Discussion what are some of your favourite movies about purpose, depression/loneliness, and death?

[davestrider]

i recently watched synecdoche, new york (2008) and i haven't connected so strongly with a film's themes and characters in a long time. i also just finished watching berserk (1997), which, while not a movie, now has me thinking about this.

some others i really love and felt dealt with these topics in beautiful and nuanced ways are:

- ritual (2000)
- taste of cherry (1997)
- poetry (2010)
- angel's egg (1985)
- look back (2024)
- two-lane blacktop (1971)

a lot of these aren't explicitly about these themes, but still personally felt like they dealt with them in their own unique ways and really resonated with me. please recommend some of your favourite films along these lines, i'd love to hear about them!

 

[soul2realm]

Somewhere in time,
Wrist cutters

 

[amor.dor]

Nattvardsgästerna - 1962
This film is extremely nihilistic, where the characters strongly question the meaninglessness of life.

 

[Bitch With An Apple]

I really liked Melancholia
It's a bit overtly artsy
But there's a flip where the depressed main character suddenly becomes skilled when everyone else isn't, and it hit me hard

I liked Ben X too
Suicide Room, but it was ultimately really really sad to watch at the end

Oh but for deconstructive stuff like Synecdoche
There's I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Mother!
The Truman Show
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
And Black Bear, it has Aubrey Plaza in it
Berberian Sound Studio is another but it's horror

Hmmm, there are more...

Holy Motors is one of my favorite movies
Also Embers
And Upstream Color
But these all have a very distinctive reincarnative bent

I fucking love this one movie, Branded, but it has a literal 4/10 on whatever site idk it spoke to me I don't think it does to most people.

Frequencies is another but I'm straying here. Also Predestination. Aaaand I have to refer to Edge of Tomorrow cause Tom Cruise scifi is deceptively good. Idk it gave me existential vibes at least. Vanilla Sky too. Also Oblivion but again, idk how it speaks to others.

Donnie Darko is obligatory ofc.

Solaris and Stalker too if you like the dry Russian existential stuff.

Probably a shitty list but it is what it is and I am what I am.

 

[davestrider]

I really liked Melancholia
It's a bit overtly artsy
But there's a flip where the depressed main character suddenly becomes skilled when everyone else isn't, and it hit me hard

I liked Ben X too
Suicide Room, but it was ultimately really really sad to watch at the end

Oh but for deconstructive stuff like Synecdoche
There's I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Mother!
The Truman Show
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
And Black Bear, it has Aubrey Plaza in it
Berberian Sound Studio is another but it's horror

Hmmm, there are more...

Holy Motors is one of my favorite movies
Also Embers
And Upstream Color
But these all have a very distinctive reincarnative bent

I fucking love this one movie, Branded, but it has a literal 4/10 on whatever site idk it spoke to me I don't think it does to most people.

Frequencies is another but I'm straying here. Also Predestination. Aaaand I have to refer to Edge of Tomorrow cause Tom Cruise scifi is deceptively good. Idk it gave me existential vibes at least. Vanilla Sky too. Also Oblivion but again, idk how it speaks to others.

Donnie Darko is obligatory ofc.

Solaris and Stalker too if you like the dry Russian existential stuff.

Probably a shitty list but it is what it is and I am what I am.

holy detailed answer thank you man, i'll be sure to check these out! i don't think it's a shitty list at all (:

 

[woofwag]

Everything Everywhere All At Once. Please do yourself a MASSIVE favor and watch this movie. I personally believe it's a must-see for everyone. More of a journey than a movie.

 

[davestrider]

Everything Everywhere All At Once. Please do yourself a MASSIVE favor and watch this movie. I personally believe it's a must-see for everyone. More of a journey than a movie.

i put off watching eeaao for a really long time because i'd assumed it would be average overrated oscarbait. a couple years ago, i had an enormous nasty fight with my mother at the airport and decided to watch it on the plane on a whim. i did NOT expect to be as devastated by it as i was, it was an instant five-star and i ended up sobbing myself to sleep on my mother's shoulder while she watched the nun ii blissfully unaware. so yeah, i love that movie and completely get it (:

 

[nookew]

himizu (2011) is my all time favorite. It's a Japanese movie about two teens who both struggle with their family situations. It's really dark, emotional, and honestly hard to explain. Some people don't get this movie at all, but I think it's a must watch. It deals a lot with loneliness and just feeling lost.

 

[davestrider]

....

himizu (2011) is my all time favorite. It's a Japanese movie about two teens who both struggle with their family situations. It's really dark, emotional, and honestly hard to explain. Some people don't get this movie at all, but I think it's a must watch. It deals a lot with loneliness and just feeling lost.

both of these seem right up my alley, excited to check them out!

 

[avalon_]

world on the wire by rainer werner fassbinder - A scientist who works on a highly advanced computer simulation begins to questiom his own reality. When the contact person from the simulation manages to escape by switching his consciousness with someone from above, it finally dawns on him. He is caught in an existential nightmare, fully aware that he is nothing but electronic wire, searching for a way to live with this dreadful knowledge...

 

[avalon_]

Martyrs (2008) is also a big one for me, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It changed me in ways I could never have imagined. It didn't do much to me when I first watched it brcause I had severe anhedonia at the time and wasn't able to feel much, but later on the inages and their meanings came to haunt me.

The thing with this film, and why it's so disturbing, is that it has cosmic significance. It doean't just make a point about one specific area of life or human society, but about life as whole. The film asks: what kind of what world do we live in that would allow for something like this to take place? It also has a strong 'silence of god' feeling that can cause immense existential dread.

In any case, please heed my warning and do not watch this film unless you,re absolutely certain you can handle it. It's not a test of strength, people have individual sensitivities, and there are plenty of other great films that can offer catharsis without the potential of damaging one's mental health.

 

[mjolnir]

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