# Recommend me a depressing movie. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 18, 2005, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345 "2005-01-18T10:40:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/1 "2005-01-18T10:40:49Z")
So tomorrow me and a couple of friends are sitting down to watch a few movies that make us cry and cry, namely Dancer in the Dark and Requiem for a Dream. Why? Honestly, I’m not sure. But I think we need a third movie to round it out, and I can’t think of anything that has made me feel as bad as those did. Any suggestions? It has to be something reasonably common, as our video store options are probably limited to Blockbuster, and I’m looking for something depressing. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/2 "2005-01-18T10:47:18Z")
> [@manx](#): > > So tomorrow me and a couple of friends are sitting down to watch a few movies that make us cry and cry, namely Dancer in the Dark and Requiem for a Dream. Why? Honestly, I’m not sure. But I think we need a third movie to round it out, and I can’t think of anything that has made me feel as bad as those did. > > Any suggestions? It has to be something reasonably common, as our video store options are probably limited to Blockbuster, and I’m looking for something depressing. I’ve heard that House of Sand and Fog is depressing, but haven’t seen it. I don’t know how common it is, but Grave of the Fireflies (hotaru no haka) is certainly depressing. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/3 "2005-01-18T11:00:15Z")
I think I’ve heard of Grave of the Fireflies - it’s animated, set in Japan after WW2 or something? ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/4 "2005-01-18T11:09:52Z")
_House of Sand and Fog_ and _Grave of the Fireflies_ were the exact two movies I came to this thread to suggest. Odd, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/5 "2005-01-18T11:22:13Z")
How’s about **Grave of the Fireflies**? Sure, it’s animated, but it’s still a heart wrencher. On preview, it’s actually set in the last couple of months of WWII, from the point of view of two Japanese children. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/6 "2005-01-18T11:23:46Z")
> [@manx](#): > > I think I’ve heard of Grave of the Fireflies - it’s animated, set in Japan after WW2 or something? Yep, late WW2, actually. It’s not one of Miyazaki Hayao’s (_Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away_) films, but it’s by his production group, Studio Ghibili. Damn, damn depressing film. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/7 "2005-01-18T11:26:53Z")
Try **37°2 le matin** (aka Betty Blue). Béatrice Dalle as a beautiful loony. ---
**Author:** ![rorty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@rorty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rorty)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/8 "2005-01-18T11:26:58Z")
**Chinatown** – It’s not much of a bawler, but it leaves me numb every time. ---
**Author:** ![snorlax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/9 "2005-01-18T11:46:20Z")
Todd Solondz’s **Happiness** is a black comedy but is thoroughly depressing. I should warn you that the subject matter is not to everyone’s taste; for example, one of the main characters is a paedophile. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/10 "2005-01-18T11:56:48Z")
_Angus_! It’s basically a comedy (you’ll need that after _Requiem_) but it’s got it’s killer moments. As they say over at IMDB: “Angus” is a great film. It is the exact opposite of the Clue less, teenage film reign and I love it. It looks at the life of a freshman teen who is un-popular, over weight, and un-apreciated. Just like most of the REAL teens in High School today. Chris Crutcher (who wrote the short story this film is based on) knows exactly how a real teenagers life works who is not popular. This is terrific. ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/11 "2005-01-18T12:01:03Z")
Not “warm and fuzzy” depressing, but “grim and ugly” depressing: _Leaving Las Vegas._ It won’t make you cry, it will just make you want to shoot yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/12 "2005-01-18T12:01:24Z")
_Gummo_ will have you trying to drown yourself in a bucket of water. And a second nomination for _Grave of the fireflies_. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/13 "2005-01-18T12:01:39Z")
Ordinary People. The only thing more depressing than the movie itself is the fact that it won a best picture Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/14 "2005-01-18T12:05:29Z")
Thanks for all the suggestions. I’ll definitly pick up _Grave of the Fireflies_ (or try to) and maybe _Happiness_ as well - I remember my friend studying it for Film and thinking it looking interesting. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/15 "2005-01-18T12:25:21Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > Yep, late WW2, actually. It’s not one of Miyazaki Hayao’s (_Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away_) films, but it’s by his production group, Studio Ghibili. > > Damn, damn depressing film. It’s also based on an autobiographical novel by Nosaka Akiyuki. As a further aside, I just learned that hotaru is written ‰Î‚‚é instead of Œu in it’s title. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/16 "2005-01-18T12:27:44Z")
_Boys Don’t Cry_ was pretty depressing. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/17 "2005-01-18T12:32:02Z")
25th Hour Monster Wonderland Dead Man Walking Last Light They Shoot Horses Don’t They Requiem for a Dream The Basketball Diaries Auto Focus Affliction Angel Baby ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/18 "2005-01-18T12:34:44Z")
Well, I’ve heard _Battlefield Earth_ is pretty depressing, but perhaps not quite in the way you mean… ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/19 "2005-01-18T12:45:20Z")
I think you mean depressing in the sense of sad. If you mean depressing in the sense of “life is shit”, try WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, with Edward G Robinson. It’s got a Hollywood-artificial-happy-ending tacked on, but it’s clear where the movie really ends, and it’s depressing as hell. Actually, most movies by Fritz Lang are pretty depressing that way. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345/20 "2005-01-18T12:45:25Z")
_Happiness_ is actually a pretty hilarious movie; don’t expect it to be that much of a downer. It’s a very dark comedy, but it is a comedy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-depressing-movie/285345.md?page=2)