Recommendation for dark/gritty/depressing films

[suitepee7]

i forgot to mention, the girl next door [2007]. it is utterly horrible

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Most of the obvious choices covered here, so I'll sweep in with some (as yet unmentioned) Canadian films:

Last Night: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0156729/

Small, deeply personal story about the impending end of the world by some unknown and undisclosed catastrophe. Starts out darkly comic, but by the end has become almost unbearably bittersweet and wrenching.

The Sweet Hereafter: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120255/

A horrifying bus accident devastates a small community. The film sifts through the aftermath, as shattered families try to put their lives back together again.

Exotica: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109759/

Part mystery, part drama, part arthouse film. A broken man seeks solace at an erotic nightclub, and the cause of his grief and the connections between the characters are slowly revealed.



Also, not Canadian, but..

The War Zone: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141974/

Good movie if you want to feel like complete shit afterwards. WTF, Tim Roth. Seriously guy.

 

[ThisIsSnake]

"A Serbian Film" - not for the faint of heart. This is quite possibly the most disgusting thing you can view in some countries without ending up in prison.

 

[liquidsolid]

Mulholland Drive- Very surreal and dark film that plays out like a nightmare. It's directed by David Lynch and is quite disturbing at times.

 

[Alknix]

Come and See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091251/
If there ever was a movie that conveys the idea that War is Hell without any attempt at glorifying it, this will be it. Shown from the standpoint of a kid forced to join the Partisan movement in the Nazi-ravaged Belorussia, it is dark, brutal and unforgiving.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Martyr - a French movie. Very depressing.

Inside - another French movie. Mostly for the baby stuff.

 

[Loves2spooge]

'Drive' is one of the best movies I've seen in a while, very gritty, tender, yet unflinchingly visceral in its portrayal of violence (it was robbed of a lot of potential Oscar nominations).

Nearly everything from Scorsese's 70s catalogue can be included, most of Werner Herzog's work ('Aguirre: The Wrath of God' is astounding), and simply because I'm a sucker for the genre, 'LA Confidential' is a must; James Ellroy's about as gritty as noir gets, and the film's a great interpretation of its source.

 

[Kargathia]

Irreversible - One of my favourites, don't want to give too much away but it's told in reverse-chronological order. Just watch it and thank me later!

Oh God, I respect your opinion, and I agree it was well made, but I hated that movie. It uses every trick in the book to upset the audience and invents brand new ones. It was just an extremely ugly work to watch. Yes life can be just as ugly and even uglier, but did he really have to spin the camera around and around, flicker all the lights, and play an ambient noise that's scientifically proven to cause nausea.

I know that Gaspar Noe wanted to upset and disturb the viewer and he did in fact succeed but can't give him props for that as I can't give a man props for taking down Mike Tyson by hitting him in the balls with a sledgehammer.

It's a brilliant movie I can fully recommend to anyone looking for something "serious", but I won't blame you if you turn it off halfway - and I'll certainly not watch it a second time.

OT:

American Psycho - A bored self-obsessed wall street banker turns to sadistic murder. (Not really that unknown though)

Cidade Des Deus (City of God) - The story of a kid growing up amidst the gangs in one of Rio's slums.

Natural Born Killers - A couple starts a killing spree across the US, and become celebrities because of it. (Kinda fucking weird)

No Country For Old Men - Guy stumbles over a drug deal gone bad, loots the money, and gets chased by a rather disturbingly effective hitman because of it.

EDIT: Screw it. Doubt anyone hasn't heard of it yet, but why the hell didn't The Silence of the Lambs make this list?

 

[BrotherSurplice]

snip

I would recommend the 2004 film "Alfie" starring Jude Law. It starts out fairly upbeat and humourous, but it's ending is really rather depressing.

 

[Thaius]

If Pan's Labyrinth isn't here, you're missing out on one of the most brilliantly and beautiful dark films ever made. It's a Spanish film by Guillermo del Toro, and it's essentially a dark fairy tale. It's dark, depressing, oppressive, but beautiful, and must be seen.

Also, Captain Vidal is quite possible the most monstrous, plain evil antagonists I've ever seen. That douchebag is a complete monster in every sense of the word.

 

[HardkorSB]

I was wondering if anybody could recommend me a film that they could be described as dark, gritty or depressing. I'm not entirely sure why but i tend to gravitate towards these sorts of films and I wanted to see if there's any i'd missed. The only real requirement is that it can't be too stylized or unbelievable.

Well, I don't know about the "too stylized or unbelievable" aspect in this case, but "Watchmen" is quite dark, gritty and depressing.

 

[AntiChrist]

Apocalypse Now ought to be on your list, I think.

 

[krection]

Well I don't think this may count but you should consider "The Grey". You know, that movie starring Liam Neeson. If that isn't enough to convince you, then the plot of the movie is pretty much that Neesons's character is an oil miner with a bad past. He gets on a plane with a bunch of other workers when the plane suddenly crashes in the middle of Alaska. He and the other survivors must use their wits to try to survive the cold, lack of food, and the wolves hunting them. It is a VERY good movie and I would recommend it to anyone. I consider it dark and gritty/depressing. Just don't watch the trailer. It spoils everything.

 

[RedDeadFred]

American History X is quite depressing.
Moon is as well.
Primal Fear is kind of depress as well and is certainly a dark film.
Eden Lake is a very depressing movie that probably angered me more than any other film I've ever seen (in a good way though). Made me want to punch random teenagers.
Edit: How could i forget?!
Watch Children of Men.

 

[Whateveralot]

Seven Pounds.

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I cried like a little girl. You're welcome.

 

[RedDeadFred]

There's a American remake too, but i've heard that it is inferior.

Who did you hear that from? It's actually a very good remake with great performances from both of the leads. I would consider just about as good as the original.

And yes I agree that they definitely fit the description for this list.
The American remake is called Let Me In.

 

[ChildishLegacy]

In Bruges, though funny in places is ultimately a depressing film.

Ninja'd D:
Yeah, that film had my laughing a lot at some points, but by god do you feel depressed by the end of it, it really is an underrated film, I don't know why it isn't more popular. Quite original too.

 

[Acier]

Some of these stretch "realistic" a bit, or only fill 2 requirements. But a good movie is a good movie, amirite? I'll try to not repeat, but I won't make any promises
Welcome to the Dollhouse
The Usual Suspect
A Clockwork Orange
Girl, Interrupted
Brick
Bunny and the Bull
Delicatessen
Chinatown
Boogie Nights
Trainspotting
Bronson
American History X
This is England
Primer
Heathers
Misery
Se7en
Silence of The Lambs
Zodiac
Grave of the Fireflies and Watership Down if you don't mind animated
The Limey
The Devil's Backbone

I'll add more later if I feel like it, most of these are on Netflix instant if you have that service. Also, most of the people in this thread have good taste, so I won't bother repeating some that I agree with wholeheartedly.

 

[Pinkamena]

Thanks for reminding me of Lilya 4-ever. God, what a sad movie.

 

[ToMegaTherion]

A serbian film... It's the most deppressing movie I've seen
oh The mist to