In this context, I mean the films that drew you into the world so deeply that you felt like you were right there, observing true events take place, and feeling appropriate emotions as the events progress: that left you feeling shaken, or heartbroken, or aching with nostalgia. The kind of movie that dulls your thoughts and senses with it's intensity.

I've seen my fair share of movies over the years, but I can only remember getting truly 'sucked in' three times. Spoilers ahead.

Schindler's List- If there is a better portrayal of a true human rights' crisis out there, I haven't seen it. I felt myself in every character, every iteration of "At least it can't get worse," by the Jewish populace. The only character that might be an exception for most of the duration is Oskar Schindler himself- compared to the innocents he spares, he's a man on high- he HAS choices, unlike most of the characters in the movie. Even Aemon Goethe, I pitied him. I never really knew if he was twisted by nature or nurture, and to me that was very humanizing in it's own way. Nevertheless when Schindler demonstrated such humility at the end, I could finally see myself in him. It was the only time I wept during the movie. During the ENTIRE film I don't think I moved once.

The Witch- I'm not sure what r/TrueFilm's thoughts on the 2015 indie film is and frankly, I don't care. Sometimes an artist has a vision that makes horror fresh and deep and terrifying again, and Roger Eggers succeeded at just that. Start to finish, I felt like I was there on the family homestead, miles away from any comfort of civilization, and indeed, an unreachable distance away from 'home'. What really scared the shit out of me was just that- You can be a decent person, hardworking, committed to your beliefs and to your family, financially secure... but sometimes we set off a chain of events that we can't escape from. The family, in my opinion, was going to die one way or the other- that was the 'twist' in this story. Satan's agents just made it happen more quickly. There was never going to be an escape.

This was the only movie I've watched back-to-back since I was a child. I absolutely could not escape it- it stayed with me for days and I read every discussion on the topic that I could find. Beautifully shot and with such attention to detail, it's hard NOT to slip into that fantasy.

Before Midnight- I watched this one without being aware of the movies that succeeded it- just a random pick on Netflix that was rated highly for me. Unlike the other two, this one didn't grab me from the get-go- but when Celine and Jesse began their walk to the hotel, I began to really pay attention. The actors have such an easy way about them- almost like they've truly had thousands of conversations before. The tidbits about their children and families, dreams and pet peeves, the naturally winding topics of conversation, the annoyed-amorous- annoyed cycle the couple goes through when they reach the hotel, the tense and invested argument following- my god, it was brilliant dialogue. I felt myself empathizing with them both, and sincerely relating it back to my own relationship with my partner. The long-shot scenes where you are alone with these two was 'arresting' in a whole new way. I felt as though I were physically experiencing it, watching it omnipotently. Like the other two, it stuck with me for a long time- mulling it over for days, and intermittently since watching them, pondering various things about the scenes, subtext, and conclusion.

What are the most arresting movies you've seen?