Stand-alone films like The Breakfast Club and The Dark Knight have the power to draw viewers in over and over again. Genres like animation and horror thrive off of rewatchability. Those films elicit favorable reactions that keep audiences coming back time after time, never getting old. Dramas and thrillers are another story. Once the twist is revealed, or the third-act breakup ensues, a single-time viewing is all audiences need to appreciate the film.

RELATED: 10 Movies With The Greatest Rewatch Value

For obvious reasons, franchise films are left out of this categorization. In the last decade, these multi-genre films are so well done that once you've seen it, you've seen it. These pictures can be appreciated for the high-quality filmmaking that leaves an impression on audiences, but not the type to conjure a second watch. Films like these are ones that you watch because of who's working on them or you're interested in their sensibilities, and then never really queue them up again for a movie marathon.

Updated on November 11th, 2022, by Hannah Saab:

The recently released war movie, All Quiet on the Western Front, paints a horrific picture of what happened on the frontlines during World War I. It's yet another remarkable film that's best seen just once, in large part due to how devastating the protagonist's storyline is. There's no shortage of these "one and done" movies, which often tackle heavy themes or present mind-blowing twists that don't necessitate a second viewing.

'The Lighthouse' (2019)

Available to stream on Showtime and Kanopy.

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Image via A24

Starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, the film follows a pair of lighthouse keepers trying to hang onto their sanity in late 1800s New England. With excellent performances from both stars, The Lighthouse drew in critics and audiences by using cinematography (for which it earned its one Oscar nomination) to build a claustrophobic tension for the characters and the viewers.

Director and co-writer Robert Eggers created a black-and-white masterpiece that you never need to watch again once you watch it. It's a movie that balances beauty and madness: the experience of witnessing for the first time can't be replicated. Audience members recognize its cinematic stature but don't need to seek it out for the next movie night.

'Nightmare Alley' (2021)

Available to stream on Hulu and HBO Max.

Cate Blanchett and Bradley looking at the camera in Nightmare Alley.
Image via Searchlight Pictures

A slow-burn crime drama, Nightmare Alley is visually stunning, keeping viewers engaged until the long-awaited payoff. Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) is a grifter that works his way up from a lowly carnival work to a wealthy con artist posing as a psychic. Carlisle's con is challenged when he gets in deep with a wealthy business tycoon. The film is based on the William Lindsay Gresham novel.

The film earned four Oscar nominations at the 94th Academy Awards but took none home. Director Guillermo Del Toro brings the perfect noir film to the screen, but its pacing makes it one that once you've sat through it and appreciated its beauty, there's no desire to watch it again. Nightmare Alley is an all-around beautiful film but lacks the elements to make it rewatchable.

'Nocturnal Animals' (2016)

Available to stream on Netflix.

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Image via Focus Features

Based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright, Nocturnal Animals finds art gallery owner Susan (Amy Adams) is forced to examine her past through the disturbing lens of her ex-husband Edward's (Jake Gyllenhaal) manuscript. Directed by the admirable Tom Ford, the film is equally jarring to viewers as the manuscript is to Susan.

From the opening image (not a spoiler) to the final scene, Adams and Gyllenhaal brilliantly execute their characters' emotional journeys. The film earned one Oscar for Supporting Actor for Michael Shannon. With a tale as somber and distressing as this, audiences recognize its value but would rather not be put through the wringer again.

'Nebraska' (2013)

Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount Plus.

Bruce Dern and Will Forte as Woody and David Grant in Nebraska
Bruce Dern, Will Forte

Another modern black and white film, Nebraska has a simplistic beauty that should be preserved by only watching it once. The film stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte as father and son Woody and David Grant driving from Montana to Nebraska so that Woody can claim his supposed million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize. The pair's estranged relationship expertly plays out during the 115-minute runtime.

The film earned six Oscar nominations at the 86th Academy Awards. In addition to Best Picture and Best Director for Alexander Payne, Dern earned a Best Actor nomination. Unfortunately, Nebraska did not take home a golden statue for any of its nominations.

'Thoroughbreds' (2017)

Available to stream on HBO Max.

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Image Via Focus Features

Dry but clever, Thoroughbreds produces brilliant performances from its leads, Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke. Upper-class teens Amanda and Lily rekindle their childhood friendship as they plot to solve their impending life problems. The film's thoughtful pacing keeps viewers engaged as the story reveals darker secrets. With an unpredictable ending twist, once you've seen it, there's no going back and being surprised when rewatching it.

The film was written and directed by Cory Finley, his directorial debut. Still, despite the critical praise and high production values, it did not yield any major nominations from the Academy or Golden Globes. Both Taylor-Joy and Cooke balance each other well, making the film an excellent pick for movie night if you haven't seen it.

'The Favourite' (2018)

Available to rent on Apple TV.

Abiagail sitting on a chair and looking up in The Favourite
Image via Fox Searchlight

With three all-star leading ladies, The Favourite is a chaotic, well-done period film that yields a solid comedic presence among its dramatic basis. New servant Abigail (Emma Stone) upsets the status quo of a British court when she befriends Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman), forcing out Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) from the Queen's good graces. There is a lot going on in this film from start to finish, with moments of madness that are quite comedic, causing viewers to question what is actually going on.

Coleman's win for Best Actress would be the only award the film took home out of its ten nominations at the 91st Academy Awards. Even if you're a viewer that doesn't appreciate the stuffy nature of period dramas, this film will provide a reprieve from the usual tropes of the genre. Once you've seen it, you've seen it.

'Nomadland' (2020)

Available to stream on Hulu.

After the shutdown of the U.S. Gypsum plant and the death of her husband, Fern (Frances McDormand) travels around the country, living out of her van and finding seasonal work at places like Amazon. She’s invited to a support rendezvous in Arizona for nomads like herself. There she discovers so much about the life she’s moved on to living and the journey that lies ahead for her. Nomadland is based on journalist Jessica Bruder's book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century.

The film is semi-fictional as Fern's co-nomads are real people who live the lifestyle. Director Chloé Zhao broke boundaries in 2021 as she became the first woman to be nominated in four Oscar categories within the same year for Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture, in addition to Best Director. It's an emotional masterpiece that will be most impactful on first viewing.

'Eighth Grade' (2018)

Available to stream on Showtime and Kanopy.

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So good, but so uncomfortable, Eighth Grade is the story of Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) as she tries to make it through her last week of eighth grade. A preteen barely surviving socially during the height of technology and her generation, Kayla's cringe-worthy journey is honest and authentic, with many viewers relating to her struggles to fit in. The coming-of-age story from A24 is written and directed by the comedic mastermind Bo Burnham.

Burnham's film doesn't romanticize the transition between middle and high school, the struggles of knowing who you are at that age, and coping with insecurities. Fisher earned her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. Because of the cringe factor, this film is masterfully put together but can be too much to watch more than once.

'Hustlers' (2019)

Available to stream on Hulu.

Jennifer Lopez as Ramona Vega in Hustlers

A controversial Oscar snub, Hustlers, is an empowerment heist film that holds its magic for a single viewing. A group of strip club dancers works to turn the tables on their Wall Street clientele after the 2008 market crash, led by the club's top earner, Ramona (Jennifer Lopez). The film is inspired by a true story and the New York Magazine article titled "The Hustlers at Scores."

Lopez would earn Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award nominations but did not take home the win for either. Fans of the film and Lopez were outraged when she was snubbed for a leading role nomination by the Academy. Hustlers is a dish best served once to preserve the integrity of rooting for criminal characters.

'The French Dispatch' (2021)

Available to stream on Hulu.

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Delivering his usual promise, Wes Anderson’s latest installment is exhaustingly well-done. Lovable, practical editor, Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray), refuses to cut any of his journalists’ pieces in the final edition of The French Dispatch magazine, viewers journeying through with each writer the scenarios by which their piece was inspired. It's a film where the average viewer can recognize and appreciate the caliber of filmmaking it takes to produce, but not one that will become a go-to for a movie night.

With elaborate sets and intricate cinematic details, The French Dispatch is geared toward the Wes Anderson viewer. If you're new to his filmmaking, this is not the film for you; however, if you've followed Anderson closely throughout his career, this one is a worthy installment in his career despite being snubbed by the Academy for the 94th Awards season.

'Melancholia' (2011)

Available to stream on HBO Max and Kanopy.

Kirsten Dunst wearing a dress lying on a bed of water surrounded by leaves in Melancholia.
Image Via Magnolia Pictures

Director Lars von Trier's Melancholia is an artistic apocalypse film centered on two sisters, Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Claire is busy preparing for her wedding while navigating the messy relationships she has with her family, while Justine seems convinced that the titular planet they can see in the sky isn't going to fly by the earth, but will cause the end of the world.

Moving, beautiful, and unsettling all at once, Melancholia is a masterpiece that reminds audiences precisely how cinema pushes the boundaries of and elevates art. It's worth watching once for its stunning slow-paced sequences and eccentric visual choices, but its heavy themes and emotional story may understandably keep viewers away after they've seen its dramatic ending.

'Children of Men' (2006)

Available to stream on Hulu.

Theo (Clive Owen) and Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) walking past soldiers with a baby in 'Children of Men' (2006)

Based on P. D. James' 1992 novel and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Children of Men is a criminally-underrated sci-fi movie that depicts a dystopian world that has suffered from sudden global infertility for two decades. Asylum seekers flock to the last functioning government in the UK, where the disillusioned protagonist, Theo Faron (Clive Owen), embarks on an unexpected and risky mission.

The powerful movie has a wholly original narrative that explores a fascinating hypothetical – when all hope for new life is lost, what will people do? Its shocking portrayals of violence and dark moments make it an unlikely candidate for a rewatch, as audiences are likely to remember its incredible story with just one viewing.

'All Quiet on the Western Front' (2022)

Available to stream on Netflix.

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Image via Netflix

Director Edward Berger's anti-war film, All Quiet on the Western Front, is based on the eponymous 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque. It follows 17-year-old Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer), who enlists in the German Army with his friends. They soon find that WWI is not what they expected it to be.

Arguably the best adaptation of the classic book, the film premiered to critical acclaim thanks to its raw, brutal, and honest depiction of the horrors of war. The protagonist's harrowing story comes with moments that are almost too painful to watch at times, but are crucial for modern viewers to see. It's more than enough to watch the movie once, as it's hard to stomach its disturbing scenes.

NEXT:10 Best War Movies of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb