Five Uncomfortable Yet Relevant Movies That People Should Watch Right Now

School Shootings, Sexual Assault, Racism, Terrorism, and Immigration. It's hard to believe that many of these concepts would still be relevant in 2018 but the past few years have shown us that we have a long way to go with regards to equality and security. In the past four years we have seen an increase in racially driven crime thanks, in part, to the rise of the Alt-Right in America. The Black Lives Matter movement was the first of many groups to mobilize and march for change before we even got to 2020. 2017 was the year of the #metoo movement. 2018 was the year that students finally mobilized and fought for common sense gun reform in the wake of the Parkland Florida shooting in February. While movies tend to feed off of current events for new and relevant stories, few film makers are able to encapsulate these ideals into a truly grounded and visceral experience. Casual audiences tend to avoid movies like these because they can be really unnerving. Elephant, for example, plays out like a slow-build indie drama about high schoolers but the true, dark message doesn't really hit you until towards the end of the film. Personally, I wish more directors and film makers would work to deliver experiences with more gritty realism than the usual glossed-over Blockbuster. While they do make you feel uncomfortable, those feelings are important for us to understand the plight of others and be able to grow and evolve as people, without having to truly experience the horrors that others have to endure. These are a few movies that I appreciate for their dark portrayal of real life issues that many people still deal with. 

Elephant

Directed by Gus Van Sant. Starring: Alex Frost, John Robinson, Elias McConnell, Eric Deulen and Carrie Finklea

Trust

Directed by David Schwimmer. Starring: Liana Liberato, Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, and Viola Davis

Imperium

Directed by Daniel Ragussis. Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Toni Collette, Tracy Letts, Sam Trammell, and Nestor Carbonell. Full Review Here

Maria Full Of Grace

Directed by Joshua Marston. Starring: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Yenny Paola Vega, Guilied Lopez, Patricia Rae, 

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

Directed by Mark Herman. Starring: Asa Butterfield, Vera Farmiga, Jack Scanlon, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend

While these are five movies I selected, I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment below about some of the true story movies that you have seen that made you feel uncomfortable.