Movies About Toxic Relationships

Updated May 1, 2024

For Movies About Toxic Relationships, there is no limit to the movies reporting on this idea. Here are 11 of the best ones.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

★★★★

3.2 out of 4 stars

From Richard Brooks, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson
Rated Not Rated

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a 1958 American drama film directed by Richard Brooks and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and Burl Ives. Set in the Mississippi Delta, the film tells the story of a family in crisis: Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor) and Brick (Paul Newman) Pollitt, a couple struggling to keep their marriage alive despite their many issues. Brick's brother, Gooper (Jack Carson), and his wife Mae (Madeleine Sherwood), are scheming to take away the Pollitts' inheritance. As the day progresses, the family's secrets begin to unravel, forcing the characters to confront their darkest secrets and face the truth. The film is known for its intense performances and its complicated themes, including alcoholism, disillusionment, and repressed homosexual feelings.

Gaslight (1944)

★★★★

3.1 out of 4 stars

From George Cukor, starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, May Whitty
Rated Passed

Gaslight (1944) tells the story of newlywed Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband, Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). After they move into her late aunt's Victorian home in London, strange things begin to happen. Gregory starts to manipulate Paula into thinking she is going mad by slowly dimming the gaslights, hiding her possessions, and making her believe she is losing her mind. When a Scotland Yard detective (Joseph Cotten) starts investigating the mysterious disappearances of the previous residents, Paula is drawn into a dangerous game of deception and murder. In the end, she must face her fears and stand up to her husband in order to survive.

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

★★★★

3 out of 4 stars

From Stephen Frears, starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz
Rated R

Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 period drama film directed by Stephen Frears and starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman. Based on the novel by Choderlos de Laclos, the film revolves around a game of sexual manipulation among a group of wealthy and well-connected French aristocrats in the late 18th century. In the film, the Marquise de Merteuil (Close) and Vicomte de Valmont (Malkovich) scheme to ruin the reputation of a young woman (Thurman) and the nun (Pfeiffer) who loves her. The two nemesis engage in a series of dangerous liaisons in pursuit of their own selfish desires, ultimately leading to a tragic conclusion.

Lolita (1962)

★★★★

3 out of 4 stars

From Stanley Kubrick, starring James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon, Gary Cockrell
Rated Not Rated

Lolita is a 1962 British-American dark comedy-drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the classic novel of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov. It stars James Mason as Humbert Humbert, a middle-aged literature professor who becomes infatuated with his landlady's adolescent daughter, Lolita, played by Sue Lyon. She seduces him and entraps him in a complex relationship. The film also stars Shelley Winters as Lolita's mother, Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty, and Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze. It follows Humbert's desperate attempt to prevent Lolita from falling into the hands of Quilty. The film is noted for its intense subject matter and its highly stylized black-and-white cinematography. The film earned several Academy Award nominations, including Best Director for Kubrick and Best Adapted Screenplay for Nabokov. It was also noted for its controversial content, which includes themes of pedophilia, incest, and murder. It has since become a cult classic and is considered one of Kubrick's most important works.