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 (:

 

[InBetweenTheBars]

It is actually a movie about suicide but it's honestly the best I've ever seen about it. It's called "night, mother". I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who's in a lot of mental distress though, but I think that a lot of people who are or have been suicidal would identify with the main character and the themes that the film explores. It's basically about a woman trying to justify her suicide to her mother and convince her that it is the most logical decision for her to make.
And I like your list btw, some of these are already in my watchlist

 

[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.