13 Intense Movie Performances That Are Incredibly Difficult To Watch

10. Emily Watson - Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes is an ordeal. Though the adaptation of Frank McCourt's acclaimed memoir under-performed when it was released, it remains a smart version of the source, and it is full of some supremely impressive performances, particularly from Robert ne'er-do-well Robert Carlyle and even more so from Emily Watson, who plays the emotional epi-centre of the film.

The story is a tale of woe to end them all - not so much a portrait of triumph in the face of adversity, but more a celebration that the slightest glimmers of hope could exist in the worst possible circumstances, like life clinging on when it should surely die. And whenever it seems like there's about to be an upturn in the fortune of the McCourts, their worlds come crashing down around them, killing children, shattering dreams and building a boulder of grief that crashes down on Watson's stoic, wilted Angela.

The performance doesn't have the flamboyance of others on this list, but there is a horrifying quiet resilience that says so much more about the burden of her grief, and it is truly difficult to watch her deal with what her life throws at her.