What does the term “taboo” mean? Society won’t encourage it to happen because some cultural beliefs that underpin the foundation of human civilization as we know it are too pompous to be challenged. And if prohibited behaviour becomes the norm, the fundamental social order that supports everything begins to fall apart. Now, the level of social norm violation simply explains why a specific taboo subject should not be discussed in any form. We must refrain from engaging in sexual activity with our relatives because doing so will ultimately result in children who are not mentally and physically healthy. And if this occurs frequently, society is seriously at risk.
Having said that, we must accept that since the beginning of time, we have had a specific interest in taboo themes. It is only because something that is so forbidden draws attention to itself simply because it is forbidden and cannot be discussed. And at this point, we should all acknowledge that every single person possesses some degree of perversion. Some people are simply too afraid to take a look at their darker sides, while others are willing to explore it.
The House That Jack Built (2018) by Lars von Trier has a figure who claims that man’s worst ambitions always find expression in art. While the guy makes this claim, several unsettling images from some of Von Trier’s own films are shown. Here is a list of the best Netflix original films on taboo relationships that are currently streaming.
August: Osage County (2013)
The phrase “August: Osage County” refers to both a specific time and location (the month of August) (a rural area outside Pawhuska, Oklahoma). Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) calls her sister and daughters to ask for their support after her husband abruptly vanishes. Violet’s eldest child Barbara (Julia Roberts), together with her divorced husband Bill (Ewan McGregor) and daughter Jean, 14, travel to Osage County. Ivy, Violet’s second child, has developed a romantic interest in Charles Jr. through Mattie Fae Aiken, her mother’s sister. Ivy feels that this is her only chance at happiness because she is unable to bear children. The two are now revealed to be siblings because Mattie Fae had an affair with Ivy’s father and gave birth to Charles Jr.
Black Island (2021)
Black Island, also known as “Schwarze Insel,” is a German thriller starring Mercedes Müller, Alice Dwyer, and Hanns Zischler. It was written by Miguel Alexandre and Lisa Carline Hofer and directed by Alexandre. The narrative, which takes place on the named island, centres on a forbidden bond between a student and his teacher. Teenager Jonas, who resides on the named island with his family, wants to be a writer. After their German teacher is allegedly involved in an accident, Jonas and his classmates are assigned Helena Jung as their substitute teacher. Jonah quickly develops a special interest in Helena, which quickly turns into a passionate relationship. Jonah is unaware that his new instructor is harbouring a sinister secret and has the intention of destroying him and his family.
Hunterrr (2015)
Despite being a comedy, this movie also explores a number of taboo relationships. It portrays the tale of Mandar, a total playboy who solely seeks out one-night stands. He exhibits a desire to never get married and sleeps with married women. He has a friend who holds similar beliefs but is also a kind person who aids a woman who is being harassed by her own father. In the narrative, Mandar finally encounters a woman for whom he develops feelings.
In the Tall Grass (2019)
In the Tall Grass, based on the Stephen King and Joe Hill novella of the same name, follows Becky and Cal DeMuth as they go to San Diego. Becky is expecting a child for a while. They hear a small boy calling out for assistance from the tall grasses by the road around halfway into their trek. The siblings decide to explore, so they stop the car, get out onto the grassy area, and quickly become separated from one another. Travis, the father of Becky’s unborn kid, shows up in search of the siblings as they are trapped in a terrifying time loop. The movie’s forbidden element comes from the suggestion that Cal holds resentment towards Travis and feels incestuous affections for Becky.
In the Tall Grass (2019)
In the Tall Grass, a supernatural thriller film directed and written by Vincenzo Natali, is based on the same-titled book by Joe Hill. The film, which stars Laysla De Oliveira and Harrison Gilbertson, follows Cal DeMuth and his sister Becky as they make their way to San Diego. The children hear a boy pleading for assistance from a large expanse of tall grass as they travel there. Cal and Becky immediately get out of their automobiles to aid the youngster even though they can’t see him, only to discover that they are lost in the intricate vegetable maze.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022)
The original work by D. H. Lawrence sparked intense debate when it was published. It was once prohibited in a number of nations, and in Britain in 1960, its publisher was subject to an obscenity prosecution as a result. The plot centres on a passionate relationship between an upper-class married woman and the working-class man who looks after the estate’s imposing Chatterley in Wragby. Sir Clifford Chatterley, Constance “Connie” Reid’s spouse, arrives home in Laure de Clermont-adaptation Tonnerre’s of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” paralysed from the waist down. Clifford advises Connie to have an affair just to become pregnant because they don’t yet have any children. When Connie first meets gamekeeper Oliver Mellors, they quickly discover that despite their differences, they have a lot in common and start a passionate relationship.
Lust Stories (2018)
This anthology film consists of four short films that were each directed by one of four prominent Indian directors working today. The four directors, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar, came together for this project after working on a film in the same structure in 2014 under the title “Bombay Talkies.” Each of the stories deals with a sexual desire in some way. The first tale has a teacher who develops feelings for one of her pupils, but she is only involved because she wants to have sex and her boyfriend is far away. While she does like her time with him, she starts to run into issues as he starts treating their relationship seriously. Another tale, skillfully filmed within a tiny Mumbai flat, depicts a maid having a passionate connection with the young guy she works for. However, when the young man’s parents meet with those of his fiancée in the same flat, things start to become interesting.
An elderly trio is the subject of the third tale. Two of them are already married, while the third is the husband’s longtime acquaintance. The husband learns, though, that his friend and his wife are stirring up trouble in bed while he isn’t there. Despite being wealthy, none of the characters appear to be content with their lives. This likely reflects the absence of soul in society as a whole, which constantly distances us from our surroundings. In my opinion, the fourth film—a comedy—is the greatest of the group. The protagonist of the narrative is a girl who recently wed into this typical Indian family. Despite her husband’s affectionate treatment of her, she still feels sexually unsatisfied and makes the decision to get a vibrator. This short takes a bold move in Indian cinema by discussing the emotions of a woman’s desires in a funny sequence that involves a public display of sexual satisfaction.
Rebecca (2020)
The 1938 novel “Rebecca,” by Daphne du Maurier, has been adapted for the big screen before, including the 2020 Netflix movie. The 1940 adaption by Alfred Hitchcock, which won an Oscar for Best Film, is arguably the most well-known. While touring the world with an older American socialite, the anonymous 20-something British female heroine (Lily James) meets the handsome widower Maxim “Max” de Winter (Armie Hammer). They get married after falling in love, and the main character follows her husband to Manderley, a sizable estate in Cornwall. The protagonist, however, finds herself living in the shadow of her husband’s deceased first wife, Rebecca, and her Cinderella-like fantasy quickly fades away. The relationship Rebecca had with her cousin Jack Favell, which is what gives the narrative its taboo element (Sam Riley).
The Mistress (2012)
The romantic melodrama film “The Mistress,” starring John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo, Hilda Koronel, and Ronaldo Valdez, was created by Vanessa Valdez and Olivia Lamasan. The main character of the movie is Rico, a middle-aged married guy who has been taking young Sari under his wing for a number of years. His relationship with his son JD has also been strained for a while, much like his marriage, but he has never made an effort to work through their personal problems. When JD chooses to court Sari despite knowing about her father-daughter relationship, Rico’s irresponsible behaviour comes back to haunt him.
Two (2021)
The mystery thriller film “Two,” which was directed by Mar Targarona, centres on David and Sara, two strangers who discover they have been stitched together when they awaken one morning. Sara thinks that her possessive husband, who has trust issues, is certainly to blame for the unusual circumstance, even though David can’t understand his current state. The unexpected companion discovers that they are continuously being followed as they strive to understand the abductor’s reason for joining them together.
