During a year when action thrillers such as Twisters and The Beekeeper dominated movie screens, Hollywood still made room for a diverse array of more somber films. Drama is the best-suited genre to elicit powerful emotions of despair and doom from the audience, which is why most of the films on the list fall under that category.
Fans not in the mood for upbeat comical antics or in-your-face action stunts will appreciate movies that more realistically reflect the soaring heights and crashing depths of the human experience, and these 10 most depressing movies of 2024 do that extremely well.
'Good Grief'
Duel directors Dan Levy and Arnaud Valois expertly weave comedy with tragedy in Good Grief, which stars Levy as a recently bereaved husband who is thrown for an emotional loop as he discovers his late husband was entangled in a secret affair. In an effort to mend his broken heart, he embarks with his best friends on a healing journey to Paris, which is somewhat reminiscent of a more solemn Eat, Pray, Love-style trek.
A Reality Picture of Love, Loss, and Betrayal
Released at the tail end of 2023, the movie was rife for discussion throughout 2024. One Reddit poster described the tragic film as "over-the-top tear baiting," making it a great choice for any fan craving a good cry. Gorgeous nighttime shots of London and Paris punctuate the piercingly sad dramedy for an impressive result.
9 'How to Have Sex'
Release Date November 2, 2023RatingNot RatedRuntime1hr 31minCastMia McKenna-Bruce , Samuel Bottomley
How to Have Sex chronicles the vacation travels of a trio of teenage friends seeking to explore their burgeoning sexuality. Tara, the main character played by emerging British actress Mia McKenna Bruce, is particularly fixated on the pursuit of sexual experiences, due to feeling peer pressure from her friends to lose her virginity. The coming-of-age trip takes a dark turn as the teens find themselves facing uncomfortable realities.
Not a Typically Light-Hearted Teen Drama
The movie squarely avoids formulaic growing-up tropes by diving into murkier waters than the typical feel-good teen film. Rather than being mindlessly fun entertainment, the movie serves as a stark warning about the pitfalls of party culture that can strike when predatory behavior descends as adolescents start to go out on their own.
8 'The Wild Robot'
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Release DateSeptember 27, 2024Runtime101 MinutesCastLupita Nyong'o , Pedro Pascal , Catherine O'Hara , Bill Nighy , Kit Connor , Stephanie Hsu , Mark Hamill , Matt Berry , Ving Rhames
Audiences probably wouldn't expect a children's film to be depressing, but The Wild Robot takes the unexpected direction to relay a remarkably downtrodden story. Themes of loneliness are emphasized as Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o adds another hit to her collection of sparkling roles as she voices Roz, a service robot who finds herself trapped on a desolate island after becoming the sole survivor of a storm which sinks her cargo ship. Surrounded by unwelcoming wildlife, she must battle alone to make her way in a foreign land.
A Beautifully Tragic Victory for Dreamworks
Dreamworks has received heavy praise for the thoughtfully crafted animated adventure drama. The simple but touching tale possesses "core memory" qualities, with many fans calling it this generation's Iron Giant. The environmental message about protecting nature and wildlife is timely and needed in an era of unprecedented disregard for the planet in favor of short-term convenience and industrial expediency.
7 'Bleeding Love'
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Release DateFebruary 16, 2024Runtime1hr 36minCastEwan McGregor , Clara McGregor , Jake Weary , Kim Zimmer , Travis Hammer
With the several overdose deaths in recent years of Gen Z staples such as Lil Peep, Mac Miller, Juice WRLD, and Euphoria superstar Angus Cloud, drug struggles have become an increasingly relevant topic which Bleeding Love uses as a main plot point. Director Emma Westenberg's family drama contains themes of generational trauma as a former addict played by Star Wars star Ewan McGregor tries to heal his relationship with his daughter who has recently survived an alarming overdose.
Heartrending Drug Movies Like 'Bleeding Love' Humanize Addiction, But May Unintentionally Worsen a Crisis
Hollywood is rife with sob stories about the destructive nature of drug addiction, and a particular focus has recently been placed on opioids, such as in Timothee Chalamet's Beautiful Boy. The harsh crackdowns on traditional painkillers that have swept the nation have precipitated a soaring demand for counterfeit pills that often contain Fentanyl, which can be instantly lethal in tiny amounts.
Films that beat viewers over the head about the perils of addiction, but fail to touch on the life-saving nature of harm reduction strategies, can potentially drum up public support for draconian zero tolerance policies. While many of these films are careful to paint addiction as a gripping illness rather than a criminal flaw, they often fail to evolve any further beyond a flat "drugs are bad" message for viewers to take away.
6 'Good One'
Release DateJanuary 21, 2024Runtime90 MinutesCastLily Collias , Sumaya Bouhbal , James Le Gros , Danny McCarthy
Good One, directed by India Donaldson, is an emotional drama with a majestic nature setting about a teen girl named Sam who finds herself caught mediating the conflict that arises from a long-simmering resentment between her father and his best friend, Matt, during a week-long camping excursion. Her father's friend, who she sees as an uncle, cuts a depressing figure as he grapples with his recent divorce and crumbling career. Meanwhile, Sam's father dampens the vacation's mood with his stuffy demeanor and controlling tendencies.
India Donaldson Proves Less Is More With Minimalist Movie Win
Donaldson received rave reviews from critics for her understated debut film. The piece has been praised for its slow buildup into what reviewer Mark Dujsik called "a quietly harrowing story." The film explores both the beauties and disappointments of life, using one particularly pitiful scene to highlight the ravages of aging by comparing the middle-aged Matt to bright-eyed college students.
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Release DateOctober 11, 2024Runtime107 MinutesCastFlorence Pugh , Andrew Garfield , Adam James , Marama Corlett , Aoife Hinds , Nikhil Parmar , Heather Craney , Sarah Moyle
We Live in Time is unusually dark for a romantic comedy. It stars highly accomplished starlet Florence Pugh, alongside Andrew Garfield. The two play a toiling couple with a complicated relationship which the film offers glimpses of at different points over the course of a ten-year timeframe. The pair's saga is complicated by compounding elements such as pregnancy, divorce, and recurring cancer.
Director John Crowley expertly incorporates timeline play to juxtapose joyous scenes with heartbreaking ones. The quick comparisons make the sad scenes more gutting by several notches. The film's quality is also bolstered by the classic sarcasm and no-nonsense wit of its British-style dialogue, stopping the film from suffering what easily could have been a disastrous slide into overly mawkish territory.
4 'Sing Sing'
Release DateJuly 12, 2024Runtime107 MinutesCastColman Domingo , Clarence Maclin , Sean San Jose , Paul Raci , David Dap Giraudy , Patrick Preme Griffin , Mosi Eagle , James Big E Williams , Sean Dino Johnson , Cornell Nate Alston , Camillo Carmine LoVacco , Dario Peña , Pedro Cotto , Miguel Valentin
It is hard to imagine anything more depressingly wrongful than a falsely accused person being trapped in prison. That is the infuriating basis of Sing Sing's plot, which shows Colman Domingo's character "Divine G" accomplish the seemingly impossible task of finding joy in prison through the power of musical performance. The character shares wrongful imprisonment in common with the real man on whom he is based, John Whitfield, as well as real-life former prisoner JJ Velazquez, who was exonerated of a wrongful murder conviction after serving nearly 24 years in prison and is also a part of the film's cast.
A Transformative Fact-Based Film
Sing Sing does one of cinema's most important jobs by using the power of entertainment to draw viewership to a serious societal issue. The cast members have been praised for their strong acting and authentic emotion as they relay the tale of tragedy and triumph. Despite the presence of several joyful moments in the film, JJ Velazquez cautioned in an NBC interview, "This is not a celebration. This is an indictment of the system."
3 'Here After'
Release Date September 13, 2024CastConnie Britton , Freya Hannan-Mills , Giovanni Cirfiera
Fans of American Horror Story: Murder House will appreciate seeing star Connie Britton in another bone-chilling project. Here she plays Claire, whose daughter has been miraculously resurrected after a deadly disaster. At first thinking she and her child have been reunited with no strings attached, she soon realizes that a dangerous darkness now stands between them.
Connie Britton Entertains in Dreary Drama
Although some fans disliked the heavy use of Dutch angles and found the pacing too slow, many appreciated the haunting thematics and interesting family trauma story. Fans of soapy stories will appreciate that the film doesn't hold back or try to be too serious. Britton's performance as a guilt-ridden mother is effective in casting the blue mood over the production that the director appears to be going for.
2 'The Peasants'
Released in the USA on January 26, 2024, The Peasants offered a creative visual masterpiece to start off the year. The Polish film is a unique labor of love which doesn't take any shortcuts. It is hand-painted by a group of 60 artists who created six oil-painted frames for every second of live footage. In a cultural landscape facing the looming explosion of AI, this gorgeous presentation of the mournful story about abject poverty clashing against riches in a 19th-century Polish village proves the value of human-made art without automated interference.
An Outstanding Visual Triumph
The Peasants honors and celebrates film's identity as a visual medium first and foremost. While some critics called the story "too conventional," it is hard to nitpick the script when the filmmakers' obvious main goal was to execute a lofty painting feat. Deep tones complement the thematic darkness of the sorrowful story starring Kamila Urzedowska as an impoverished farmhand determined to defy her mother's plans for an arranged marriage. The ugly ending of this anti-fairytale snaps viewers out of any fantasy the enchanting scenes might have begun to weave.
1 'His Three Daughters'
Netflix's His Three Daughters stars popular Orange is the New Black alum Natasha Lyonne alongside Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of elusive legends Mary Kate and Ashley. The two are joined by Carrie Coon to form a trio of sisters who unite in New York City to care for their father as his health fails. The movie's sad plot hits home and has widely heartbreaking appeal because almost everyone has either seen a loved one deal with a sick parent, or been forced to do so themselves.
A Simple Showcase of Three Big Talents
The non-flashy film gives ample opportunity for each woman to show her drama skills. The movie incorporates stage-acting techniques to conjure emotion and make viewers feel like they are in the room with the characters. It received an impressive 98% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with admirers calling it "realistically messy." The stars' grief translates across the screen for one of the subtly saddest releases of the year.
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