Doesn’t necessarily have to be that the villain wins. The conflict is resolved but you don’t walk out of there feeling happy or good about it. Either because the result wasn’t the most favourable or just because the ride to get there was so rough.
Preferably a dark and gritty ambience. Bonus points for crime thrillers.
Similar to: Se7en, A Walk Among The Tombstones, Narc, Running Scared, You Were Never Really Here, Edge of Darkness, Harry Brown
Edit: thanks for all the suggestions folks. I haven’t seen a good number of these. Keep em coming!
Lol I've been on kick lately of watching gay themed short films. I love them but for the love of god they all end in either heartbreak or completely unresolved! WHY? hahahaha
I'm sick of it! Who else is with me???
I remember this film had quite the promotional campaign (i.e. Collaborating with Minecraft youtubers to play in their themed servers)
My inspiration right now is currently a somewhat bass boosted, slowed and reverb edit of an Indonesian song called terlukis indah (linked for anyone interested).
I'm a great big fan of romantic indie/arthouse films and I want to be bombarded with love but realistic love—struggle, intense interest, souls that appear to be, for all intents and purposes, kindred and meant to be, love that shakes you to your core, sex and lovemaking that would make you weep (definitely suggest movies that have graphic sex and nudity scenes that gaspar noe would appreciate). I'd like this to be true to life. I've seen the before trilogy and quite a few other movies so just suggest what you feel fits and whether or not I've seen it is irrelevant, there's bound to be repeats.
I would strongly prefer a happy ending but I don't mind a good cry.
Thank you! Enjoy your night!
What gay films are not happy ending, but also nobody dies from AIDs or homophobic attack? I just noticed that people only make lists of happy endings because everyone is sick of 'bury your gays' genre. I am sick of it too, but I already watched all happy-ending gay films, so now I want to watch not so-happy ones, so please share in the comments. The rule is, as I already said, the main couple should not die, but it's fine if they just break up like in Call Me By Your Name, or something else. I'm fine with sad/bad ending, unless someone of the main couple dies (the secondary characters' deaths are OK)
You know those high stakes movies, or even just Disney movies, where everything seems to happen at the right time so things can work out in the end? I want something completely chaotic and frustrating.
This may be a rather nuanced point and it will be different for a lot of people depending on age. However, I distinctly remember The Perfect Storm as the first film I watched that did not have a conventional "happy ending". I think I was around 7 or 8 at the time it came out and I remember watching it on video. I distinctly recall being confused at how events were unfolding and thinking "wait, they can't die. they must all make some form of grand entrance at the funeral or something?"
Was there a similar film for you?
I've been on a gay film binge for the past few months. I always go in blind then get sad or angry each time a film ended tragically, like just let the gays live wtf? So to save my sanity I'd really appreciate it if you can recommend me some gay films with happy endings.
Meanwhile I can recommend the stuff I already watched:
- God's Own Country (2017) - UK
- Pit Stop (2013) - US
- The Lawyer (2020) - Lithuania
- Label Me (2019) - Germany
- Plan B (2009) - Argentina
- Taekwondo (2016) - Argentina
- Hawaii (2013) - Argentina
- Theo and Hugo (2016) - France
- Orpheus' Song (2019) - Germany
- Tomcat (2016) - Germany
- After Louie (2017) - US
- Just a Question of Love (2000) - France
- Breaking Fast (2015/2020) - US
- 4th Man Out (2015) - US
- Esteros (2016) - Argentina
- Shelter (2007) - US
- Handsome Devil (2016) - Ireland
- Just Friends (2018) - Netherlands
- 4 Moons (2014) - Mexico
- Yossi (2012) - Isarel
- Before The Fall (2016) - US
- Mambo Italiano (2003) - Canada
- No Hard Feelings (2020) - Germany
- Strapped (2010) - US
- Those new cheesy christmas films
- Barcelona Summer Night (2013) - Spain
- El Sexo De Los Angeles (2012) - Spain
- The String (2009) - France
- Futuro Beach (2014) - Brazil/Germany
- Eastern Boys (2013) - France
- The 10 Year Plan (2014) - US
- In the Name Of... (2013) - Poland
- Fair Haven (2016) - US
- The Falls Trilogy (2012-2016) - US
Also here are some films with non tragedy endings but not a (arguably) happy ending:
- Weekend - UK
- Sauvage - France
- Lazy Eye - US
- Free Fall - Germany
- Escaping Freedom - US
- The Blonde One - Argentina
- Keep the Lights On - US
- The Prince - Chile
- Are We Lost Forever - Sweden
- End Of The Century - Argentina
- In the Grayscale - Chile
- Sublet - Isarel
- Naked As We Came - US
- The Strong Ones - Chile
- Mulligans - US
- Sasha - Germany
- Godless - US
I can also make a list of the tragedy but it would be long and I'd rather not recall any of it and get bummed out again.
I recently watched The World to Come, and loved it. But I'm really bummed out by WLW fims with depressing endings.
Any recommendations for films where the lovely ladies live happily ever after?
(I'm not sure if I should mark this as spoilers, and frankly I dont know how, let me know is I need to delete this)
I will refuse to watch a movie or tv series where the one main character cheats on their significant other with the other main character and they live happily ever after. If they had an affair to be with you, what's to stop them from doing the same thing to be with someone else?
Like, in the typical romance movie you have the guy pining for a girl but he’s shy and super nervous about approaching her because she’s “out of his league” and by miraculous fate they end up together.
Are there any more realistic movies where the guy or protagonist fails in his conquest and has to accept and move on despite not being with his crush or the “love of his life” at that point in time?
I’m asking because I feel like more movies like that would give people realistic expectations about dating, including me, instead of a huge success story every attempt. Not to sound defeatist but it would’ve helped teenage me to know that most if not a vast majority of people wouldn’t be into me.
An example - 50 First Dates. Seems like a relatively happy ending, but when you think about it, it's fairly horrific for Drew Barrymore's character. She wakes up every day with a stranger and some kids that claim they're hers, she gets shown a video tape of what's happened to her, but her only recognisable loved ones like her father and brother are on the other side of the world and can't console her, every day she would be on the verge of a full blown panic attack over not knowing what's real.
Another example - Source Code. Not only did he just create multiple alternate realities, but he ends up in the body of somebody he barely knows anything about. The ramifications of that are crazy. The girl he's going out with thinks he's someone else, his family doesn't know their actual loved one's body and mind has been taken over by an impostor. Then there's the mental state of the lead character, every day, he'll wake up in the wrong body, in the wrong life, in the wrong reality, it would surely be enough to make you go insane.
Any others you can think of?
I can't for the life of me remember the name of the movie. Here are some things I remember about the film:
-
Definitely cartoon, old ish from the 90s or 80s, I either saw it on the telly or VHS when I was a child (in the mid 90s)
-
The song "stand by me" played during the film
-
I think, zero certainty at all, think the flick had a bit of a "grease" vibe to it. Leather jackets, nicely combed hair etc.
-
The antagonist had sharp teeth and when he turned good, I THINK, zero certainty, think the sharp teeth went away at the end when the bad man had a change of heart and his eyes turned nice and sparkling.
-
When the antagonist had a change of heart and appearance at the end he also acted in a loving manner towards the dogs
Sorry this is incredibly vague and I cannot remember much other than this, but as I have more I'll update continuously.
After watching LOTR: Return of the King, I came away feeling a little melancholy despite the heroes winning. Frodo is irreparably affected by everything and leaves with the Elves and Galdalf for The Undying Lands, and it's such a sad moment.
As per the title, what film ending do you think exemplifies this the most?
The Mist The Thing 1978s Invasion of the Body Snatchers to name a few movies with bleak endings. The end of these movies give more thought to us as a whole and leaves us with the what if and I love it. The horror genre as a hole sometimes if not most leaves me to wonder the emotional problems to face the survivors in the end only once and awhile do we see it. We did with Nancy ,Riply, Sheldon, Strode, and others but not often enough. Other endings try to convey hope like the original Body Snatchers. This is why im a big fan of Hotel Transylvania as a series in the tragedy of the loss of his wife. Dracula takes care of his daughter and runs a secluded place just for monsters. I wont tell you the whole story but it is a kids movie but the meanings are strong and a nice thing to see. I as a 43 year fan of movies just do not need a gift wrapped happy ending sometimes a somber one is just as good if not more thought provoking. P.S Hotel Transylvania has a happy ending
I was inspired to this question by watching Spanglish and seeing that the ending wasn't what I predicted it would be, I realized that the more predictable one (and I'm being purposely vague here to avoid spoilers) would diminish the movie's quality.
So, my answer, depending on your point of view, is Home Alone. It could certainly fit into either category.
Billions died in 2020 and Day After Tomorrow, millions at least in San Andreas. Yet then endings are filmed as though it is happy time. Assuming I'm not aghast at the abomination I just watch what are they expecting me to feel?
I'm currently stuck in bed with a tonsillitis (probably, though there's a slight chance it's European hantavirus, still waiting for the blood test results) and I enjoy watching romantic films with a nice happy ending while I'm sick.
I'm a sucker for romantic films from the 90s and You've Got Mail is my absolute favourite romantic film. I've also enjoyed Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, The Holiday and The American President. (Films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin aren't really my thing, even though I adore Paul Rudd.)
I'm open to suggestions of films that are not from the 90s as well. It should have a happy ending, that's all. :) (Though I prefer the style of romantic films from the 90s.)
A Grimm book.
)