Top 5 Pessimistic Movies

[Malone]

Out of pure whimsy I thought I'd list my top five pessimistic movies. In no particular order:

1. L'Humanite - A 1999 film by Bruno Dumont telling the story of a socially awkward cop investigating a child murder in France. Grim, despairing and with amazing performances from untrained actors. Difficult to get hold of, but well worth it.

2. Winter Light - Bergman's bleakest. This story of a priest grappling with losing his faith while trying to deal with his feelings for his housekeeper is tough going. Also features a small but brilliant appearance by Max Von Sydow as a man struggling to come to terms with the dropping of the atomic bomb.

3. The Pledge - Sean Penn's movie about a cop on the brink of retirement who tackles one last case involving a child murderer is compelling. Jack Nicholson is outstanding in the lead role.

4. Unforgiven - My favourite movie of all time. A great ensemble piece starring Clint Eastwood as the weary ex-gunslinger forced into one last job.

5. March or Die - My favourite ever B movie. Gene Hackman stars as the jaded and weary Foreign Legion Commander assigned to protect an archaeological dig in the desert. Watch the desert take hold of Hackman and his new recruits.

Hope to hear of other black gems!

[DoktorH]

My top 5 movies for pure pessimistic pleasure, off the top of my head:

1. Suicide Circle. because dead shine all night long. mass suicide is the hip new thing to do. Bored? Lonely? Irritated? Jump in front of a subway train. are you connected to yourself?
2. The Mist. Frank Darabont does an awesome job displaying the worst in people, and the ending, oh that ending, oh how hard I laughed that laugh that is known only to pessimists and misanthropes, that hooray-we're-doomed cackle.
3. Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. because of this
   Owlman and Nihilism - YouTube
   owlman is the most pessimistic thing in a cape. I adore him.
4. The Final. makes it seem miraculous that more kids don't shoot up their schools or grow up to be homicidal maniacs.
5. Falling Down. more of a personal-scale pessimistic movie for me. I saw it 10 or so years ago, had an eerie sense that it was a dramatization of where my own life was headed, and watch it every year on my birthday as a reminder to not be that guy and not put myself in situations that could turn me into that guy.
6. Cabin in the Woods. for overtly stating that society's pessimism and misanthropy are why horror movies are made and watched. there's a lot of love for Cabin over at this other thread, too.

[tonalized]

Have you seen Von Trier's Melancholia. It's meant to be about depression, but it also works very well as a pessimistic film.

[Michael]

No particular order

1. Seven
2. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
3. Apocalypse Now
4. Kids (Holy hell I was not ready for this movie. I thought it was going to be like a Disney kind of thing so I took a first date to it. Needless to say, it was also a last date.)
5. Man Bites Dog (French mockumentary and scathing satire that came out in 92 I think. Well worth watching)

I'd definitely second "Unforgiven" and "Cabin in the Woods"

[MetaMortician]

Quote Originally Posted by tonalized

Have you seen Von Trier's Melancholia. It's meant to be about depression, but it also works very well as a pessimistic film.

Definitely.

1. Requiem For A Dream
2. Antichrist
3. Melancholia
4. The Strangers
5. No Country For Old Men

in no particular:
requiem for a dream
the sound of insects
they shoot horses don't they?
open water
happiness
downloading nancy
leaving las vegas
affliction
antichrist
sleeping beauty
nil by mouth
trainspotting
eraserhead
dogville
once were warriors
narc
one flwe over the cuckoos nest
the last picture show
the pledge
cool hand luke
spider

to name a few

[bendk]

Here's a few:

Aguirre, The Wrath of God
Blade Runner
Unforgiven
Deer Hunter
A Clockwork Orange
1984 (Hurt, Burton)
Drugstore Cowboy
Taxi Driver
Assassination of Richard Nixon
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
The Wrestler (Mickey Rourke)
The Road
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Trainspotting
Leaving Las Vegas
They Shoot Horses, Dont They?
Requiem for a Dream
Apocalypse Now
Dead Man

A few girls I know would add the film Repulsion.

[waffles]

So many of these films I love.

Let me add The Grey Zone to the list.

[DoktorH]

Quote Originally Posted by tonalized

Have you seen Von Trier's Melancholia. It's meant to be about depression, but it also works very well as a pessimistic film.

I wanted to like this movie. i heard the world ends in it, and I had seen Antichrist and thought I was in for more of the same. I was confused and put off by the wedding bit. the long wedding bit that takes up the first hour or so. i couldn't sort out who was related to whom and how or why everyone was so upset. after an hour of wedding nonsense, I shut it off and gave it the lowest rating possible on netflix.

If depression was the objective, Von Trier succeeded. I was in quite a funk after sitting through an hour of wedding nonsense with the expectation of cosmic-collision apocalypse.

on an unrelated note: i agree with Clockwork Orange, The Strangers, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Road, No Country For Old Men. all are wonderful, entertaining pessimistic movies.

[DoktorH]

Martyrs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNpDiQimK6U

there's a rather slow bit towards the end where I lost interest and played iphone games for a bit until the plot came back. If you've seen it, you can guess where, and if not, you'll pick up on it and realize it's a great spot for a bathroom break or to go make a sammich. Good ending tho.