Movies often reflect real-life events, societal trends, politics, and more. Sometimes, like a mirror, they do this with surprising immediacy. In other cases, like a shadow, films shortly follow reality’s wake.
So it’s no surprise that 2019 gave me some of the most stressful – and rewarding – cinematic experiences of my life. I’m not talking about your standard third act conflict and resolution. I’m talking about movies that made me feel like my knuckles might rip apart as they gripped the armrests. I’m talking about the kind of movies that made me take a long, deep lungful of air upon their conclusion and slowly unwind every tensed muscle in my body. I’m talking about the kind of stressful movies that require a moment of recovery.
In honor of the year coming to a close, these are my top three most anxiety-inducing movies of 2019, along with some honorable mentions.
(Note: When I talk about “stress films” I’m excluding straightforward horror films, specifically because I think there are a lot of terrific, stressful horror films out every year, and this year was no exception.)
1. Uncut Gems
Nothing was a more white-knuckle view for me than Uncut Gems. Uncut Gems stars Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a jeweler from New York City with a compulsive gambling addiction and violent loan sharks on his tail. Howard suffers from a misplaced confidence in his bets, including the bets he makes on himself. When he decides to invest in a rare opal smuggled out of an Ethopian mine, Howard gets caught up in a race to appraise and sell the valuable gem while balancing the karmic retribution from friends, family, clients, and – of course – his bankrollers, which comes at him from all sides.
Uncut Gems had echoes of other stressful movies like A Serious Man and The Wolf of Wall Street, though neither film achieves the same level of adrenaline. The direction is Scorsese-esque. It often feels like the walls are closing in on Howard, and instead of exiting the room, Howard pushes a button to accelerate the trap. It might sound like something you’d turn away from, but directors Josh and Benny Safdie are so skilled at increasing the stakes, it’s also impossible not to watch. I even found myself unable to blink watching fictional basketball games, which is an incredible feat for someone who can barely raise an eyebrow for the real thing.
Uncut Gems easily made my top 10 films of the year, and in spite of how stressful I know I’m making it sound, I even went in for a second viewing. Because beyond the frantic pace, the film has more to offer, exploring the American Jewish identity, the trappings of coveting wealth, and the power of karma. It also contains award-worthy performances from Sandler and his breakout, scene-stealing partner Julia Fox.
2. 1917
1917 felt like a movie that came out of nowhere and landed on everyone’s Best-Of-Year lists and award predictions. Directed by Sam Mendes, 1917 is a World War I journey with the most intense, fast pacing of any war movie I’ve ever seen. There’s a strange irony that war, one of society’s most punishing, cruel, and devastating situations, is also a topic that is prone to making me feel disinterested or unengaged when shown on the big screen. I think that’s at least partially because, much like biopics, many films centered around war tend to follow the same predictable arcs, rhythms, and story beats. These beats can be incredibly effective when they’re original, but the impact fades with each successive version.
1917 upends that formula by applying the pop-culture darling concept of a “long take” shot to the entirety of the film, e.g. a one-shot film. Think of True Detective Season 1’s gripping 6-minute tracking shot from Director Cary Fukunaga, or 2014 film Birdman. 1917 looks like one extended, uninterrupted sequence shot around two soldiers attempting to cross through enemy lines. Starring George McKay and Dean-Charles Chapman as the two unlucky soldiers tasked with the dangerous mission, 1917 follows over the young men’s shoulders, pivots to their sides, and track their every movement over dangerous enemy terrain and their random encounters.
1917 is a technical masterpiece and a shoe-in for a whole host of awards for cinematographer Roger Deakins. But it’s more than just a work of craft. The film uses those technical skills to portray an intense, incredibly immersive experience from the eyes of these two men. You’ll hold your breath when they do, gasp when they do, and jump when they do. 1917 is a beautifully told story with a particularly stand-out performance from McKay, but it also manages to take you on a physical ride alongside its protagonists. It’s a relentless, thrilling mood piece and landed in my second slot in this year’s top 10.
3. Waves
Waves is a cleverly-titled film, one that I assume was inspired by the structure and pacing of the film itself. Waves has an intense, cumulative level of chaos and stress in its first half, much like a wave reaching its peak; followed by a quieter, more contemplative second half. I enjoyed both parts, but the second half was an almost necessary salve to the pressure-cooker approach to the first, which I found heart-stopping in its building narrative. If the first half’s pace permeated through the whole film, it might have been one of the most stressful movies of all time.
From its very first shot, Waves had me in a constant state of nervous energy and dread. Even something as simple as shots of teenagers riding around in cars had a complex edge that make them feel ominous or foreboding. Set in South Florida, Waves is the story of a family trying to cope with internal and external pressure and stress, as well as tragedy and its aftermath.
Anchored by two parallel and incredible performances, Waves offers an all-around impressive ensemble. Kelvin Harrison Jr. stars as Tyler, a black teenager trying to juggle the chaos of home, school, and the future. When things get difficult on all fronts – from his overbearing father, to girlfriend issues, to sports injuries – Tyler starts to collapse under the weight of it all. [Note: Harrison Jr. took the Atlanta Film Critics Circle’s 2019 prize for breakthrough performance, for his work both here and in Luce, which also deals with the inordinate pressure placed on young black men in the United States.] After the wave breaks, it ebbs, which is where we get another breakout performance from Taylor Russell as Tyler’s sister Emily, who mostly stands in Tyler’s shadow and copes with his actions.
Stressful Movies – Honorable Mentions
These were my three most stressful cinematic experiences, but 2019 had plenty more to offer. In addition to horror offerings like Midsommar, Us, and The Lighthouse, anxiety permeated movies across the board. From Netflix’s drama Marriage Story to my favorite movie of the year, Parasite (which had just enough dark humor to keep it off my top 3 most anxious experiences), to films I liked less but can still acknowledge for their mood work, such as Climax and Joker, it was hard to escape. What else did I miss? Let me know in the comments.