10 Movies that explored social taboos

By addressing topics revolving around social taboos, numerous movies pushed the boundaries not just in art but also in the society that we live in, which is unintentionally affected by the art that we consume.

From addressing abuse and political issues to delving into several other complex subjects like sexuality and identity, these movies are sure to change your perspective or let you understand more about these issues.

In this article, we have listed 10 such movies that explored complex themes of social taboos.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

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10) Boys Don’t Cry

One of the most important movies that explores themes of social taboos such as sexual identity and gender identity issues, and also the hate crimes around the LGBTQ+ community.

Boys Don’t Cry stars Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena, who is on a journey of self-discovery and to find love. However, Teena was attacked by two men and became a victim of a hate crime due to being a trans man.

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9) Cathy Come Home

Cathy Come Home addresses one of the most commonly ignored social taboos, that is homelessness.

This 1966 British play made for television follows the story of Carol White’s Cathy and Ray Brook’s Reg, who face many challenges finding a decent home as most landlords did not allow children in their rented flats.

Wandering from one place to another, the couple experiences many hardships, and ultimately, the children are taken away from Cathy by social services at the end, due to her being unable to provide a safe home for her kids.

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8) Blue Is the Warmest Color

The Palme d'Or winner of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Blue is the Warmest Color, explores the social taboos surrounding sexual identity.

A 15-year-old teenager, Adele (Adèle Exarchopoulos), recently begins struggling with her sexuality and is ostracized by her friends as they believe her to be a lesbian.

The film depicts Adele’s relationship with Emma (Léa Seydoux) from being a teenager to adulthood, depicting the complexities of their relationship.

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7) Rosetta

Rosetta addresses the uncomfortable questions regarding poverty and the struggles of the working class.

The film follows the story of Émilie Dequenne’s Rosetta, a teenager who struggles to find a job and survive in a harsh environment. Through this film's portrayal of Rosetta’s struggle, the film aptly depicts the societal neglect and desperation to survive.

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6) The Lobster

Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster is an absurd film that critiques the societal rules about love and relationships.

Colin Farrell’s David is taken to a hotel for single people where they have to get into a romantic relationship in 45 days or else they will be transformed into an animal.

Throughout the film, we see David struggling to fit in and find a good match for himself. Later, he leaves the hotel and lives in the forest, where the rules are opposite of the hotel, and he again faces challenges to survive in the environment.

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5) The Danish Girl

The Danish Girl is an important film that talks about social taboos surrounding transgender identity and sex reassignment surgery in the mid-1920s.

The film begins with the story of Eddie Redmayne’s Einar Wegner, who is a closeted trans woman and changes her name to Lili Elbe. The film depicts Lili’s struggles of keeping her identity suppressed due to societal pressures but is supported by her wife, Gerda.

She later decides to undergo sex reassignment surgery to be able to live a life of freedom where she can embrace her true identity.

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4) Precious

Precious explores the social taboos around abuse and poverty.

The film follows Gabourey Sidibe’s Claireece "Precious" Jones, who goes through all kinds of abuse while living with her parents, Mary and Carl. However, she tries to move on and have a better life by studying and leaves her unemployed mother behind.

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3) Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain centers around the social taboos around homosexuality in the 1960s in America.

The film follows two cowboys, Ennis and Jack, who began a homosexual relationship but grew apart due to Ennis being scared of people finding out about the relationship. The film recounts their relationship through many years and depicts the challenges they faced due to it.

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2) Requiem for a Dream

This psychological drama talks about social taboos such as drug addiction and mental health and the consequences around them.

Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream follows four characters who are struggling with drug addictions. Their life is further complicated due to the delusions they are living in and the consequences they face when they break free from these delusions.

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1) Philadelphia

One of the popular movies surrounding the social taboos of AIDS and homosexuality, Philadelphia depicts the story of an attorney who tries to sue his employer who fired him due to him being gay and having AIDS.

The film stars Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett, who is fired after discovering that he's gay and has AIDS. He then approaches Denzel Washington’s Joe Miller to fight his case against his former employer.

Miller initially declines to take the case and does not feel comfortable around Beckett, but after seeing him experience the same level of discrimination that he has experienced from being an African American man, he takes Beckett’s case and helps him.

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