Some of the best movies out there are very depressing in scope, often because they end with bad people getting what they want. Real life is depressing enough, right? Why would we sit through that?
Well, some of the best movies out there don't end happily. Take Rosemary's Baby, for instance. In that movie, there is no question that the title character has lost the battle. And we have to watch her suffer and be gaslit by everyone around her before that very memorable ending!
Eden Lake, a movie that is on one level about class warfare, is another. Prepare to be depressed as hell once that's over.
People shared their thoughts after Redditor LoveOverwatch76 asked the online community,
"What is a movie where the bad guys win?"
Chinatown (1974)
"Chinatown. My SO and I watched this for the first time last year. We were pretty engrossed. Some scenes showing older social conventions might date the movie, but it holds up because of the script and story. The ending was messy, because how else could it be?"
slayx
"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."
A classic in every respect. And that ending is just depressing. It truly makes the movie.
Se7en (1995)
"Se7en. Spacey's character was killed, but he won the end game by destroying Pitt's character. I got the sense that this was exactly how he had planned it."
Itchy-Knowledge-2088
"What's in the box?!"
Who can think of that and not get chills?
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid. So strange to see a kid's movie where the main kid is an unrepentantly terrible person. But honest, because junior high kids are just the meanest little things."
Famous-Honey9331
That movie (and the rest of the series) is full of terrible kids being terrible people and getting away with it.
Watchmen (2009)
"Watchmen. The Villain in that movie has literally won before anyone, even the audience knows who he is, and the heroes end up fighting each other over wether or not it's right to let what he's done stand."
lurklurklurkPOST
He's a bit too hokey for my taste, but I see what you mean. Might be his acting in the film.
Funny Games (1997)
"Funny Games. Never gonna watch that again. That movie will stay a one-time-experience. And that is a compliment."
tobi_film
This is a film I personally love... but there's no doubt it's an infuriating watch for many. Michael Haneke is an uncompromising filmmaker.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
"No Country for Old Men. I think the fact that the villain won was a big part of what made this movie works so well. It took every old western trope and subverted it in the best possible way."
JackFisherBooks
That final monologue is so sad. You know the one.
Arlington Road (1999)
"Arlington Road. Loved this movie when it came out. It was the first movie I saw where the villains won, and I was shook at the absolute reality of it. Brilliantly done."
sexychar83
This must be the most underappreciated movie with a twist. It's incredible how, towards the end, so many loose ends end up connected and how it all makes sense.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I don't think anyone really won in that movie."
queenofants
A movie about institutional authority taken to terrifying levels. It's heartbreaking.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the one from 1978. One aspect of the ending of the 1978 that nobody talks about is that we get a sense of what daily life is going to be like once the takeover is complete."
shf500
The original film, as great as it is, tacks on an ending in which the good guys sort of win, so the 1978 adaptation is an improvement.
The Big Short (2015)
"The Big Short. Magnificent movie but made all the more depressing knowing the rich bastards who f*cked up the world's economy all got off completely free."
[deleted]
Don't remind us! It's not like the world has done anything about it...
Well, if you're in the mood for a depressing watch, you've come to the right place. Enjoy, if that's at all possible.
Have some recommendations of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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