hard to watch: how to enjoy long, slow, challenging, and obscure movies and television

We’ve never had better access to movies than we do today. Thanks to streaming services, video-on-demand, boutique physical media, repertory theaters, and the wild frontiers of the internet, we have ready access to a huge range of titles--Hollywood classics, art films from around the world, and audacious contemporary works are all right at our fingertips.

Yet, despite this embarrassment of riches, most of us gravitate to the popular and familiar, barely scratching the surface of what’s available. According to philosopher Matthew Strohl, we’re doing ourselves a disservice by overlooking the range of so-called ＂difficult＂ movies. Hard to Watch is a joyous celebration of cinema that might seem boring, pretentious, or offensive at first glance but that offers its own distinctive rewards when we give ourselves over to it. Writing with infectious enthusiasm--and a refreshing lack of condescension--Strohl discusses everything from the challenging late works of beloved directors like Terrence Malick and David Lynch to such visionary but divisive films as Alain Resnais’s Muriel, or the Time of Return, Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, and Julia Ducournau’s Titane, evocatively showing why they’re worth the time and effort to engage with, and how to get the most out of them.

Whether you’re a film lover looking to step up your game or just someone who’s bored with Netflix, Hard to Watch is a brisk and accessible guide to expanding your horizons.

Matthew Strohl is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Montana. He received his doctorate from Princeton University and writes about movies, food, and philosophy of art at the blogs he edits, strohltopia.com and aestheticsforbirds.com. He is the author of the book Why It’s OK to Love Bad Movies.