10 Great Movies You'll Only Want To Watch Once

The Road has to be one of the most affecting post-apocalyptic films ever made. A largely faithful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's iconic novel, it follows an unnamed man and his son as they travel across a desolate, destroyed America searching for the sea and, perhaps, a glimmer of hope in a dying world.

Viggo Mortensen's performance as the man is one of the best of his career. He is vulnerable yet determined, and with every look, every motion, we see that all he cares about in this devastated world is taking care of his son. He will go to any lengths to protect him, including using the one bullet left in his gun.

The production design is flawless, making the audience truly feel the grim world that the characters now live in. The grey, blighted landscape becomes suffocating after a while, which was surely director John Hillcoat's intention.

There are several distressing scenes, with the worst undoubtedly being when the man and the boy come across a cellar filled with people who have been carved up for food... while still alive. While certain aspects from the book are missing - most notoriously, the baby on a spit - the scene is still powerfully disturbing, and so tense it will leave you with stomach ache.

Though the film ends with the man's death, there is a note of optimism when the boy is taken in by another family. Despite this, it's unlikely that many viewers will want to revisit this haunting story again in a hurry.