sad documentaries you recommend watching

[deleted]

Hi guys, the title says it all, I'll start.

The Children of Leningradsky (Polish: Dzieci z Leningradzkiego) is a 2005 Polish short documentary film about a community of homeless children living in the Leningradsky railway station in Moscow. Directed by Andrzej Celiński and Hanna Polak, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.


The Bridge is a 2006 British-American documentary film by Eric Steel spanning one year of filming at the famed Golden Gate Bridge which crosses the Golden Gate entrance to San Francisco Bay, connecting the city of San Francisco, California to the Marin Headlands of Marin County, in 2004. The film shows a number of suicides, and features interviews with family and friends of some of the identified people who had thrown themselves from the bridge that year and one person who had jumped previously and survived.

 

[TheAmazingCriswell]

I wish to respectfully inquire why you would do this to yourself. I can, of course, only speak for myself, but life is sad enough as it is; a documentary about homeless children is the very last thing I need to watch.

 

[4eyebiped]

For some of us, darker things are more comfortable or feels more real. For me, as an example, watching movies with happy endings tend to annoy me. The life of a miserable bastard I guess...

I wont say that is the same for the OP, but I figured I would give you a perspective on this.

 

[deleted]

For some of us, darker things are more comfortable or feels more real. For me, as an example, watching movies with happy endings tend to annoy me. The life of a miserable bastard I guess...

I wont say that is the same for the OP, but I figured I would give you a perspective on this.

my point of view is similar to yours, there's no reason to pretend life is beautiful when all i see is doom and despair

 

[Chinaski]

Gale Is Dead, part of a 1960s/70s documentary strand in the UK called 'Man Alive', this absolutely broke me in half.

 

[Rogue Proxy]

Earthlings is a 2005 American documentary that showcases animal cruelty in the pet industry, meat industry, fashion, entertainment, and experimentation.

Trigger Warning for graphic depictions of animal abuse, cruelty, neglect, and deaths.

For some of us, darker things are more comfortable or feels more real. For me, as an example, watching movies with happy endings tend to annoy me. The life of a miserable bastard I guess...

I wont say that is the same for the OP, but I figured I would give you a perspective on this.

Partaking in optimistic media opposite to my mental state is too jarring for me. It's akin to the average human silencing, minimizing, berating, shaming, and guilt-tripping me for expressing lack of joy or contentment, and demanding that I become a cheerful, complacent fleshbot like itself. On the other hand, engaging in media that I strongly relate to and matches my emotions validates my emotional state, and encourages me to freely experience and express these emotions until they pass on their own.

 

[obliviousatbest]

There's a heartbreaking BBC 4 documentary Bulgaria's Abandoned Children. It documents the investigation of abuse in an orphanage and the terrible effects of isolation in children. Won't link the youtube because it's damaging to watch even the first few scenes, but it's extremely eye opening about cruelty that people needlessly endure. Thankfully after the film's release, the orphanage was shut down and the kids were moved to better facilities. TW for serious child neglect and suffering

 

[nerve]

Straddling that line between sad and fascinating is The Great Happiness Space, which is about Japanese host clubs. If you're not familiar with the concept, it's basically a night club where women pay to drink and spend time with a man whose job it is to shamelessly flirt with their customers & make them feel loved. They interview both the hosts and their customers, so you can probably imagine how it might get pretty fucking depressing.

 

[AppleTreeDog]

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1152758/

 

[Bleak]

I get sad enough watching the PBS newshour each day.

 

[Shadowplay]

I wish to respectfully inquire why you would do this to yourself. I can, of course, only speak for myself, but life is sad enough as it is; a documentary about homeless children is the very last thing I need to watch.

>this

I'm already plotting to CTB - do I need to be more depressed? Nah.