15 Depraved Movies That Are Incredibly Difficult To Watch

13. La Vie Nouvelle

Renowned for his experimental art installations, French filmmaker Philippe Grandrieux moved into "mainstream" feature length movies with the serial killer chiller Sombre then followed it up with La Vie Nouvelle, the story of an American who falls for a prostitute named Melania. Narrative takes second place to atmosphere from start to finish, and Grandrieux shoots the film in murky lighting and ambiguous close-ups of his characters, using them more as props than living, breathing human beings. They float like ghosts amid a hellish vision of Eastern Europe, as dilapidated as the ruined buildings amidst which they ply their trade. La Vie Nouvelle is extreme cinema both in its portrayal of destructive sexual violence and exploitation as it is in its uncompromising psychological harshness. What makes this stand out is the way Grandrieux makes the audience feel nauseated even when nothing overtly untoward is happening on screen.