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Vince Guerra's avatar

I'm conflicted here because I know I should go with one of those feel-good movies that inspires, something like Peanut Butter Falcon or My Left Foot, but I'm going to go a little dark here just because it is a different take on the answer.

Joker (2019) shows the complex deterioration of Arthur Fleck. He begins as man whose only childhood wish was to be happy,and make other people happy, but due to a condition that caused him to laugh uncontrollably, he becomes a social outcast who's bullied and physically abused his entire life (including by his parents). This results in a mixture of psychological problems and plagues him into becoming a murderous sociopath.

Buuuuuut, since he is seen by the riotous masses as a counter-cultural hero, he (sort of) "overcomes" that to where he basically the figurehead of a revolution.

I know, it's dark as heck, but the psychology is amazing. I never imagined there could be a movie that would make me sympathize with how the The Joker became the monster he is, but there it was.

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Peter David Balis's avatar

I always thought that The Elephant Man was beautiful and disturbing. In fact, it's one of those movies (like Twelve Angry Men, To Kill A Mockingbird, and The Oxbow Incident) that all citizens of the Earth should be required to watch. The screenplay is flawed, but even when you have to suspend disbelief, you're mesmerized. Everything else about the film is perfectly calibrated to break your heart.

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