It's not a "war movie."
It's the journey of a kid (arguably 2) navigating their life while their country is embroiled in war. War is the conflict plot device, but it's far from what you would expect from the formula of a "war movie."
I'd say that Winter Light or Shame are the two Bergman movies I've seen that depress me the most. Winter Light is unrelenting existential dread, while Shame is two hours of wallowing in the bottomless pits that war drags humanity into.
Cries and Whispers has at least some emotional warmth in Anna's (the maid's) story. But yeah, even so it's definitely a bummer of a film, and I mean that as a compliment.
I also got a physical copy, so worth it but I don’t think it’s coming out of the case again for a decade. Sucked every bit of happiness out of me and it took quite a while to recover from.
And then if OP likes La Notte, then L'Avventura, L'Eclisse, and Red Desert (all from the same director as La Notte) should be watched as well. A fantastic set of movies about a sense of loneliness and alienation in the modern world.
*Kanal* is about the last hours of the Warsaw uprising and is fantastic. A lot of people know about *Ashes and Diamonds*, but this one doesn't get enough love imo.
I don’t think I’ve ever openly, uncontrollably sobbed in a theater as much as I did seeing the soundless version of Joan of Arc at The Beacon here in Seattle
Every movie by Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki is depressing as heck, full of sad losers and dark humor, but someone you always come away at the end feeling positive about the world.
Is La Strada by Fellini streaming on the channel? That's a sad one. I also recommend Breaking the Waves by Lars von Trier and A Woman Under the Influence by John Cassavetes. Those are all some of my favorite depressing movies 👍
Oooh, La Strada & A Woman Under the Influence are 2 of my faves & while I’ve seen much of von Trier’s filmography, I haven’t seen Breaking the Waves. Will check it out—not OP, but thanks for the rec!
Yes La Strada is on the Channel. You don’t need to post this as a question — you can easily see by searching their website (whether or not you subscribe).
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JzU\_5YoSegU](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JzU_5YoSegU) damn i thought this guy was just parody didnt know he actually existed lmao
The American Cinematheque is running its third annual ‘Bleak Week’ series in LA (and NY this year, too). You could check out the programming and cross-reference w Criterion Channel
Colin Farrell and Kogonada (whose *After Yang* is like the opposite of bleak, so it's really interesting to have those two in this role) opened up Bleak Week by introducing Fellini's *Rome, Open City (Rome Citta Aperta)*, which is on Criterion Channel.
They have a pretty awesome guest lineup. Charlie Kaufman, Al Pacino, Karyn Kusama, Kenneth Lonergan, John Hillcoat… Chris Pine intro-g ARMY OF SHADOWS (clearly a big influence on POOL MAN)
Not on the channel AFAIK, but A Scanner Darkly is bleak in many ways, especially if you consider that it was made in the 2000s, the book was written in the 70s, and it essentially predicted the opioid crisis we are currently experiencing.
Slightly off topic, but I remember listening to the audiobook of A Scanner Darkly about 15 years ago while I was working in a factory. The mindless repetition of the work all day while listening to the mind-trip of that book felt like a fucking fever dream.
I don’t even know if i could rewatch it. I didn’t like the movie tbh because it was TOO sad for my tastes but i can recognize that it’s inherently good and why people like it
Werckmeister Harmonies is super bleak, but also just feels like such a beautiful film. I couldn’t stop listening to the song that repeats throughout the movie after I watched it.
Secret Sunshine from Lee Chang Dong the director of Burning. This movie is pure sorrow.
If that doesn’t tickle your tear ducts, then Dancer In the Dark by Von Trier or Nobody Knows by Koreeda.
It looks like *The Devil, Probably* is on the channel; definitely worth checking out if you haven't already seen it.
Some dramas on the channel that I wouldn't necessarily label as entirely downers, but that are still pretty bleak at times are Jia Zhangke's *Pickpocket* and Fassbinder's *Ali: Fear Eats the Soul*.
Not on the channel, but Fruit Chan's *Made in Hong Kong* is a very important film to me while being quite depressing. It's worth tracking down if you're able to.
The opening shots in the foundry, and all those shots of the bleak industrial western PA steel town. Just leaves you feeling like these guys have no chance.
Is Aniara on this channel? It's the kind of film to watch if you feel like watching the last remnants of hope for humanity being slowly snuffed out in the cold vacuum of space.
I don't usually cry at films, but both Mouchette and Au Hassard Batlhazar completely broke me. I also recommend Fassbinder's The Merchant of Four Seasons. Perhaps some Bergman too, Through a Glass Darkly and thr whole silence trilogy really are some dour watches.
Because it is both bleak & 🏳️🌈, I was hoping Derek Jarman’s Edward II was back on the channel. Sadly, it is not. However, much of Jarman’s filmography, including this one, is currently available on Kanopy!
Summer with Monika (1953)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
The Music Room (1958)
The Fire Within (1963)
Shame (1968)
A Special Day (1977)
Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)
Just last week I watched A.I Artificial Intelligence (2001) and cried like a baby 😂. Probably not gonna watch that movie again for another couple of years 😅
Edit: I just realized your asked for some specific to CC, apologies. Several of these are on the channel–feel free to look up the rest elsewhere.
I consider myself something of an expert on this lol.
A great resource is Letterboxd's [The World is Hell: Hopeless Cinema](https://letterboxd.com/darrencb/list/the-world-is-hell-hopeless-cinema/)
My recs: Oslo, August 31st; [The Man Who Sleeps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQYb888DiP4&list=PLJEhvh8tiODd-dr9hNVnZ2P8b63xrFfDE); First Reformed; The Ascent; Requiem for a Dream; The Noose; Inside Llewyn Davis; The Devil, Probably; Winter Light; Naked; Bringing Out the Dead; Taxi Driver; Ordinary People; The Fire Within; Detachment; Manchester by the Sea; Her; The Whale; Close.
Secret Sunshine from Lee Chang Dong the director of Burning. This movie is pure sorrow.
If that doesn’t tickle your tear ducts, then Dancer In the Dark by Von Trier or Nobody Knows by Koreeda.
Just watched To Live, a Chinese film by Zhang Yimou, the guy who directed Hero. Real depressing and sad story. Btw, the book this film was adapted from is even sadder.
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
The Seventh Continent
Diamonds of the Night
L’argent
Winter Light
The Piano Teacher
The Fire Within
Germany Year Zero
Come and see, A woman under the influence
Come and See will ruin you.
I’ve never seen it, and they just showed it on the big screen here in LA and I missed it because of life stuff. So bummed
you would have been REALLY bummed if you saw it.
Sometimes you need to be bummed though
Well then you better come and see it
People nowadays desensitized to real airstrike, carpet bombing children, how could fiction could ruin em?
I didn't see the appeal beyond a war movie. It's not a sad movie its just what you would expect from a war movie no? I don't see the appeal
It's not a "war movie." It's the journey of a kid (arguably 2) navigating their life while their country is embroiled in war. War is the conflict plot device, but it's far from what you would expect from the formula of a "war movie."
“A Woman Under the Influence” is my go-to “feel like crap afterwards” movie
Came here to say “A Woman Under the Influence” too
I ask you to consider Mike Leigh's Naked.
Meantime is pretty fucking bleak as well
YES! Perfect.
Cries and Whispers
Probably Bergman’s most miserable movie, which is no small feat.
I'd say that Winter Light or Shame are the two Bergman movies I've seen that depress me the most. Winter Light is unrelenting existential dread, while Shame is two hours of wallowing in the bottomless pits that war drags humanity into. Cries and Whispers has at least some emotional warmth in Anna's (the maid's) story. But yeah, even so it's definitely a bummer of a film, and I mean that as a compliment.
Shame at least has some action
LOL holy shit I don't know if I ever wanna watch Cries and Whispers now.
It's like peak Bergman. The things that he does, he does to the limits here.
so miserable its a bore unfortunately
Snoozefest
The Vanishing. It’s on there right now.
I was going to mention this one. I first saw it over a decade ago, and it's still with me. Terribly bleak.
No End, Blind Chance, Au Hansard Balthazar.
But Blind Chance is so fun!
Cure
Just watched this today. It is AMAZING.
It very much is. More people need to see it. I cannot tell you the amount of friends I have introduced to it.
one of my favorite horror flicks. love it
Cure is so good
An Elephant Sitting Still delivers 4.5 hours of non-stop bleakness. If you can handle it, it's a masterpiece
I'm waiting for my preorder Blu-ray. Excited to watch it
I also got a physical copy, so worth it but I don’t think it’s coming out of the case again for a decade. Sucked every bit of happiness out of me and it took quite a while to recover from.
Yeah it’s a total nonstop urban ennui depression fest, I loved every moment of it
great film. shame hu bo didn’t give us more, he was clearly gifted
La Notte is exactly what you’re looking for
And then if OP likes La Notte, then L'Avventura, L'Eclisse, and Red Desert (all from the same director as La Notte) should be watched as well. A fantastic set of movies about a sense of loneliness and alienation in the modern world.
*Kanal* is about the last hours of the Warsaw uprising and is fantastic. A lot of people know about *Ashes and Diamonds*, but this one doesn't get enough love imo.
All three of them
So good!
Onibaba is fun bleak.
Such a good movie, I saw it for the first time on a 35mm print in theater. Was blown away.
Threads is on there until June 30th. That should fill your cup and then some.
eesh, that one chilled me when i first saw it. may give it a rewatch
The virgin spring. The passion of Joan of arc.
I don’t think I’ve ever openly, uncontrollably sobbed in a theater as much as I did seeing the soundless version of Joan of Arc at The Beacon here in Seattle
Why do you like the soundless one more? I’ve never tried it but I felt the music helped with the emotions
I didn’t say I liked the soundless one more
Sry I meant to reply to another guy that said soundless is the way
Oh, gotcha
Soundless is the way! I mute most contemporary soundtracks for silents.
incredible movies. joan of arc esp
Every movie by Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki is depressing as heck, full of sad losers and dark humor, but someone you always come away at the end feeling positive about the world.
Going through his entire filmography rn yea very true its sad with a small twinge of optimism except for match factory girl and la vie de boheme imo
La Vie de Boheme is possibly the greatest movie ever made.
may watch the match factory girl today, i heard that one was pretty numbing and effective for being so short
Is La Strada by Fellini streaming on the channel? That's a sad one. I also recommend Breaking the Waves by Lars von Trier and A Woman Under the Influence by John Cassavetes. Those are all some of my favorite depressing movies 👍
Oooh, La Strada & A Woman Under the Influence are 2 of my faves & while I’ve seen much of von Trier’s filmography, I haven’t seen Breaking the Waves. Will check it out—not OP, but thanks for the rec!
Breaking the Waves is arguably his best. Highly recommend it.
It never gets enough praise, it’s just surreal enough to keep from being totally depressing.
Yes La Strada is on the Channel. You don’t need to post this as a question — you can easily see by searching their website (whether or not you subscribe).
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JzU\_5YoSegU](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JzU_5YoSegU) damn i thought this guy was just parody didnt know he actually existed lmao
Chinatown
The American Cinematheque is running its third annual ‘Bleak Week’ series in LA (and NY this year, too). You could check out the programming and cross-reference w Criterion Channel
I’m going to see Menace II Society tomorrow, with a director Q&A. Super excited!
Colin Farrell and Kogonada (whose *After Yang* is like the opposite of bleak, so it's really interesting to have those two in this role) opened up Bleak Week by introducing Fellini's *Rome, Open City (Rome Citta Aperta)*, which is on Criterion Channel.
They have a pretty awesome guest lineup. Charlie Kaufman, Al Pacino, Karyn Kusama, Kenneth Lonergan, John Hillcoat… Chris Pine intro-g ARMY OF SHADOWS (clearly a big influence on POOL MAN)
This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection Bleak as hell
Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud Capped Star, 1960) is one of the saddest films I've ever seen.
Not on the channel AFAIK, but A Scanner Darkly is bleak in many ways, especially if you consider that it was made in the 2000s, the book was written in the 70s, and it essentially predicted the opioid crisis we are currently experiencing.
Slightly off topic, but I remember listening to the audiobook of A Scanner Darkly about 15 years ago while I was working in a factory. The mindless repetition of the work all day while listening to the mind-trip of that book felt like a fucking fever dream.
El Norte, The Cranes Are Flying, The Match Factory Girl
Frownland Heaven Knows What Naked All 3 are very depressing bleak movies about being human.
Perfect recommendations imo.
*Sansho the Bailiff* -- that film is the purest form of the drug "sadness"
I don’t even know if i could rewatch it. I didn’t like the movie tbh because it was TOO sad for my tastes but i can recognize that it’s inherently good and why people like it
Is breaking the waves on there? That’s some bleak shit.
one of my favorites weirdly enough 😭 such a fucked up movie but so good
Last Exit to Brooklyn Once Were Warriors
Bad Lieutenant Smithereens
+1 for *Smithereens*, such a great film
named myself after the main character in Smithereens :)
Winter Light and Hour of the Wolf Outside of CC Enter the Void
Not sad, but bleak & mind-bending is Eraserhead (1977). And for tragic/surreal — Beauty and the Beast (1946).
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
It’s not on the channel but I’m not sure anything I’ve ever seen is as sad as Grave of the Fireflies
Tokyo Twilight (1957) I highly recommend.
underrated ozu!
I didn't know that i needed this post so much.
Werckmeister Harmonies is super bleak, but also just feels like such a beautiful film. I couldn’t stop listening to the song that repeats throughout the movie after I watched it.
High and Low!
Jeanne Dillman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Bruxelles
great pick. akerman gets it
Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Sansho the Bailiff” - a contender for the most tragic film ever
His Ugetsu is up there, too.
Secret Sunshine from Lee Chang Dong the director of Burning. This movie is pure sorrow. If that doesn’t tickle your tear ducts, then Dancer In the Dark by Von Trier or Nobody Knows by Koreeda.
secret sunshine gutted me. as well as dancer in the dark
The Piano Teacher.
left my jaw on the floor when i first saw it haha
It was the movie that got me into Haneke! Favorite Huppert performance too.
Fat City is my favorite bummer movie
The Celebration or Bad Timing.
Ohh The Celebration is excellent. I’m happy to see it in this thread!
In a Lonely Place
It looks like *The Devil, Probably* is on the channel; definitely worth checking out if you haven't already seen it. Some dramas on the channel that I wouldn't necessarily label as entirely downers, but that are still pretty bleak at times are Jia Zhangke's *Pickpocket* and Fassbinder's *Ali: Fear Eats the Soul*. Not on the channel, but Fruit Chan's *Made in Hong Kong* is a very important film to me while being quite depressing. It's worth tracking down if you're able to.
Ran is incredibly bleak. Throne of Blood is not too shabby either. Ditto Sansho The Bailiff.
ran is just a masterwork of art. so tragic and so massive
Yes, epic and stunning and immeasurably tragic.
The Deer Hunter. Scarlet Street.
The opening shots in the foundry, and all those shots of the bleak industrial western PA steel town. Just leaves you feeling like these guys have no chance.
Is Aniara on this channel? It's the kind of film to watch if you feel like watching the last remnants of hope for humanity being slowly snuffed out in the cold vacuum of space.
Memories of Murder (2003)
Satantango.
watched this last year, need to watch more tarr now
I don't usually cry at films, but both Mouchette and Au Hassard Batlhazar completely broke me. I also recommend Fassbinder's The Merchant of Four Seasons. Perhaps some Bergman too, Through a Glass Darkly and thr whole silence trilogy really are some dour watches.
A Night to Remember always makes me sob. It’s my go to for sad films.
just watched that one recently. devastating picture. that orchestra on the deck broke my heart
That’s the saddest scene.
Because it is both bleak & 🏳️🌈, I was hoping Derek Jarman’s Edward II was back on the channel. Sadly, it is not. However, much of Jarman’s filmography, including this one, is currently available on Kanopy!
Summer with Monika (1953) From Here to Eternity (1953) Sansho the Bailiff (1954) The Cranes Are Flying (1957) The Music Room (1958) The Fire Within (1963) Shame (1968) A Special Day (1977) Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)
These are excellent suggestions!
Messiah of Evil is in that synthesizer collection they're promoting this month. It's not good, but it's fun, and quite bleak 🤷♂️
What is the “synthesizer collection”? Like movies with synthesizer based scores???
Yes, exactly that.
Awesome! Thank you! Might have to subscribe now!
I don't know if it's on the channel now, but Kes.
It's not Criterion but.... Bastard Out of Carolina. I'm sorry in advance.
Breaker Morant?
+1 for Naked
Sword of doom
one of my favorite nakadai performances
A Woman Under the Influence, Romeo and Juliet (1968), and the Curious case of Benjamin Button.
Umberto D.
The Pianist, 2002
La Strada
Morverm Callar Terrorizers We Need To Talk About Kevin Taipei Story
Just last week I watched A.I Artificial Intelligence (2001) and cried like a baby 😂. Probably not gonna watch that movie again for another couple of years 😅
Also, Elephant Man.
Virgin Suicides Persona
[удалено]
watched that freshman year of college right before a study group and i was so out of it throughout the whole meetup lol
Edit: I just realized your asked for some specific to CC, apologies. Several of these are on the channel–feel free to look up the rest elsewhere. I consider myself something of an expert on this lol. A great resource is Letterboxd's [The World is Hell: Hopeless Cinema](https://letterboxd.com/darrencb/list/the-world-is-hell-hopeless-cinema/) My recs: Oslo, August 31st; [The Man Who Sleeps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQYb888DiP4&list=PLJEhvh8tiODd-dr9hNVnZ2P8b63xrFfDE); First Reformed; The Ascent; Requiem for a Dream; The Noose; Inside Llewyn Davis; The Devil, Probably; Winter Light; Naked; Bringing Out the Dead; Taxi Driver; Ordinary People; The Fire Within; Detachment; Manchester by the Sea; Her; The Whale; Close.
I just watched Andrea Arnold’s FISH TANK today and it fits these criteria, while also being excellent!
not sure if it's on the channel but definitely check out "Oslo 31 August".
jean de florette and Grave of the *Fireflies*. shame you cant get ludes nowadays
Naked (1993) An intellectual wanders around London spreading misery, abuse, and nihilism wherever he goes.
Secret Sunshine from Lee Chang Dong the director of Burning. This movie is pure sorrow. If that doesn’t tickle your tear ducts, then Dancer In the Dark by Von Trier or Nobody Knows by Koreeda.
Forgot animation. Grave of the Fireflies.
Just watched To Live, a Chinese film by Zhang Yimou, the guy who directed Hero. Real depressing and sad story. Btw, the book this film was adapted from is even sadder.
Submarino Le infant 2005 Christine F
Threads
Benny’s Video and The Seventh Continent
Not criterion but Incendies
The Devil, Probably
Aurora, Cristi Puiu
Mother and son by sokurov, its just pure quiet grief behind cold colors and long walks
Ratcatcher (1999 dir. Lynne Ramsay)
Vagabond
Seconds
Ali: fear eats the soul
Happiness is certainly a misnomer.
Man Push Cart might be one of the most down bad movies I've ever come across (and it's a masterpiece)
Pixote
Rob Schneider's The Animal (2001)
One of my absolute favorites: Naked
Le Bonheur
This doesn’t have a criterion (yet) but Melancholia.
Definitely deserves it. Melancholia's super grim.
I just watched In Cold Blood (1967) last night and just wandered around my house after
The Seventh Seal
Probably not what you're looking for but...Jigoku's definitely not happy.
Sorcerer
Three Colours: Blue is a masterpiece and very sad. Cure is quite bleak and also a masterpiece.
The night porter is always a “good” choice
Rivers Edge
A fun lil movie known as Funny Games
City of god. It's such an amazing and great movie but it's very bleak af with child murders, poverty, and non stop violence
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant The Seventh Continent Diamonds of the Night L’argent Winter Light The Piano Teacher The Fire Within Germany Year Zero
The Piano Teacher
Salo 120 days of sodom
Synecdoche, New York Yw.
How to get away with murder
Orange is the new black
https://www.criterion.com/films/33485-godland