Discomfort Movies
Are films not at their most rewarding when they truly make you feel something? This season contemplates those films that challenge us the most.
‘Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.’
– Cesar A. Cruz
Most people are familiar with the ‘comfort movie’ – the feel-good, film equivalent of your favourite snack; viewing that is pleasurable, familiar or undemanding, offering us precious escapism or a soothing balm from our own realities. But what about the films that make us feel bad? The films in this season form the antithesis of the comfort watch. Through a variety of content and styles, they induce feelings of fear, stress, anxiety or despair, often pushing the envelope and haunting us long after they’ve ended. From Gena Rowlands’ intense and heart-breaking portrayal of a woman unravelling in A Woman Under the Influence to the wince-inducing violent body horror of Titane, these films transcend genre and employ discomfort not just to shock, but to explore ideas. They may veer towards the dark, but they remain boldly cinematic and often transformative – offering big rewards to open-minded audiences.
Kimberley Sheehan, season curator
Season programme
Eraserhead
Parenthood is a real horror in David Lynch’s extraordinary and singular feature debut.
Eraserhead + extended intro to the season by curator Kimberley Sheehan
Parenthood is a real horror in David Lynch’s extraordinary and singular feature debut.
Possession
Andrzej Żuławski’s horrifying masterpiece is an essential, truthful and profoundly disturbing break-up movie.
The Lost Weekend
Billy Wilder’s noir masterpiece follows an alcoholic hell-bent on self-destruction.
Requiem for a Dream
Darren Aronofsky’s frenzied addiction drama is relentlessly brutal, yet deeply moving.
A Woman Under the Influence
John Cassavetes’ American indie is an intense, spiralling, soul-shattering masterpiece.
Bug
Parasitic insects push a couple to extremes in this underappreciated gem from William Friedkin.
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Jane Fonda earned her first Academy Award nomination for her heartrending portrayal of an unsuccessful actress in this painfully sad drama.
Threads
A realistic look at the impact of nuclear war, written by playwright, screenwriter and Kes author Barry Hines.
Funny Games
Michael Haneke’s original and shocking home-invasion thriller is a masterclass in sustaining suspense when almost all the action happens off-screen.
Audition
Love and lust cut deep in Takashi Miike’s grisly cult horror about a single man whose new relationship turns decidedly sour.
Skinamarink
A terrifying ode to the childhood nightmare that offers a dark take on nostalgia.
Climax
A dance group celebrate a new routine, unaware that a spiked cocktail will send their night spiralling into a nightmare.
Body Shock Double Bill: Crash and Titane
Buckle up for two full-throttle body-horror masterpieces, with David Cronenberg and Julia Ducournau’s auto-erotic reveries.
Relaxed
Relaxed Screening: Eraserhead + intro and discussion
Parenthood is a real horror in David Lynch’s extraordinary and singular feature debut.
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