What are 15 movies about loneliness and depression?
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This article will show what are good 15 movies about loneliness and depression, and briefly discuss how they deal with the theme.
What are 15 movies about loneliness and depression?
Many movies center around loneliness and depression, here are 15 of them.
Eternal sunshine of a spotless mind
This movie brings to question how much you would be willing to do to deal with your emotional pain. It shows Joe and Clementine and how they decide to erase one another from their memory after they end their relationship, as a way to cope.
It shows how relationships are not perfect, but even though people are flawed, and we all are, they can still have a beautiful relationship. And by the end, you are hoping they find a way back to each other.
Little Miss Sunshine
This incredibly touching movie centers around a family that is trying to take a girl to a beauty pageant. But through it, a lot of families and personal conflicts surface. There is the uncle that has been dealing with depression and tried to end his life, and the grandfather who is a heroin addict.
But through it all, the movie shows the support of family, and how one will stand by the other in times of need.
Lost in Translation
This movie talks about that feeling everyone can have as they go to a new country and feel lost in translation. It centers on Bob Harris, a middle-aged actor that is in Japan to do a whiskey commercial, and a young woman, called Charlotte, who follows her husband that is there at work.
Both of them feel incredibly alone and start to bond in the hotel bar. This movie is great for people that feel like they have lost some sense of purpose in their lives, and have been feeling incredibly alone.
Her
This movie is a clear depiction of how it feels to live alone. The main character Theodore lives alone in Los Angeles and is dealing with depression. He is a professional writer, and because he feels lonely, he buys an operational system with a virtual intelligence he calls Samantha.
Through the movie, he develops a relationship with Samantha, and after a sexual encounter with artificial intelligence, the infatuation turns into love, and he gets a sense that she can develop emotions.
But at some point, he starts to realize that she won’t be able to fulfill his needs because she won’t be able to experience real emotions.
Melancholia
This movie is the second one of the Lars Von Trier trilogy about depression. It centers on a wedding, and the relationship of two sisters, one of them Julie, that is getting married. As the planet Melancholia is about to hit the earth, people’s actions and behaviors are changed.
This movie talks about how debilitating depression can be, and how it can feel for people going through it that the world is collapsing.
Where the Wild Things Are
This movie helps people understand more about isolation, and how it can have a positive impact on your imagination. It centers around Max, a young boy that has a lot of imagination. And after a disagreement with his sister, he runs away into the forest and enters the world of his imagination.
Solaris
Solaris is a science fiction movie that centers around Dr. Chris Kelvin, as he is sent to an isolated space station that revolves around a mysterious planet called Solaris. As he is there, he discovers that this planet has an impact on people’s dreams and nightmares, and he begins to see his dead wife.
This movie talks about loneliness, depression, and suicide. And how they can trigger things people usually avoid thinking or feeling. This is a great movie if you are considering ways to control your thoughts.
Cast Away
This world-known movie shows Tom Hanks, as a Fed-Ex employee that is left castaway on a deserted island in the South Pacific after the plane he was in crashed. Most of the movie centers on him trying to survive on the island, and how he can cope with the overwhelming loneliness that he experiences.
Girl, Interrupted
This movie, based on a real story, tells the story of Sussana, a woman who is in a mental institution after she tries to end her life. There she will meet a lot of people that are also struggling, and we follow her through as she learns more about her condition, and how to deal with it.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
This movie centers around Charlie, an introverted teenager, as he befriends a group of interesting, free-spirited teens. We follow him, open himself to those new friends, and deal with traumatic situations in his past that he had suppressed. It is a moving and funny movie that approaches deep themes in a very subtle way.
Manchester By The Sea
Manchester By The Sea shows an uncle, Lee, that becomes the guardian of his nephew, Patrick after his older brother dies. Through the movie, it is shown how Lee has become incredibly lonely and depressed after he went through a traumatic experience in his life. As well as how he and his nephew will bond and deal with the loss of their loved one.
It’s a Funny Story
Craig, an overachiever teenager tries to end his life as he feels overwhelmed by all the expectations to succeed in school. He is checked into an adult psychiatric facility and there he meets many other people that have also been struggling with mental health.
Through the movie, you can find hope in the support of friends, and get a new dose of courage, and motivation.
Cake
This movie centers on Claire, a woman that is dealing with the grief of her son. After the loss, she develops chronic pain and is depressed. The movie shows how she is dealing with all of that through therapy and medication and shares how hard those moments can be until one reaches acceptance.
It’s a Wonderful Life
This classic Christmas movie shows depression extremely well. It centers around George Bailey, a businessman that is a loving husband, and an active member of his community.
But when he starts to doubt himself, he tries to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge. And it is then that an angel will show how the world would be without him, giving him a chance to value his life.
Three Colours: Blue
This movie is a part of a trilogy and centers on Julie, a young widow, who has been having trouble dealing with the loss of her husband and child. And to deal with it, she decided to live in isolation, which can be harder than she thought.
This movie makes it evident how hard it can be to cope with sorrow and grief but gives hopeful tunes to it as well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): What are 15 movies about loneliness and depression?
What are uplifting movies for when I am depressed?
If you are feeling depressed, here are some uplifting movies you can watch: “The Sound of Music”, this timeless classic, with its beautiful scenery, that will warm your heart.
Another movie that brings on the same effect as “E.T.”. Watching the birth of a great friendship between Eliot and E.T. will surely make you smile.
What type of movies will help me if I feel down?
The first thought that will come to mind, when you feel down, is watching a funny movie. And they can help. As you watch something funny, you will laugh, and that will release endorphins in your body, which can be great at reducing your stress levels and improving your depressive symptoms.
Aside from that, it can distance you from negative thoughts, and make you feel less alone.
Other types of movies will make you feel less alone. Research has shown that if you are sad, and watch a sad movie, you can identify with the story and feel less alone in your suffering. Showing how even sad movies can have a positive effect on someone sad.
What is Post-movie depression?
Post-movie depression is sadness or loss of purpose one can experience after they have finished watching a movie. This can happen because they identified too much with the story portrayed in the movie, leading them to feel alone after.
Or the movie may have brought them a too idealized vision of the world, which causes them to feel bad about going back to their ordinary lives. Or even because you didn’t agree with something at the end of the movie.
What are the causes of depression?
Depression can be caused by some factors. It can be related to genetic factors, meaning that when a person has a history of depression in their family, they can develop it easier. Aside from that, it can be related to a chemical imbalance in the person’s brain.
And it can also be related to a traumatic situation. This means that when a person goes through a breakup or the loss of a loved one, they can develop depression.
What are the forms of depression?
A depressive episode can be mild, moderate, major, or persistent. Mild depression tends to have, as the name says, mild symptoms. It goes on for a short period, and because of all that, tends to be the hardest one to diagnose. It often is necessary just some lifestyle changes cope with mild depression.
As for moderate depression, its symptoms can begin to have a negative impact on the person’s life. It also can last longer than mild depression. To treat it, people will most likely need therapy, and some will need medication.
Major depression, also known as clinical depression, is the most intense form of depression. It can lead the person to have trouble doing the simplest things like getting out of bed.
Major depression can go on for months, and aside from the common symptoms of depression, it can lead people to have hallucinations, and become delusional.
To treat major depression the person will need therapy, and also medication. As for persistent depression, it can go on for around 5 years. And during the period the person will swing between mild depression and major depression. Because of such swings, the person will need to go to therapy and take medication.
Conclusion
This article centered on showing what are 15 movies about loneliness and depression, and how they treat the theme.
If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write them in the section below.
References
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