MovieChat Forums > Snowtown (2011) Discussion > Disturbing? Not really...

Disturbing? Not really...

posted 12 years ago by Don_Falone1985
10 replies | jump to latest

Before i saw this film i heard lot's of people say "it's the most disturbing film i have ever seen" " it's chilling" etc etc, I'm not sure what film you guys were watching but i certainly didn't think so. I get the whole issue where Jamie is going through an emotional rollercoaster and is being manipulated by this John guy and you see how hard it affects him, obviously it being based on a true story gives it a more realistic feeling and makes it a lot more depressing but it was not as disturbing as people make out. I felt the bathtub killing scene was quiet nasty but i have seen scenes in certain films that are a lot worse and more disturbing than this. For me 'Martyrs' is a lot more disturbing and brutally brilliant than this film. I thought 'snowtown' was an ok movie that kept me interested but i certainly wouldn't revisit this film purely because i didn't think it was that great neither did it show the murders in it's true fashion or what actually happened.

[–] Strazdamonas 12 years ago

You want disturbing you watch Salo, this was just boring.

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Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] kimbathewhitelion 11 years ago

I think the primary reason people find the film disturbing is because it actually happened.

[–] AdmiralCrunch9 11 years ago

It didn't want to be "brutally brilliant" though. Its goal wasn't to fetishize the horrors depicted, the way they are in films like Martyrs or A Serbian Film. It doesn't glorify them in any way, even by showing them as inhumanly brutal. Instead it(through some truly brilliant editing, scoring and framing) brings the atrocities to a place we can understand and believe. I'll never forget a second of the rape scene, because it is filmed in such a way that highlights not just the horror of the act, but the terrifying fact that it is a totally real action that real people are actually despicable enough to commit.

Sure Martyrs is more gruesome, but it's totally unbelievable. Snowtown is haunting in its realism, and is a true testament to the skills of its director and cinematographer for creating a mood and striking emotional chords. It's not a perfect movie, but it is a remarkably effective one.

[–] JahWoo 10 years ago

That.

It's not supposed to be slaughter porn for sickos to 'enjoy' and get their rocks off to.

[–] Killingforcompany 11 years ago

Yes, but there was a sense of realism and a permeating sense of dread that shrouded over the entire movie that made it uneasy. I really don't feel that this was a horror film. Horror buffs may go into it expecting blood and guts, but this film seemed much more interested in the psychology of its characters more than anything else.

[–] bishops64 11 years ago

It wasn't the most disturbing film I've ever seen, but there were some things that were a bit uncomfortable to see. A brother raping his younger brother is quite disturbing, a pedophile taking photos of young boys, and the cavalier attitude that John had about killing. However, I have seen films that were far more disturbing than this, but this was a good one.

[–] doughazelrigg 11 years ago

It's disturbing not just because it's a true story (which Martyrs isn't), but also because of what some observers of human nature have called "the banality of evil." These guys are just plain blokes, but who also happen to be completely socio-pathic -- I find THAT very disturbing. The way John manipulated Jamie and basically intimidated him into his world of serial murder is not only chilling, but very tragic, because it seemed Jamie had not the strength to avoid it.

[–] kirkwuk 11 years ago

Salo: 120 Days Of Sodom for me is the most disturbing movie on it's "WTF" factor. The book is twenty times worse, as it was written by Marquis De Sade in the 1700's.

Snowtown is a pretty good film but wholly different from Salo or A Serbian Film.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] britnim90 8 years ago

I'd find it more disturbing if the movie gave a more accurate depiction of Jamie's participation in these crimes.