatically. The film's blend of unsimulated activities, power play, and psychological dissent has earned both admiration and condemnation since its premiere. But it also caused such a buzz when it premiered at Cannes Film Festival that they had to do 13 separate screenings. So that's how bad people wanted to see this movie. Honestly, I don't know how anyone sat next to someone watching this movie. It's 2 hours of straight-up softcore.
But the film opens with a disturbing scene that is set in a brothel, immediately setting up the tone for the film. And you have to give it to the director. They do not let up this tone throughout. I've never seen anything so consistent. From the outset, there is no relief. Every single scene returns to sex, obsession, and control. It's like a relentless reverse "I Spy" where you cannot find any scene that does not have anything to do with sex. Every conversation, every glance, every gesture revolves around erotic tension or activities. And I'm going to dumb it down for a second. I know that a lot of people see this film as art, but I saw it as an exercise in putting every single crude opening or leading to of an adult activity. Every category you can think of, basically, maybe except for maybe like one or two, is in this film. Domination, humiliation, voyeuristic tendencies, just to name a few. Honestly, that's just the tip of the iceberg, but you get the idea. Every single theme, topic, leading to the act, they're covered in this film. And while it makes for a very vibrant film, its 1 hour and 49-minute runtime felt like a challenge at times.
But it is interesting because the director, Oshima, is a major figure of the Japanese New Wave and was known for pushing boundaries. His earlier films like *Cruel Story of Youth* and *Death by Hanging* dealt with youth rebellion and political critique, but *In the Realm of Senses* somehow took a more radical turn towards sexual politics and bodily expression. The production was shot in Japan and the footage was taken to be developed in France. This was to bypass Japanese censorship laws, the ones that particularly prohibit the detailed close-ups of certain body parts. Yes, Japanese cinema does have a tolerance of this kind of adult film. In fact, they're kind of obsessed with it and it leads to some problematic ongoing trends. But this film in particular, the amount that is shown, the detail, the runtime, there was no way they were even going to try and get this passed. So, this film was a huge logistical and political challenge, which I guess was the point the director was trying to make. It's a tragic story about two people who live in their own world regardless of the outside constraints seen as taboo by the rest of society. But again, this is based on a true story. Although this is a very fictionalized version of events, in fact, it is romanticized because if you look into the real Sada Abe's life story, you can find even more intense and controversial things than are in this film. In this film, she is just reduced to her adult activities, which could be kind of ironic given the meaning of the film.
*In the Realm of Senses* is a brutal and bold depiction of sex in cinema with every single possible configuration shown in intense detail. The director's unwavering focus for the film and how we react to it as a society does in fact point out some inconsistencies and hypocrisies that censorship holds, especially within Japan. But it is still an hour and 48 minutes of pure adult activities. But it does have a very brutal ending. So, I'm glad I held on for that. I'll give you this. I'll never forget this film. It is definitely taboo. So, I'm glad I added it to the list. The challenge is to go in blind and nothing could have prepared me. And with that note, let's talk about *Spanking the Monkey*.
And honestly, I wish this title was the focus of the film. After I tell you about what happens in this film, you'll wish it was, too. I try not to spoil too much in this just in case you want to watch them for yourself, but I will be talking about the themes throughout. And in this one, there are some light spoilers, but I cannot talk about this film without talking about the elephant in the room. This is one of those films where you keep thinking, "Are they going to?" "No, no, they're not." "Right?" "That's not what's happening." "Oh my god, it's happening." But what's even more disturbing than the theme is the fact that this is labeled as a dark comedy. If you laugh at this, straight to jail. But I did appreciate that at least this film has some strange charm to it to an extent.
The movie follows Ray, a young med student who is forced into coming home for the summer to take care of his mother who has broken her leg. His dad, a traveling salesman, guilt trips him into being home looking after her while he goes off on a business trip. And now Ray is stuck. No freedom, no future plans, and no idea when he can continue his career. It's just him, his needy mom, and a dog that won't stop staring at him every time he spanks the monkey or attempts to. But this title is misleading because although it is about sexual repression and feeling isolated and stuck, it quickly turns into a film about family dynamics and lines blurring. And these lines blur so slowly and then all at once. And I'm talking about the relationship between him and his mother, which becomes a problem, a crime, in fact. Yes. Yes, it happens. And you, like Ray, as the watcher, are in denial of what's happening until you cannot ignore it anymore. And again, this film is sold as a dark comedy. It's not dramatic. It's not erotic. It's more of a focus on a complicated relationship. There's no seducing. It's just two desperate people in a unique situation. I know that sounds crazy, but that's how the film puts it. That's how the film frames it, which somehow makes it even worse because it is put into these really well-grounded, realistic performances.
This film was made with $80,000 of grant money and it ended up winning the Audience Award at Sundance. And David O. Russell, who directed the film, yes, that David O. Russell, long before he did *Silver Linings Playbook* and *American Hustle*, said that he was inspired by Gus Van Sant and decided to tap into the darker parts of his own psyche. Whatever you say, man. He described the film as not being about family relations, but instead about everyday transgressions, which is why the graphic moments of this film are not the focus. You don't see much, but it's more about the leading in and then the aftermath. So, while *Spanking the Monkey* is definitely one of the strangest coming-of-age stories I've ever seen, it does something interesting. It challenges us and what we think is taboo. It's definitely taboo. What the heck? But instead of making it about shocking moments, it shows the breakdowns in real time that create situations that are extremely unhealthy. Repression, parental neglect, unspoken resentment, family power dynamics. It's wildly uncomfortable, but is also extremely daring and so simplistic. I can't say I've ever seen a film this disturbing or with these kinds of taboo themes that is so nonchalant and easily digestible. It's kind of freaky. Would I recommend it? I don't know. It was a very interesting ride. It's terrifying going into this blind, and it only gets worse from here, so don't worry. But if you are interested in cinema that crosses the lines, it's not a bad film. It's just not very enjoyable.
Let's talk about *Kissed*, though, because this is another one that is based on a true story, and you're never going to believe what I'm going to tell you. *Kissed* is from 1996, and this film truly blindsided me. But it is very unique. From the poster, I thought this was some kind of dreamy romance. And I was half right, not the good half, because this is technically a love story, but it just happens to be about a woman who is attracted spiritually and sexually to the dead. The film follows Sandra, who from a young age has a strange connection with death. The opening scene shows how disturbing her obsession was as a child as she rubs a dead animal on her, trying to pick up its essence, just feeling very connected to the other side. And we're not even 2 minutes into the film and you're wondering, where is this going? What kind of lines is she about to cross?
The film is structured like a coming-of-age film where we watch her grow and eventually she gets a job at a funeral home where she can take her obsession to the next level. But the thing about this film is it never feels overtly exploitative, which I know sounds insane. And I do have kind of a drawback to this, but as a whole, especially at the start, it does not feel that way because *Kissed* plays like a soft-focus, Bildungsroman film. It's about Sandra finding her place, finding out who she is in a world that was not built for her. Only she's into corpses. What's wild is that this film is tender and it's shot with such warmth and delicacy. You almost forget what you're watching. It's not gory or shocking in a typical way. It's dreamy and poetic, even like a spiritual awakening, but again, with cadavers. Because although she's getting gratification from her activities, she also feels a bond with the other side. It's not just a sexual outlet or a kink. It's a really strange experience for the viewer. The director, Lynne Stopkewich, said she wanted to take the judgment out of it. It's not about the act as much as it's about desire or about being misunderstood. About a girl that understands this powerful, bizarre thing inside her. And Molly Parker, who plays Sandra, somehow pulls off a performance that's both eerie and innocent. She's not a monster.
In fact, if anything, this is where I think the film might be a little bit problematic, other than the obvious. They flip her whole look, her whole stereotype into this virgin, softly spoken goddess. She's overtly feminine and disturbingly sincere. And I have to say, this was very intriguing from the start. I was very interested to see or follow her character and find out what the overarching story, what is the arc, what is she going to go through. And it's not a long film. It runs for 80 minutes. And the crux of the story comes when she is a full-grown woman. She is established in her identity, job, and life. And an outsider has just learned her secret. But unfortunately, this is where I feel like the wheels fall off of the story because it's such a unique setup and they have turned her into this interesting figure that the gaze very much changes quite quickly and she becomes a lot more of the virgin goddess that I spoke about before. She becomes the object of someone else's desire. And I think it changes her from owning what's happening to her to becoming the manic pixie dream girl in the worst way possible. The film's setup is so intriguing, but has no place to go and resorts into falling back into normal, predictable movie tentpoles.
But after some research, this does make a lot of sense because I found out she is real. This is based on a real person, the infamous Karen Greenlee, a woman who was convicted of stealing a hearse and having relations with, you know, someone inside. And she is known as the "best modern practitioner," this is a quote, by the way, of necrophilia. But although the character is based on her, just a little bit of research I could do quickly showed how different her story really is from the archetype in *Kissed*, which is likely why the story, setting, and character is so unique because it's pulled from a real-life story that made headlines. Although that's pretty much where the intrigue ends. Sadly, although this one does have another taboo kind of ending, it is very predictable. I think that this one still has a place and I think a lot of you guys would like it as kind of like a cult classic weird film. It gives very much *May* or *American Mary*, but with the unique aspects of the story, I was kind of disappointed. It had an incredible setup, but lacked an actual story. You need a well-rounded script, not just a concept.
But I was challenged by the next one because I didn't realize how good I had it with that film, which is crazy to say. I'm aware everything I'm saying sounds "yes," because the world of *Kanako* was next. This is a 2014 Japanese thriller directed by Nakashima Tetsuya. Sorry, that pronunciation is awful. But this is the same director behind *Confessions*. This film is just not as cohesive or coherent. It's violently stylish to the point of chaos. It is an over-sensory nightmare. I'm warning you. And it's also truly confusing with this timeline. But if you surrender to that, if I'm letting you know before you watch it and letting you know that all will be revealed and it will make complete sense at the end, I think it will be a lot easier to digest. But it doesn't mean it won't rot your brain and break your heart, because it will definitely do that.
This film is based on the novel *Endless Thirst*. And while the Japanese title translates to just "thirst," the English title nods to *Alice in Wonderland*, which becomes a recurring disturbing reference throughout. Think a girl falls into a rabbit hole, but this one is lined with substance abuse, violence, and human trafficking. And when I say "girl," I'm saying school-aged girl. The film follows a corrupt man who is trying to find his estranged daughter who has gone missing. And now he goes on a wild, messy investigation through her old life. The film takes place in the present and in the past. And I do want to say, hot tip: when you're watching this, a bunch of dates will come up as title screens. Do not worry about the dates. I felt like it was very confusing to tell me what day of the year each thing was happening when it was very obvious. But this is no heartwarming reconnection of a father and daughter where both parties meet and can admit their wrongdoings. Instead, we uncover a deeply unsettling world.
Within the first 20 minutes of this film, we are thrown into a blender of flashbacks, stylized cuts, fake-outs, and erratic music cues. It has elements of drama, romance, anime, and film noir, basically shaken up. You get flashbacks, hallucinations, and Christmas joy, all within seconds of each other. It's a lot. And although the film slows down slightly as it progresses, the themes get much worse, much more violent, and much more dark. So, let's talk about the actual themes because I feel like this film blends a lot together. And it does. This one does feel exploitative because it isn't just about substances or underage activities or abuse. It's about human trafficking and it doesn't handle this theme with any justice or remorse or any thoughtful lesson. There's no closure. It's just shock value for shock's sake, which honestly, I seek films like this out, so I am not blaming anyone. I like watching disturbing cinema for the sake of seeing how these things play out, but I do feel like this film was just intended for a disturbing ride and not really to say anything.
The violence in this film is relentless and sometimes just unnecessary. There are so many scenes and almost an added layer about the man we're following, the protagonist, and his relationship with his ex-wife that is just unnecessary to further the plot or progress the movie. And I feel like the real intense moments, things you see that are meant to be kind of reveals, they desensitize us so much that these additional scenes of violence and layers of assault, they're just unnecessary and they take away from the key points and shock moments of the movie. It's definitely the most graphic film on this list. And if that's what you're after, it will deliver. But it leaves you wondering, was the ride worth it? For me, it was a one-and-done, but also a very good nugget of information if I ever want to do a disturbing Japanese horror iceberg of my own. Wink. If I could wink. But with its mixed themes and so much going on, and then the attempt to replicate a dark *Alice in Wonderland*, which we've seen so many times before, I felt like it threw so much at the wall and it was so unfocused that when the twists come in or the reveals, it just doesn't land as hard as it should. It should have toned down some of the other violent aspects and really just let the taboo nature speak for itself because it is very taboo, and I think it's the juxtaposition of the characters and what they're capable of that are really terrifying. So when you see this in a super disconnected stylization, it takes away from any realism and makes it feel cartoon or a graphic novel. It's not. But it is so over-the-top and exhausting to watch that you kind of zone out a little bit. And these are very serious topics, so it would be nice to have something in there to, you know, really hold you there or for it to be more memorable and less kind of fast-paced and rushed through.
But I saved the hardest one to watch till the end. And this was not on purpose. I'm actually going through this in the order that I watched them. I took notes as I was watching them. And this next film, nothing could have prepared me. And I'm going to sound really silly because a lot of you probably know this film. It's *The Night Porter*. And if you've seen this movie before, I know you let out a collective sigh. Never in my wildest dreams would I have sought this film out if I knew what it was about. It is truly the definition of taboo. And even though I resisted it at first, it is so well-constructed and the acting is flawless. It stuck with me and it's buried its way into my skin. I only watched it yesterday and I think I'll be unpacking the meaning behind it for a very long time. This had a profound effect on me. It's definitely problematic. It is known as one of the most controversial films of all time. I had never even heard of it, which is so crazy now to say, but I really think that this film is the point of dark cinema.
This film, directed by Liliana Cavani, is a psychological erotic drama from Italy. It stars Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling. And it is a woven story of obsession, guilt, and masochistic intimacy between a former SS officer and a Holocaust survivor. Set in 1957 Vienna, the story follows Max, a former SS officer who is now a hotel night porter, and his new reality is shattered when he realizes that Lucia is staying in the hotel, a woman that he once tormented and had a relationship with when she was a person at his concentration camp. In this film, their twisted past reignites, and what unfolds is a blend of flashbacks, relations, and psychological warfare. This isn't just a story about their dynamic. Clearly, it's changed, but it reveals the truth of their dynamic and their relationship. It is not what you think at first. Because although their dynamic and relationship is born from violence, it morphs into a kind of a forbidden passion, one that's deeply rooted in their dynamics and trauma. Because Max, when he was an officer, he ended up protecting her. But also, and the main part of it is that their relationship was very sexual. It was a strange power play of dominance in the wake of a historic, devastating crime on humanity.
In this film, we don't just watch how their past unraveleds in flashbacks, but we watch them retreat. They get back together, retreating into their past and reenacting a modern retelling of their relationship and how their power dynamic has shifted. It is super complicated because now, obviously, things have shifted again and their sick, toxic dynamic is reborn in a new world. But with all of the problematic tones in this movie, the filmmaking itself is a feat. Just the cinematography alone, the past is painted in this green tinge, haunting and surreal, while the present creeps in with this sickly normalcy. The cinematography itself is super interesting. But one of the most shocking aspects of the film is the acting because it is incredible to see the arc of their characters. The acting, how they pull that off with their acting ability is insane. It's worth seeing for the acting alone if you can stomach it.
I wrote down this next quote from the film while I was watching because I think it sums up the movie as best as you can within one line: "We have decided to confront our personal histories without reserve, without fear." And that's exactly what the director is forcing us to do as well. Confront the unspeakable. One of the worst-case scenarios possible in history. Pushing taboo relationships and kinks beyond any line. There is no line left. They have scrubbed it out. It's not just a film about trauma. It's about what happens when your trauma becomes your identity. But obviously, I do not want to water it down. This is an extremely hard watch. Especially, there is one scene. I think it's on most of the posters. Lucia, she is dancing for a bunch of officers, half-naked, wearing their outfit. It is so confronting and then what happens at the end of the scene is, you will not guess. It's not actually anything sexual, but it was really alarming. It really plays this game where she forgets who she is and where she is sometimes, and it's haunting.
It's one of the films on this list that I felt like didn't say enough. I could have watched this for like three hours. It would have been really hard to, but there was so much to say with this dynamic and these characters and this situation. When I started the film, I was genuinely so shocked. And again, I would never have sought this out if it wasn't for this little challenge I decided to do. But as it went on, I opened up like a wound. I began to see it as a complicated and layered story about guilt, survival, and deviant power. And there's also a lot more going on within their story. It's not even just about them meeting each other again because their relationship as it is is under constant threat because Max's former comrades are trying to cover up their crimes and Lucia's mere presence could unravel everything. The tension isn't just between two broken people, but it's about how society buries its darkness and pretends it never happened. The world around them does not condone their union, but for so many disturbing reasons.
*The Night Porter* disturbed me more than most films because of how seamlessly it blends personal perversion with historical horrors. It's one of the most taboo films I've ever seen. Hands down. Thank you, Reddit. Thank you so much. If you enjoy videos like this, please subscribe to this channel. I talk about horror movies, I talk about thrillers, and I talk about disturbing movies, dark cinema, as I like to call it. Thank you so much to my patrons for making this video possible. I don't know what YouTube's going to think about it. So, thank you so much for letting me create these videos. If you want to check out other videos like this, here are some lists for some disturbing movies. Since you are here, you probably will like that kind of stuff. If you made it this far, please drop a moon emoji or just type something about the moon in the comments below. It'll be our little secret. Wink at each other. I hope you enjoyed this video. It was a really hard one to make. Stay safe and stay spooky. Bye friends.