10 Most Controversial Motion pictures of the twenty first Century

From the outrage over experimental storylines and “inappropriate” visuals resulting in the creation of the Hays Code, to the Academy Awards’ everlasting racial and gender prejudice and the massive scale of the sexual assault and rape tradition in Hollywood uncovered throughout the #MeToo motion, controversy each on and off-screen has been a degree of rivalry for cinema since its conception.

Now, trying again, some controversial motion pictures appear tame by immediately’s requirements, because the extent of extremeness we commonly see on the display has elevated manifold as compared. Quite the opposite, many nice comedy motion pictures would by no means be made immediately as a result of the requirements of political correctness are excessive and infrequently stringent amongst audiences, producers, critics, and, thus, studio executives as effectively.

Some controversial motion pictures change into box-office hits due to the hype that the encompassing controversy generates, however the reverse is thought to happen as effectively, since many controversial motion pictures get outright banned and by no means get theatrical releases in lots of nations all over the world. Regardless of their success, the twenty first century has seen its justifiable share of films suffering from controversy.

Antichrist (2009)

Lars von Trier is thought for courting controversy together with his darkish, cynical, miserable, and excessive arthouse filmmaking. From walkouts throughout premieres to extreme cuts and bans, it is uncommon that certainly one of his movies is not surrounded by controversy. Whatever the ongoing debate about which is his most outrageous movie, nobody can deny that Antichrist is his most notorious work.

From the newborn falling out of the window whereas his mother and father orgasm within the bathe to the person being castrated by his spouse whereas he is climaxing, Antichrist has its justifiable share of horror film moments that make us audibly gasp, which have been cited as grounds for censorship and even bans within the UK, Australia, and different components of the world.

Baise-moi (2000)

With the flip of the century started a brand new wave of French cinema, the New French Extremity, recognized by depictions of intense violence, intercourse, and sexual violence for lengthy quantities of time. Whereas there’s debate about which particular film began the New French Extremity, a time period coined in 2004, Baise-moi is undoubtedly one of many earliest examples of the wave.

It did not assist that the movie’s title was typically mistranslated as Rape Me. Different complaints have been made by the censor boards of the nations the place it sparked controversy. From unsimulated intercourse to gang rape, it modified what 18+ filmmaking seemed like within the UK, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Finland, and New Zealand. Some nations banned the sale of bodily copies.

The Ardour of the Christ (2004)

An interpretation of the previous few hours of Jesus Christ’s life goes to spark controversy, even when it is correct. Play quick and unfastened with info and myths and have Mel Gibson direct, and also you’re virtually asking for controversy. Not solely is the film traditionally inaccurate, however it’s additionally been subjected to accusations of antisemitism.

Of the numerous controversies surrounding The Ardour of the Christ, two that stand out are the antisemitic tones and the gratuitous depiction of ache and struggling. It sparked outrage as a result of the violence inflicted upon Christ was was a spectacle whereas the true info in regards to the time have been twisted, and the movie was denied a large launch by many governments.

The Human Centipede trilogy (2009 – 2015)

Depicting folks getting stitched from mouth to anus to type a centipede-like being was by no means going to go easily with critics, audiences, or censor boards, however writer-director Tom Six could not care much less, as he made three of those motion pictures. Whereas the primary movie caught folks’s consideration for its excessively sadistic depictions of violence, the second film attracted probably the most controversy.

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) was closely reduce and outright banned in most nations, and it stays some of the egregious examples of physique horror, though there’s some cult fandom developed as a result of controversy surrounding the movie. With restricted releases, it turned coveted due to fixed censorship.

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

Whereas it options the breakout roles of each Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos, and even unanimously received the Palme d’Or in 2013, the legacy of Blue Is the Warmest Color is steeped in controversy. Jul Maroh, the author of the graphic novel on which the film is predicated, and different viewers argue the movie would not symbolize the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood effectively.

Nonetheless, the main controversy lay within the reviews about poor working situations on set, together with complaints by the lead actresses who mentioned the shoot was harrowing, though they each later expressed appreciation for each the movie and the director. No matter how boundary-pushing it might have been on the time, it is likely one of the most controversial romance motion pictures ever.

Eddington (2025)

Ari Aster is thought for upsetting audiences. Midsommar and Beau is Afraid are not like any horror motion pictures I’ve ever seen, and that is partly as a result of they take a look at the boundaries of each surrealism and excessive violence. His most up-to-date film, Eddington, nonetheless, has courted probably the most controversy, and it is not due to the explanations you’d normally affiliate with Aster and his work.

Eddington is about in 2020 throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and options depictions of the Black Lives Matter protests. The film has come underneath fireplace for not being clear about its politics and turning COVID conspiracies and police brutality into plot factors. From anti-masking to home terrorism, viewers are pissed off with the dearth of readability on a stance relating to these issues.

The Brown Bunny (2003)

Rising star Chloë Sevigny’s profession seemed threatened again in 2003 when she appeared in The Brown Bunny, which was the middle of many controversies, particularly due to a scene within the climax that options unsimulated fellatio. Nonetheless, it might need truly helped additional catapult her to fame and alter the trajectory of her profession by difficult followers’ perceptions of her.

Sevigny has all the time defended the film and its intercourse scene, which turned the topic of a media scandal on the time of the movie’s launch, additional bolstered by a verbal conflict between director Vincent Gallo and well-known movie critic Roger Ebert. The Brown Bunny had an notorious Cannes Movie Pageant premiere, with heckling and jeering concerned, particularly focusing on Vincent Gallo.

Ken Park (2002)

Larry Clark’s directorial profession is a narrative of controversies. None of his movies receieved unanimous assist from viewers, who typically discovered his movies to be offensive and problematic. The most important of the controversies got here in 2002 when his film Ken Park got here out, which sparked controversy in virtually each single nation through which it was theatrically launched.

From being banned in Australia to being denied launch within the UK, Ken Park was troublesome to observe in two senses. It challenges viewers’ limitations, however it was additionally troublesome to discover a serviceable copy of the movie again within the early 2000s. It is nonetheless a controversial movie due to its depiction of sexual exercise in minors.

A Serbian Movie (2010)

Some motion pictures change into well-known to the purpose that everybody is aware of about them, even when solely a handful have ever seen them. Of the twenty first Century motion pictures whose reputations precede them, A Serbian Movie is maybe probably the most notorious, typically touted as probably the most unwatchable film of all time, with exaggerated reviews of viewers struggling whereas making an attempt to observe it.

Overlook a remake, A Serbian Movie is a horror film that may by no means get made immediately due to the present tradition. With gratuitous depictions of morally doubtful acts, a few of which might qualify as little one pornography, the film is thought for the lengthy record of nations that banned it from being launched when it first got here out in 2010.

Cuties (2020)

Misunderstandings are pretty widespread causes for controversies, and there is no higher demonstration of that than Netflix’s 2020 movie Cuties. A french film that makes an attempt to analyze the function of social media within the sexualization of women, Cuties, sparked outrage for being lewd and for sexualizing minors. Whereas the director maintained she needed to show sexualization, she was accused of participation.

From a lawsuit towards the film that Netflix received regardless of controversies, to boycotts by viewers who use the platform, and bans in different nations, Cuties has been the topic of controversy because the launch of the poster, which featured a younger woman in risqué clothes, which Netflix later eliminated and apologized for. Regardless of the lawsuit win, its repute precedes it.