In 1998 Happiness Todd Solondz, has baffled and enraged much of the public and specialist critics alike. It wasn’t just his brutal dismemberment of American society. In addition, he directly addressed taboo topics such as pedophilia, sexual assault, infidelity and death. And all this among seemingly ordinary characters who showed a dark side. increasingly cruel, sinister and violent.

The film caused a stir and its long shadow was discussed at festivals and later in traditional cinemas. The hype surrounding him was so overwhelming that it even overshadowed his performance during awards season. The idea of ​​North America depicted at its worst and most disgusting human behavior opened up a discussion about cinema as a sounding board for modern culture. But more than that, its most complex elements within an honest reflection on the identity of our times.

Of course, this was not the first or last time the film became the center of a lengthy and bitter debate. We leave you with five very controversial films that you can watch right now on streaming. From a work that delves into depravity and offers twisted political commentary, to the iconic director’s first – and disturbing – work. This is a journey through the most sinister and twisted side of the cinematic world, allowing you to explore its most grotesque shadows and nuances. Ideal for lovers of the weird and uncomfortable.

Salo, or 120 days of Sodom (Filmin)

This film brought together two of the most controversial, cruel and complex artists in history in one story. On the one hand, he adapts the work of the same name by the Marquis de Sade, giving detailed descriptions of torture, abuse and sexual violence to a terrifying visual dimension. And this is in the middle of a torture center scenario in which all the hostages are turned into objects of mass pleasure. At the other end is the address of Pier Paolo Pasolini: an avant-garde director who gave the feature film a very tough social commentary.

The result is a depraved film that unhesitatingly explores the brutality of sexual, physical and mental aggression. Although the plot delves into the political and ecclesiastical corruption of Fascist Italy through degradation and dehumanization of his characters.

This film is not easy to watch and some scenes are almost unbearable due to the level of graphic violence. Therefore, almost fifty years after its premiere, it is still considered one of the most controversial and scandalous plays ever filmed. A cult work that you can already see in streaming.

Last Tango in Paris (Filmin)

Since its premiere in 1972, the film has become one of the most controversial films in cinema, and for good reason. And not just because of the extremely high erotic content that almost immediately made it a cult classic. At the same time, due to his way of depicting adult desires, common needs and, ultimately, dissatisfaction with loneliness in an ode to purely carnal desire.

But this story of a widow seeking to atone for grief with pleasure had even darker implications. In a 2013 documentary, director Bernardo Bertolucci admitted that he did not inform actress Maria Schneider what would happen in one of the film’s most brutal scenes. In it, the character played by Marlon Brando can be seen brutally raping a young performer. A violent event that is captured on camera and subjected the actress to a humiliating episode to which she did not consent.

Hence Last Tango in Parisultimately became an example of misogyny and abuse of power in Hollywood. A debate that today spans decades and much longer. If you want to analyze what happened and To understand its seriousness, you can watch the film today on Filmin.

The Last Temptation of Christ (Apple TV+)

Martin Scorsese took the controversial work of the same name by Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis and turned it into a meditation on Catholic guilt and redemption. And it’s thanks to one of the most controversial and scandalous takes on Jesus Christ ever to appear on the big screen. The plot of the film, reimagining the last days of the important a religious figure, from the point of view of his humanity, is necessarily inconvenient.

This is shown when Jesus (played by Willem Dafoe) is fallible, full of doubts and saddened by the possibility of his death. As if that weren’t enough, the film also imagines life beyond the trials of the cross and self-imposed sacrifice. It turns out to be a very strange scene in which J.Jesus escapes death and lives life to the fullest, just like any other person.

With sex scenes that outraged the public and inevitable debate about the alleged heresy in its history, The Last Temptation of Christ He fought against censorship. Also against the attempt to suppress from a distance the importance of his message of faith and faith, from a more worldly and realistic point of view. What does it do a rare piece of the cinematic world that can be enjoyed in streaming.

Stop the monsters (Filmin)

In 1932, Tod Browning explored the world of the circus and turned it into a true horror show in this film that explores the grotesque from all angles. And he does it in a ruthless, frontal and humiliating way that turns the plot into a series of unpleasant and sometimes unbearable scenes.

The most curious thing is that the director did not need a single dialogue – one of the most memorable works in silent cinema – to show the horror. From brutal and merciless images showing the humiliation suffered by people with disabilities some physical deformities, even violent and uncomfortable moods.

Stopping Monsters is an unclassifiable piece of work that becomes increasingly unsettling and disturbing as the footage progresses. With a finale that is decadent and brutal, the film leaves the pain of discrimination captured in story-perfect close-up. This shows that cinema is capable of showing horror as a form of beauty.

Dogs (Movistar+)

Perhaps this is the film by Yorgos Lanthimos that is worth watching to understand the extent to which the director takes risks in his stories. The story of a family that lives locked up in a house and avoids any contact with the outside world is traumatic. Much more like twisted connections between parents and children become increasingly suffocating and claustrophobic.

Gradually, forced coexistence and extreme suffering transform the family home into an unknown and increasingly grotesque terrain. Incest, verbal and physical violence, manipulation. There is nothing about this work that is becoming increasingly difficult to digest. With a finale that explores the possibility that we may never fully escape our emotional wounds, Lanthimos defines his style. This is due to giving the film an unbearable atmosphere in which fear, Torment and pain are means of understanding human nature.