Sometimes, it’s a good film with contentious content. Other times, it’s a terrible film that tries and fails to be transgressive. One thing is certain: When a film stirs up controversy, it’s quite a sight to behold. The 20th century saw a wide variety of hugely controversial films, from Cannibal Holocaust to The Birth of a Nation, and the 21st century has—at least so far—contributed to that tradition.
Whether it’s a big franchise film that split the fanbase right down the middle, an arthouse movie whose intentions lent themselves to being greatly misinterpreted, or an exploitation movie that’s just plain awful, the most controversial films of the 21st century prove that disagreement never dies with cinephiles. Some of them are gratuitous, some others are misunderstood, but all of them gave audiences something to talk about. These films are ranked in order of the size of their controversy.
10
‘Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi’ (2017)
Image via LucasfilmÂ
Hated by some, loved by others, and “meh” in the eyes of many a Star Wars fan, the franchise’s new sequel trilogy has been the main point of debate of the whole galaxy far, far away for many years. But while most fans like Episode VII — The Force Awakens well enough, and very few fans have any love for Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, Episode VIII — The Last Jedi seems to have fans split down the middle.
The Force Awakens and Rise of Skywalker are divisive, but The Last Jedi goes well beyond that: It was, and still is, genuinely controversial. To some, it was the point where Disney proved that it had no idea what they were doing with George Lucas’ creation. To others, it’s one of the best movies with a bad reputation. The visuals are gorgeous, the action is enticing, and there’s no shortage of memorable scenes, but elements like the sudden killing of Supreme Leader Snoke and the entire arc of Luke Skywalker are, admittedly, deeply flawed creative decisions. Though the controversy that it stirred is purely contained within its fandom, The Last Jedi’s divisive impact can’t be denied.
9
‘Hostel’ (2005)
Jay Hernandez in Hostel (2005)Image via Lionsgate
Eli Roth has dabbled in acting, perhaps most notably as the Bear Jew in Inglourious Basterds, but he’s primarily a filmmaker most closely associated with the splatter horror genre. Arguably his most noteworthy movie, Hostel is about a group of American tourists who find themselves trapped by a murderous organization while in Slovakia.
Hostel is one of those films that’s probably too scary to re-watch, as its massive amounts of gore aren’t exactly a crowd-pleasing experience. However, the movie’s depiction of Slovakia as a poverty-ridden and crime-filled hellhole wasn’t met without pushback. The outrage was such that Slovakian officials claimed the film could damage their tourism industry, and even invited Eli Roth on an all-expenses-paid trip to the country so he could clear the controversy.
8
‘Martyrs’ (2008)
Image via Wild Bunch
The Canadian-French psychological horror film Martyrs is the story of a young woman’s quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child, accompanied by her friend, who is also a victim of child abuse. Ever since it came out, it’s been recognized as one of the most profoundly disturbing films of the century so far, in spite of its undeniable thematic depth.Martyrs is one of the bloodiest horror movies ever, and it’s definitely not suited for every cinephile’s palate. But this isn’t just a violent film. Some more seasoned horror fans were able to see past its gore and find a provocative story of revenge, religion, and transcendence, but many others still see Martyrs as revolting, gratuitous, even somewhat misogynistic torture porn. It faced threats of censorship in its native France upon release, and it remains highly contentious today.
7
‘Irreversible’ (2002)
Monica Bellucci as Alex, wearing a white dress and walking down a dimly lit tunnel in IrréversibleImage via Mars Distribution
Gaspar Noé is no stranger to controversy. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a film by the Argentine auteur that didn’t stir any passionate opinions. However, as far as controversial Gaspar Noé movies go, Irreversible is about as contentious as it gets. Told in reverse chronological order, it follows the events of one traumatic night in Paris.Saying that the movie divided audiences and critics alike would be an understatement. Around 200 people walked out of the screening at the Cannes Film Festival, and plenty of people since then have criticized the film for its homophobic undertones and gratuitous depiction of violence and rape. Others, however, see Irreversible as a tremendously thought-provoking piece made with the utmost artistry. One thing is certain: It’s one of the most challenging movies of the 21st century.
6
‘The Passion of the Christ’ (2004)
The arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a historical moment that’s been depicted on film on various occasions, but never as notably as when Mel Gibson made The Passion of the Christ. It’s one of the goriest non-horror movies of all time, and it’s both the highest-grossing Christian film and the highest-grossing indie film of all time. It was also the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time for two decades, until Deadpool came to take the record.
But while many people praise the film’s high-quality and high-fidelity depiction of the Passion of Christ, others see the movie as unnecessarily gory and even antisemitic. For one, the film’s problematic depiction of Jews stirred controversy, which coincided with Gibson’s newsworthy antisemitic remarks during his DUI arrest in 2006. Then, there’s the criticism that the movie is so focused on the brutality and bloody savagery of the final hours of Jesus’ life that it consequently neglects a lot of the spiritual dimension of the Passion. Love it or hate it, The Passion of the Christ isn’t without problems.
5
‘The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)’ (2011)
A black and white close-up of Lawrence R Harvey in The Human Centipede 2Image via IFC Midnight
Exploitation cinema isn’t at all a modern phenomenon. Its history and legacy go way back to the 1910s, and it has produced some of the most noteworthy B-pictures in history. From the 21st century, few exploitation films are as well-known as The Human Centipede, a film often deemed atrocious but not without some redeeming aspects. On the other hand, its sequel, The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence), is derided by many as one of the worst horror movies ever made.
The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) was initially banned across the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
There’s a long history of horror movies being banned around the world, and The Human Centipede 2 was initially banned across the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. Criticized for its irresponsible, pretentious, and highly gratuitous depiction of sadism, violence, and sexual assault, The Human Centipede 2 was deemed so obscene and inhumane that it’s no shocker it was banned outright in three countries.
4
‘Blue Is the Warmest Colour’ (2013)
Adele and Emma kissing on the cheek outdoors with a crowd of people behind in Blue is the Warmest Color.Image via Wild Bunch
The French-Belgian-Spanish co-production Blue Is the Warmest Colour is typically praised as one of the best erotic movies of the last few decades. Running for a whopping three hours, this character study is one of the most ambitious romance dramas of the 21st century. Despite all the praise, however, the film’s controversies are well-documented and undeniably problematic.
From the moment it released in Cannes (where it won the Palme d’Or), viewers (particularly LGBTQ+ cinephiles and critics) noticed that there was a serious issue with how male-gazey the film was—its lesbian sex scenes in particular. Even the author of the graphic novel the movie was based on, Jul Maroh, expressed her disliking of the film’s graphic sex scenes. Shortly after, the controversy grew. Some members of the film’s crew reported a production environment that bordered on “moral harassment,” and then the stars themselves, Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos, said that working with director Abdellatif Kechiche was a horrible, borderline abusive experience.
3
‘Antichrist’ (2009)
Still from ‘Antichrist’: The protagonist (Charlotte Gainsbourg) pulling her husband (Willem Dafoe) through the woods.Image via Nordisk Film Distribution
Yet another director who’s in no way a stranger to controversy, Lars von Trier seems to welcome and embrace contention, not shy away from it in any capacity. The question of what his most controversial movie is, though, tends to have one clear answer: Antichrist, a horror thriller about a grieving couple who retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. Oh, how misplaced their hopes are.With a highly inaccessible, surreal tone and one of the bleakest endings in all of horror, Antichrist is no Paddington, that’s for sure. Influenced by von Trier’s battle with depression and anxiety, the movie was banned in France due to its incredibly graphic depiction of violence and sadomasochism. It was labeled as profane and misogynistic, and its inclusion of unsimulated sex (not between Willem Dafoe andCharlotte Gainsbourg, but between body doubles) also stirred up discussions. Von Trier and controversy are synonymous, but Antichrist went further than just that.
2
‘Cuties’ (2020)
Image via BAC Films
To anyone who has been immersed in the Internet cultural zeitgeist throughout the 2020s, the French drama Cuties should need no introduction. One of the most controversial films in decades, it’s about an eleven-year-old who starts to rebel against her conservative Muslim family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated by a free-spirited dance crew.Cuties is a peculiar case of a film that might not have been nearly as controversial with better marketing. Netflix, for some reason that no one has ever been able to understand, decided to promote Cuties, a film that’s an explicit critique of the hypersexualization of young girls in Western cultures, with an initial promotional poster that was oddly hypersexualized itself. This reprehensible choice put Cuties under the spotlightand stirred such a high-profile controversy that Netflix even got in legal trouble over it. At the end of the day, there’s a strong argument to be made that Cuties’ depiction of its young actresses is counterproductive to its message, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of people criticizing the film never actually watched it.
1
‘A Serbian Film’ (2010)
A bloody man yelling in rage in A Serbian FilmImage via Unearthed Films
Meant as a critique of censorship in Serbia, A Serbian Film has been recognized by many over the years as the single most disturbing movie ever made. In it, an aging porn star agrees to participate in an “art film” in order to make a clean break from the business, only to discover that he has been drafted into making a terribly sadistic snuff film.A Serbian Film has such graphic, twisted, and sadistic scenes of pedophilia, necrophilia, sexual assault, and other kinds of morally deplorable violence that are difficult to describe. Ironically, considering its message, it was one of the most widely banned and censored films of the 21st century, outright prohibited in almost 10 countries and forced to be cut in plenty of others. The topic of censorship is its own debate, but there’s one thing that’s not up for discussion: A Serbian Film is one of the most immoral movies in recent years, and easily the most controversial of the 21st century.