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  • Film & TV Moderators: ghostfreak

Depressing Films

I loved Lost In Translation. Also, not one that I remember as depressing. I read Water For Elephants, and couldn't believe they made the movie. Life in a nursing home: a sad place where poor old people go to die. Thanks,no. My dad showed me Freaks when I was eight. That fucked me up pretty good.
 
Dancer in the Dark is on my list. netflix thinks i'm gonna like it.


given the examples provided, OP probably wouldn't like any of these, but:

todd solondz will get you feeling down. give Happiness and Welcome to the Dollhouse a try.

and paul thomas anderson likes to get down. Boogie Nights is short of uplifting. Punch-Drunk Love has that sad beauty.

sofia coppola is pretty good at the sad beauty too. The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation.

but if you wanna feel really down, you gotta read. selby jr's Last Exit to Brooklyn will leave you nice and sick to your stomach about life.

oh yeah, i have not seen it in years, but Amores perros is not happy. and you might not find that one boring.
 
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marissaaaaaa said:
wow holy old thread.

keira kniglety likes to do really depressing movies.
just watched "Never Let Me Go"
i liked this one for the dystopian sci-fi aspect, despite it being miserable for the whole time pretty much. also the scenery was really something. idk why, even when it comes to books i love just...not happy ones. 1984 is one of my favorites. human struggle in the face of hopelessness, just resonates so well with me...
as far as depressing keira knightley movies go, "Atonement" in comparison was just miserable due to the shock factor, like REALLY? that one had hope whereas "Never Let Me Go" had very little.

why do i like depressing romances so much more than happy ones? they seem so much more realistic.

like when i saw water for elephants i was truly shocked at a happy ending. i completely thought that one of them was going to be murdered, probably the woman, or she would just be too scared to leave for good.

any opinions on either these movies, or others of the sort? the sort of the anti-romantic comedies lol
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OMG! I'm just watching Never Let Me Go!! It's really really good and whats exciting me even more is I just got to a scene which is filmed in my town, in fact, I was just outside that restaurant a few hours ago!

CRAZY!!
 
I think one of the most depressing and bleak movie's ive seen in recent times would be "The Road".. i found it hard to watch, not only because of the bleak atmosphere but the disturbing nature of the film and this endless sense of hopelessness..

I enjoyed it, and i understand the focus of the film was on the characters themselves, but man.. very intense depressing movie.
 
hydroazuanacaine said:
Dancer in the Dark is on my list. netflix thinks i'm gonna like it.
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i think you're going to like it too but you may not realise it at first. it's desperately bleak and incredibly depressing but, in ways, it's also beautifully optimistic and happy.

whether you like it or dislike it, it will leave a mark.

alasdair
 
malakaix said:
I think one of the most depressing and bleak movie's ive seen in recent times would be "The Road".. i found it hard to watch, not only because of the bleak atmosphere but the disturbing nature of the film and this endless sense of hopelessness..

I enjoyed it, and i understand the focus of the film was on the characters themselves, but man.. very intense depressing movie.
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Yes. I thought the film was even darker than the book.
 
malakaix said:
I think one of the most depressing and bleak movie's ive seen in recent times would be "The Road".. i found it hard to watch, not only because of the bleak atmosphere but the disturbing nature of the film and this endless sense of hopelessness..

I enjoyed it, and i understand the focus of the film was on the characters themselves, but man.. very intense depressing movie.
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Agreed. Love the movie, but not exactly happy times. I thought the set designs and visuals were pretty stunning.

Lots of good stuff listed here. A few to add:

Gone Baby Gone
The English Patient
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Pianist
Mississippi Burning
Bright Lights, Big City
Dead Poets Society
 
undead said:
100%.

I feel like depressing movies/music help expel my own depression. Some people need to watch feel good movies to pick themselves up, I prefer to watch something that will tug at my heart strings, depressing movies do that for me far more than a feel good movie does.
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Exactly

I think most of my favorite films can be viewed as depressing. A few that i dont think were mentioned.

Dead man
Blue Valentine
Candy
There Will be Blood
The Door in the Floor
Last Days
Up in the Air
The Basketball Diaries
Jesus Son
Blow
25th Hour
Igby Goes Down
Things we lost in the Fire
 
Seven Pounds
Platoon
Ordinary People
Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Imaginary Heroes
 
Has anyone mentioned "Das Boot"?? Its a great movie that is depressing! Jürgen Prochnow is a great actor. It was filmed in german, but because all the main actors could speak english, when they dubbed it into english, they all did their own dubbing, lol. Definitely worth watching if you love cinema.

Also, "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The orphanage".
 
Ooo... Dancer In The Dark is a fantastic suggestion. In fact, most of Lars Von Trier's films are absolutely crushing! Dogville and Anti-Christ are two other favorites of his that will ruin your night, but you won't soon forget.


But really, only one person who agrees with Ingmar Bergman? If you can watch Cries and Whispers without just downright feeling like crying, you must have... trouble reading, subtitles that is. :( Persona, Hour of the Wolf, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, The Silence, and Shame are all phenomenally emotionally difficult to wrap around.
 
alasdairm said:
did you watch it? what did you think?

alasdair
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a while ago. unfortunately i was not a fan. from the past "Tell us about it" thread:
NSFW:
Dancer in the Dark

mmm, i did not like this. and i really wanted too. the story was cry-porn. the camera was killing me. some conventions should not be broken, like good looking film and a smooth moving camera. why would you want your movie to look like it was shot by a dad with something bought on sale at BestBuy? especially if you are gonna have it set decades ago in a quiet town.

was sad though. and it was interesting to see Catherine Deneuve in a modern film. speaking english.
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i realize i am in the minority there. listed in the new "unpopular opinions" thread.
 
I watched Dead Man Walking a month or so back, and holy fuck was that depressing. Never watching it again. I can understand movie related depression, but here is no need for a movie to make me feel so shitty.
 
3 said:
As far as books, I would say The Brothers Karamazov is the most depressing I've ever read. Some have tried to be more depressing, but nothing has outdone the absurdist ending to that one. Of course, Dostoyevsky was supposed to write a trilogy out of those novels, but he died before he could complete the story he really wanted to tell, which makes it all the more absurd.
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This is one of my favourite books. I agree that it's depressing, and as a long read it can really take its toll. But there ways to interpret the ending that show some character salvation and whatnot.



As for movies, Lilya 4-Ever comes to mind. I really like the film, but it will depress the hell out of you.
 
I've sure I've seen quite a few depressing movies but a recent one comes to mind I saw on cable called Helen starring Ashley Judd - I watched this movie already feeling depressed about some personal stuff, wasn't really sure what it was about and was kind of watching it aimlessly, at first anyway.

It's about a woman with major depression, married with a child and although that doesn't really do it justice, oh my god it was the most depressing, pointless movie I've ever seen - to watch someone on such a self destructive path and the impact on her family was really difficult. It's not like I like romantic comedies or anything but I prefer at least a tiny bit of hope or levity in a movie, at least these days. I mean, I like watching challenging movies, sometimes even disturbing ones but depressing doesn't do it for me.

Having major depression is no life that's for sure. I feel really bad for people who have to deal with this.
 
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