Cinema of Despair

[MsAmerica]

I like this. I've thought of a theater doing a series called Cinema of Paranoia.

Do you have any movies that stand out as the bleakest you've seen? For me, Fires on the Plain and Testament come to mind.

Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair
https://www.americancinematheque.com/series/bleak-week-cinema-of-despair-year-3/

The American Cinematheque will once again plumb the depths of the human experience with the fourth annual Bleak Week: The Cinema of Despair. And this year—perhaps fittingly for 2025—Bleak Week will expand nationwide, playing at 10 venues across seven cities.
https://filmobsessive.com/film/film-news/festivals/bleak-week-the-cinema-of-despair-expands-nationwide-this-june/

LA’s Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair goes international
In an era dominated by adventure flicks and superhero franchises, American Cinematheque’s screening festival dedicated to showcasing dark films is expanding its reach beyond the US.
https://monocle.com/culture/las-bleak-week-cinema-of-despair-goes-international/

Do you have any movies that stand out as the bleakest you've seen?

"No Country for Old Men" is kind of up in that category for me, without spoiling it for those who haven't seen it - beautifully made but not that many uplifting moments.

Requiem for a Dream. So, so bleak.

Melancholia by Lars Von Trier, its a amazing film actually but very, very bleak. I have a copy of come and see on DVD but just waiting for when DH is ready for it!

Yes! OMG, what a great example.

It's an old one, Jude. So bleak, I won't spoil it but finally when something tragic happened I remember trying not to laugh in the cinema just through the shock of not being so bored anymore.

Not sure which you mean. Is this the 1996 one? When people describe a movie as "old," I always think they mean from the 1940s.

Yes that is the one I was referring to. It's 30 years old which I wouldn't say is particularly new but not as old as the 1940s.

The Road. Never, ever again for me tho!

I'd say 'Melancholia' is one of Lars Von Trier's sunnier movies! Have you seen 'Antichrist', 'Breaking the Waves' or 'Dancer in the Dark'?!

Bleak movies... 'Stalker' is the bleakest for me.

Other suggestions - 'The Turin horse' 'Funny games' (original version) and closer to home 'Dead Man's Shoes'. Oh, and 'Eraserhead'.

Requiem for a dream, it horrified me as a teenager. I had too turn it off before the end and still think of how horrible it is. It's a testament to the power of cinema in my view.

Has anyone seen an old Italian film called Shoeshine? The ending was so depressing.

Yes, omigod, The Turin Horse!

No, I'm aware of it, and would love to, but it doesn't play much - and I don't seek out movies for home, especially not foreign ones.

My husband reliably informs me that Lilya 4-ever is a very, very bleak film. I'll contribute The Passion of Joan of Arc, Ace in the Hole, Yield to the Night, Distant Voices, Still Lives, and The Zone of Interest.

Most of the old Italian neo-realism films are bleaker than bleak. The Bicycle Thief being, probably, the most well-known.

Definitely agree about Requiem for a Dream - that's a film I will never watch again!

Michael Haneke's films could also maybe go on this list?

One of the bleakest things I've ever seen was a TV film made for the BBC called Born Equal. It had an amazing cast - Colin Firth, Robert Carlyle, David Oyelowo, Anne-Marie Duff and Emilia Fox - but my god, there was not a chink of light in that script.

Million Dollar Baby

Midnight Cowboy. That theme tune...

Jude absolutely traumatised me when I was 13 and found it on BBC2 late one evening. My mum barely looked up from the Radio Times and said “oh yeah, leave this on, I liked the book when I read a load of Thomas Hardy for A Level”.

90mins later as I was staring into the abyss I couldn’t believe that she would have let me watch that knowing what happened and not have at least warned me.

Was this the Jude with Christopher Eccleston and Kate Winslet? Amazing performances, made me cry 😢

Interesting that you mention Passion of Joan of Arc. It's brilliant, and I invariably cry - but I wouldn't have thought to use the word bleak or despairing. Maybe because it basically involves one person, which to me maybe makes it tragic rather than bleak.

I'd disagree on that. Not only is it more of a personal tragedy, but the movie makes a point of going beyond the death to show you that ordinary life continues.

Triangle of Sadness. Just woe.

Whatever that one is with Nicole Kidman is where she’s bullied by an entire village, dogville?

cried endlessly. Vowed never to watch another sad film again. It’s 20 years later and I don’t watch sad films, or horror, or any where an animal gets hurt 😞

Au hazard Balthazar. Known in our house as the donkey film. DH tried to educate kids about film and one of them was this (they were early mid teens) Recently talking about movies and now very grown up son said “fucking hell dad, why?”
Theres a film of Blood Meridian in the works-that’ll be a hoot.