Any fans of Natalie Wynn’s work on the YouTube channel Contrapoints are likely already aware that it’s been nearly a year since her last main channel video. Over the past years, her videos have evolved into feature-length essays ranging on topics from Twilight to conspiracy theories. In her first video of 2026, Wynn analyzes the Saw franchise and uses it as a jumping-off point to discuss violence in media, the book Moral Politics, Dante’s Divine Comedy, the cinema of Quentin Tarantino and Michael Moore, Home Alone, and the modern justice system.
As Wynn puts it, the violence depicted in the Saw franchise is deliberately ugly and disturbing. They’re often set in dingy rooms with yellow lighting, and the direction of the films often encourages the viewer to identify with the victim. She compares this with the violence depicted in a film like Kill Bill or Inglourious Basterds, which find ways to justify the violence so it’s easier to swallow. Wynn doesn’t present any judgment for anyone who likes consuming either form of media, but rather tries to answer the question of why some violence feels dreadful to watch while other kinds can be enjoyed. (And, yes, there is often some overlap.)
Of course, it shouldn’t be hard to understand why this topic is of particular interest right now. Whether in Minneapolis or in Iran, whether in person or on a screen, we’ve all had to confront significant violence. Some people aren’t just able to stomach it but seem to actively enjoy it. Wynn follows various rabbit holes and tangents throughout the course of the video to poke at these ideas, returning to the refrain, “I promise this is about Saw.”