MovieChat Forums > The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) Discussion > Other movies about incest... (some spoil...

Other movies about incest... (some spoilers possible)

posted 19 years ago by Bladerunner
196 replies | jump to latest

***UPDATED 5/11/2009***

Here is a list I put together myself, the ratings are all mine, and therefore subjective.

First, there are some spoilers within, however minor some may be...
Second, incest — in real life — is NOT sensual, or sexy, or beautiful, it is ugly and horrid and about taking power away from the victim. However, since it is a taboo — in *film* — it can be sensual and tender. To all incest victims, please take no offense in this, it is a list about *film* only, and in no way minimizes your ordeal.

That being said...

* Stars are for the quality of the film [0 = none]
+ Pluses are given for the sensuality (not explicitness) of the incest

**** ++ Lone Star - brother and sister (consummated on screen)
* ++++ Amityville II - The Possession - brother and sister (very sensual, on screen kissing, nudity, and flirting)
** +++ Spanking the Monkey - mother and son (consummated on screen)
(haven't seen) 8 1/2 Women - father and son (on screen)
* ++ Cruel Intentions - brother and sister (lots of titillation, nothing on screen)
** + The House of Yes - brother and sister (nothing on screen)
*** +++ The Hotel New Hampshire - brother and sister (consummated on screen in fast forward)
**** +++ The Royal Tenenbaums - brother and sister (consummated off screen)
**** 0 Chinatown - father and daughter (nothing on screen, suggested in history)
*** 0 The Two Jakes - father and daughter (nothing on screen, suggested in history)
*** 0 The Shipping News – brother and sister (off screen recollection)
*** ++ The Weight of Water - brother and sister (mild flashback recollections and discussion)
** +++ Little Boy Blue - mother and son (consummated on screen)
*** ++++ Beau Pere - father and step-daughter (consummated on screen, but mostly petting)
** ++++ Blue Lagoon and Return to the Blue Lagoon - suggestive of brother and sister
*** + Cousins - well, uh, cousins (by marriage) (consummated on screen)
0 0 Flowers in the Attic - suggestive of brother and sister - nothing on screen
* +++ Sleepwalkers - mother and son (titillation on screen, not consummated)
**** 0 The Cider House Rules - father and daughter (discovered during the film, but not consummated)
**** 0 Forrest Gump - Jenny tells of her father molesting her
** ++++ Luna - mother and son (explicit petting onscreen)
**** 0 The War Zone - father and daughter (one horrific and explicit scene)
**** ++++ Lolita (both versions) father and stepdaughter - 1997 version is consummated on screen and included several onscreen titillating scenes.
**** ++++ (The finest ever) Jude - cousins (the single most erotic and romantic of the lot, VERY explicit on screen foreplay)
0 + Ritual - (2000 Denise Nicholas) brother and sister - one scene, blurry and boring.
(Haven’t seen) Beatrice - father and daughter
** ++++ The Ballad of Jack and Rose - father and daughter (a kiss on screen)
*** ++++ Close My Eyes - brother and sister – consummated onscreen, several scenes. This is the single most erotic incest film. Consensual, adult, romantic and tragic.
* + Cat People - brother and sister (suggestive, not consummated)
(Haven’t seen) Suddenly Last Summer - dunno
**** ++ Angels and Insects – brother and sister - VERY explicit on screen - brief
**** +++ Miss Firecracker - brother and sister (LOTS of flirting)
** +++ Wicked - father and daughter (consummated off-screen, during the movie)
** 0 This World, Then the Fireworks – nothing onscreen
** +++ Sister My Sister - sister and sister, pretty explicit
** 0 Priest - Father-daughter, discussed explicitly
**** + Gladiator - brother and sister (rough on-screen attempts at consummation only)
0 + Eurotrip - brother and sister (on-screen kissing)
*** +++ Forbidden Relations (Visszaesök) - brother and sister, 1982 Hungary movie which may be based on a true story.
*** 0 Heart of the Stag - father and daughter (consummated on screen)
* ++ In Dark Places - brother and sister (consummated on screen)
** + Blood - brother and sister (on screen touching) Indy Canadian film
**** 0 The Quiet - father and daughter (on screen touching)

There are others, especially (for instance) Star Wars (5, 6 and 7) Luke and Leia. I skipped this, and others because they offer no real on-screen insight or passion.

Can you name others?

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] AlwaysACritic 16 years ago

Bladerunner seems way too interested/obsessed with movies involving incest... which disturbs me more than the movies themselves. To put so much thought and effort on this topic for almost 2.5 years...

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] AlwaysACritic 16 years ago

I'm entitled to my own opinion and your nasty response isn't going to change that. I'm not worried about anyone so don't get all defensive. Maybe you should take your own advice and YOU should be more concerned with YOURSELF, since I was not even talking about you. If I think someone putting so much effort into looking for and purchasing movies about incest and posting about it is strange then that's what I think.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Bladerunner 16 years ago

AnnRice-18, who cares what this person thinks? Really? I have found it's best to ignore judgmental trolls. It's like throwing pearls to swine... a fool's errand.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Bladerunner 16 years ago

Oh lord, punkin... I'm not sure how old you are, but by the time you get to 46 (my age) you will have been misunderstood your whole *life*! Haha. You have to understand, for a lot of young people things are very black and white, they see things in two dimensions and that's it. They can't understand a person having a fascination with a topic, but no desire whatsoever to be involved in said activity. They also don't understand the difference between reality and the rarefied air of filmmaking.

I think a good example that I can think of would be Agatha Christie. Dame Christie wrote about murder her whole life, some say she glamorized the repugnant practice, I disagree. She had no desire to murder anyone (save maybe her own husband at one point <grin>) and had no desire to be a murdered person, but she made her living on the topic.

I'm a writer and I look for subjects and topics that grab people that grab me and incest is one of those topics. Writers and other artists mine the extremes of life to examine and understand them. It's like the books and movies on serial killers (Se7en, et. al.) no one wants to be a serial killer or the victim, it's just incredibly fascinating because we could NEVER do that and wonder how anyone could. I have no desire (gag, whatsoever) to do incest nor have I ever been the victim of said. I think I was quite clear in the opening about my repugnance for the reality of incest, which is *entirely* different from (most of) the portrayal of such in cinema.

Anyway, point being, get ready to be misunderstood *a lot* in your life. Just do what Jesus said to do when you visit a town that rebukes you, just knock the dust of that town off your sandals and move *on*.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Bladerunner 16 years ago

Ahhhh... ok. I stand corrected.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Bladerunner 16 years ago

Well, I think anyone who comes into an established thread and starts making rank judgments of people is opening themselves up to an angry rebuke. Just my opinion.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] AlwaysACritic 16 years ago

I could care less about angry rebukes to be honest. My opinion still stands, take it or leave it doesn't matter to me. Oh my goodness how dare I come into your thread and say what I feel. Your condescension it really quite ridiculous. Assuming I am a "young person" because I don't quite agree with your fascination of incest is laughable considering I have quite a few years on you. The fact that I think your apparent extreme interest is curious does not make me less intelligent, open-minded, or less mature than you. No, I'm not a troll, this is actually the first time I've had anything negative to say to anyone on this site that I can remember. This is the last time I will even look at this thread, so I will probably miss any future posts on your incestual movie hunts.

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[–] Bladerunner 16 years ago

fact that I think your apparent extreme interest is curious does not make me less intelligent, open-minded, or less mature than you

I disagree. The fact that you cannot comprehend someone having an interest in such a subject and not a "apparent extreme interest" or some twisted " fascination of incest" clearly shows that you have neither an open mind or the intelligence necessary to accomplish the task.

This is the last time I will even look at this thread, so I will probably miss any future posts on your incestual movie hunts.

How nice it would have been if you had done that sooner, rather than blundering in here and arrogantly accusing and judging people.

I think it is accurate to assume that someone who is unable to comprehend how someone could have an interest in something, rather than some pathological "fascination" who starts labeling and sitting in judgment has some issues of their own. At the very least it shows an inability to separate reality from fiction or worse it is a projection of some of your own dysfunctional desires on me and/or others.

I suppose any writers who have addressed the subject in fiction, or anyone of these people who have made a movie on the topic are also guilty of being "way too interested/obsessed" with incest. Of course, we won't know that until AlwaysACritic sits in judgment of them on a case-by-case basis.

You claim that this is "the first time" you have had anything "negative to say to anyone on this site", that may be true, but with a handle of "AlwaysACritic" I don't think it's too far a stretch to assume that you have a habit of judging people and assuming the worst in your fellow man (or woman).

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] AlwaysACritic 16 years ago

AlwaysACritic... this is a movie review site.

[–] Bladerunner 16 years ago

Oh really? I have to admit, it's not my favorite film and I'm not sure I can sit through it again, so thanks for the info.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Supafreak 16 years ago

There's an Australian film called "2:37" which is alot like Gus Van Sants "Elephant" in the way they tell the stories of each of the characters. It starts with a suicide in the bathroom at 2:37 in the afternoon then rewinds to the beginning of the day and follows a selection of students around for the day, giving each a reason for them being that person in the bathroom. One of the characters has been raped by her brother and is now pregnant with his child, the brother is also one of the main characters. One for the sexual abuse column I guess. Oh and the film is really terrible too, it tries much too hard to be really deep and meaningful and ends up a total disaster with lots of unintentional humour.

[–] Bladerunner 16 years ago

There is a scene in Forrest Gump where Forrest says, "He was a very loving man, he was always kissing and touching her and her sisters". This is a scene where she is hiding from him. Right after that, child protective services takes her away from her dad and places her with her grandmother. Clearly, she is being molested.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Supafreak 16 years ago

I forgot to mention that 2:37 has the actual rape on screen. There's also another movie called "Harry and Max" about two brothers, which you could say are modelled after Nick Carter (from The Backstreet Boys) and his little brother Aaron Carter. It's about two pop star brothers who have an incestuous relationship, there is some kissing and some oral sex on screen between them. Movie might sound bad, but it's actually very very good. Great little drama. From the director who gave us "The Hours and the Times".

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[–] Violet_Loves_Iliona 16 years ago

I thought it was very smart and very... and given the rape theme I feel quite uncomfortable using this word - very beautiful, the way this film slowly showed us the relationship between the brother and the sister and the terrible, disastrous thing that the brother did.

I think it also did a wonderful job of showing the way that the brother was treated by the parents, who held him up as their "golden boy" who was innately "deserving" everything he had ever wanted, and how this, in a way, created the situation in which he could somehow normalise such hurtful and traumatising behaviour towards his sister.

I recommend that you give this film a serious viewing, and not just watch selected sections out of order - you might realise how brilliant it is!

Violet

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[–] Bladerunner 16 years ago

Look, there is no doubt what Humbert did is utterly and completely wrong. He committed statutory rape. Lolita though, is a little "nymphet" and so things are complicated. What is not complicated is this:

1 Humbert was supposed to be her father, he had a responsibility to her to treat her as he would his OWN daughter, and he didn't do that.

2. Lolita was unable, at that age, to make conscious decisions concerning sex. She got off on the power her flirtations gave her, but stuff like that happens and it is up to the *adult* to make sure nothing untoward happens.

However... there are a couple of mitigating circumstances...

1. In Humbert's day, women got married MUCH younger. It wasn't unusual for a girl of 14 to be married. So, 12-years-old then was not the same as now, at that age girls were allowed to think and feel a certain way that they aren't now (for damn good reason). All I'm saying in mentioning that is, 12-years-old in Lolita's day is 16-17 in today's age. That does NOT make what he did right, it's just a fact.

2. Humbert was clearly emotionally screwed-up, and the right combo spelled his doom, a doom *he* created.

All that being said, the real deal about the story is choices. Humbert has the choice to be a good dad or satiates his desires. He makes the choice to fulfill his desires and loses Lolita (as a daughter and friend) forever, destroying her soul in the process.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

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[–] AngR 16 years ago

The movie, "The Quiet" (2005) deals with father/daughter incest.The story revolves around Dot (Camilla Belle), who pretends to be deaf and mute. She is sent to live with her godparents and their daughter Nina (Elisha Cuthbert), where she learns the secrets of her new family. Nina and her father are involved in an incestuous relationship which appears to be consensual, but you see later that things are more complicated than that. Nina who at first seems like a willing participant, wants the incest to stop. So I guess it would be rape. Never saw the ending.

I really only caught sections of this movie so feel free to correct anything.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Bladerunner 15 years ago

The movie sums well the sad dynamic that occurs in abuse victims. Consider what Nina says:

I'm gonna kill my dad Dot. Tonight. I hate him you know. I hate him and I love him. I hate it when he won't let me go out with my friends, but I love it when he f_cks me. I hate it when he f_cks me too, though. See how that works? Doesn't make any sense.

This is common in abuse victims. They have this dichotomy where they get some kind of fulfillment in the abuse, either they enjoy the attention, or they sometimes will enjoy the sex. When this happens, they think they are bad people, when in reality it is just a normal response to a very not-normal situation. A child cannot help it if they enjoy the attention, they cannot help it if their body "enjoys" the sexual attention. Clearly though, if they had their choice, NONE of it would have EVER happened.

This is why abuse victims often feel "guilty" sometimes for decades after the event. They feel that, because they liked some aspect of the abuse situation, the attention or the sexual component, that they cannot indict the parent or adult that abused them.

Nina expresses this dilemma in the movie. She enjoys the attention from her father, and she (at times) enjoys the sex, but this is just a coping mechanism for her being placed in this very pathological situation. She feels guilty for enjoying the attention, for enjoying the sex, when actually it isn't her fault at all that her father is doing this to her. It is completely normal for a child to enjoy getting attention from her father, even if it is in this very sick situation. She can't help it that her body responds to her father's touch. It isn't her fault that she has been placed in this twisted situation, and clearly she wants out badly.

This is why this film was so good, because it really illustrated the hurt and pain that abuse causes, beyond the pain a child feels about the abuse itself. The abuser, in essence, makes the abused child feel "complicit" in the abuse, and may even use this against the child. The abuser may say things like, "you enjoy it when I touch you" and stuff like that, trying to make the abused child feel guilty and feel a partner to his crime. This is where the real damage occurs, the real hurt when an abused person feels guilty for what happened, when they feel "dirty" for finding some pleasure in the abuse, when in reality this is simply human, behavioral response and is in NO way indicating that they wanted or invited the abuse.

The reason Lolita is such a powerful film is it shows the two paths that Humbert could have taken, but didn't. It shows how Humbert tries to indict Lolita along with him, because she is a "nymphet", because she is aware of how her sexuality gives her power. When in reality it is completely normal for a girl to experiment with her sexual power, but it is not normal for an adult man to respond to those machinations. Humbert knows that what he should have done is just rebuff her advances, and after a time Lolita would learn that this is inappropriate and she would grow up learning the appropriate way to use her sexuality. Instead, Humbert tries to defend himself by showing how Lolita is a willing participant, which is patently absurd. Children cannot be blamed for having the expression of their sexuality twisted by a exploitative adult, and Humbert truly knows this, for in the end he reviles Clare Quilty for robbing him of "his redemption". More is made of this in the book, but basically Humbert wanted to be able to seek Lolita's forgiveness for what he did and help her transition into a "normal young lady"... as if that were possible after what he did to her. Quilty may have solidified her cavalier attitude towards all things sexual, but it was Humbert that laid the foundation.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] LazyCrazy 15 years ago

Why has no one included Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me? I don't want to ruin it for anyone but the story is about a father molesting his daughter, probably for years and years. There's a graphic scene where he's on top of her. The whole series had weird father/daughter relationships like Leland/Laura and Benjamin/Audrey.

[–] Bladerunner 15 years ago

I wonder what causes a flimmaker, or artist, writer to explore themes of incest? I find myself fascinated by the theme and I have never had any experiences of this nature. None. Maybe it is only people who haven't that *could* explore such themes.

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus

[–] goh78 15 years ago

You are all a bunch of fu cking losers who have nothing better to do then list movies with incest in them. And before someone says I have nothing better to do either, blah blah blah, yes, I am very bored at work.

Seriously, a star rating for incest scenes? You all need lives/to get laid.

[–] Bladerunner 14 years ago

Yes, because none of us have ever been laid, because we are all too attracted to our sisters and mothers (or fathers and brothers).

I have a better idea, why don't you stay out of this thread and pretend like you have a life? How's that?

"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus