What’s another phrase for....pushed to the limits? going through great adversity?

i want to say “the protagonist of movie X goes through so much, i love movies where the protagonist is......”

there’s a phrase that i had forgotten that was on the top of my tongue, no it’s not “pushed to the limit”, it’s another phrase with a similar meanining....meanining the protagonist goes through hell, is beaten down to his knees, etc

i know i’m not being helpful with my examples lol but i can’t explain it another way, but it’s a popular phrase that i had forgotten that means....”going through s**t” lol

An appropriate phrase in this situation would be "to hell and back"

As defined by Merriam Webster

through a very difficult or unpleasant situation that often lasts for a long time

The phrase being most often used to describe situations where a person has experienced great adversity and pulled through.

"... I love movies where the protagonist is put to the test”

TFD(idioms):

put (someone or something) to the test
To test or evaluate the limits of what someone or something is capable of doing or achieving.

I've had a pretty good tournament so far, but my next opponent should put me to the test.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.