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Films With Miserable Endings
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I love a happy ending but apparently not all filmmakers share my attitude.
By way of demonstrating this, over the years, there have been some really bloody miserable ones!
Think Jon Voight’s fate in, The Champ for instance; That felt really shitty didn’t it?
Good folks, please list me what you believe to be the most unhappy film endings ever   |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Requiem for a Dream. Absolutely no one has a happy ending in it. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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American history X |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Shot caller |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Jaws. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Jaws 2 |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Polar express |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Million Dollar Baby |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
Thelma & Louise
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas |
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By *aizyWoman
over a year ago
west midlands |
Midnight Cowboy, as soon as the bus scene starts I start crying everytime I watch it. |
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By *aitonelMan
over a year ago
Liverpool |
Technically Avengers: Infinity War and Empire Strikes Back.
Though they nothing compared to some mentioned here. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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No Time To Die
and On Her Majesty's Secret Service
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Karate Kid |
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Leaving Las Vegas is both fantastic and thoroughly depressing! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Karate Kid"
It's a great film. A story of a hopeful, young karate enthusiast whose dreams and moxie take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course sadly he loses in the final round to that nerd kid. But he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat  |
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Has anyone here watched an old Italian Western called, The Great Silence?
Here’s a spoiler:
The late Klaus Kinski plays the particularly nasty main villain who takes a group of towns folk captive in the finale.
He challenges the mute main hero to a shootout or else he’ll kill all the captives.
Hero turns up….Klaus and his assembled miscreants shoot him dead in the street(!)
But wait! - The hero’s now distraught lover runs out and picks up his gun to avenge him.
They promptly shoot her dead to(!!)
Finally, on his orders, they shoot ALL the hostages(!!!) before Klaus is shown smirking evilly and the end credits roll.
Jesus! |
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By *rHotNottsMan
over a year ago
Dubai & Nottingham |
"Requiem for a Dream. Absolutely no one has a happy ending in it."
Most films by Aronofsky. I think in Pi he ends up power drilling into his own skull and then in Black Swan , she goes right off the rails. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Spartacus, both the movie and TV series. |
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The big lebowski, well for Donny at least! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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boys don't cry 
Px |
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My Sisters Keeper and Me Before You….
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Dear John |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Karate Kid
It's a great film. A story of a hopeful, young karate enthusiast whose dreams and moxie take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course sadly he loses in the final round to that nerd kid. But he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat "
See.....he knows!  |
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Law Abiding Citizen...Gerrard Butler definitely shouldn't of died should of been Jamie Foxx. |
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"Leaving Las Vegas is both fantastic and thoroughly depressing!"
That's a great shout  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Why is it that when someone asks a question like this I forget every film I’ve ever watched… ever |
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Listen To Your Heart.
Wow!…..THAT miserable ending came out of no where….  |
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By *rHotNottsMan
over a year ago
Dubai & Nottingham |
"Leaving Las Vegas is both fantastic and thoroughly depressing!
That's a great shout "
Love this film. Probably the best Nic Cage film. The end reminds me of the end of Paris Texas, it’s not the end I wanted but it was inevitable |
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"Karate Kid
It's a great film. A story of a hopeful, young karate enthusiast whose dreams and moxie take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course sadly he loses in the final round to that nerd kid. But he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat "
 Team Johnny |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The Mist always stands out. I remember how sick I felt the first time I watched it. The Green Mile is pretty fucking sad. Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. A recent one I watched that made me sob at the end was All Quiet on the Western Front. |
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Zombie films seldom end particularly happily but George Romero’s original classic, Night Of The Living Dead takes some serious beating for sheer miserable bloody ending…. |
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Theatre rather than film but miss Saigon, left me feeling so sad |
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Arlington Road. Not so much sad but definitely not a happy ending!
J |
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The Departed
The Long Good Friday |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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2 Girls and one Cup.
I was not prepared for that at all as a young man! |
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By *obajxMan
over a year ago
Cheshire |
The Snowman
Must have watched it 50 times and I still well up when he's melted |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Serenity. Poor wash!
Se7en. What will they do with him?
47 ronin. Can't watch it |
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Dreams of a Life. Absolutely heart breaking. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Withnail and I |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Raging Bull |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Last Samurai |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Sleepers. Watched it again on Sunday. I’d conveniently forgotten the very end with the Brad Pitt voiceover. Absolutely miserable |
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'Remains of The Day'; 'La La Land' (those "what could have beens" get me in the hurts) and 'Boys Don't Cry' is one of the most epically depressing films from start to finish... |
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Legend. Excellent film but not exactly a happy ending.
LvM |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"'Remains of The Day'; 'La La Land' (those "what could have beens" get me in the hurts) and 'Boys Don't Cry' is one of the most epically depressing films from start to finish..."
Sorry @Quacksplat, that's twice today I've replied on a thread without looking up to see someone got there first, but Boys Don't Cry. Oh man. I'm upset just thinking about it.
And I agree Johnny was misunderstood. He didn't want to sweep the leg... |
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By *hunky GentMan
over a year ago
Maldon and Peterborough |
Star Wars - lots of my fellow stormtroopers were killed. |
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Apocalypse Now, his mission completed but for what cost to himself. |
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"I love a happy ending but apparently not all filmmakers share my attitude.
By way of demonstrating this, over the years, there have been some really bloody miserable ones!
Think Jon Voight’s fate in, The Champ for instance; That felt really shitty didn’t it?
Good folks, please list me what you believe to be the most unhappy film endings ever "
If you mention John Voight, how about Midnight Cowboy. The whole movie's depressing. |
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"I love a happy ending but apparently not all filmmakers share my attitude.
By way of demonstrating this, over the years, there have been some really bloody miserable ones!
Think Jon Voight’s fate in, The Champ for instance; That felt really shitty didn’t it?
Good folks, please list me what you believe to be the most unhappy film endings ever
If you mention John Voight, how about Midnight Cowboy. The whole movie's depressing."
Poor Rizzo |
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For some pooch centred miserable endings, both Turner and Hooch and Marley and Me end very sadly for the poochie stars.
The film makers try to lift the spirits once more at the very end of both films but fuck that I say! The damage was done thou bastards! (angry emoji here) |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Dancer in the Dark. Bjork's only acting role and she is brilliant.
Paths of Glory, Kubrick masterpiece. |
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We were soldiers was a pretty good film but the ending was a bit shit which is a shame unfortunately the topic and when it was set meant it couldn't have a great ending |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Gorillas in the mist |
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Beneath The Planet Of The Apes.
‘Boooom!’  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Titanic...Always mystified me that there was a Titanic 2 when the Ship only sank once  |
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Million Dollar baby was pretty sad |
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Open Water.
Well that was a happy ending wasn’t it……  |
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"Sleepers. Watched it again on Sunday. I’d conveniently forgotten the very end with the Brad Pitt voiceover. Absolutely miserable "
The book will break your heart |
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The Donald Sutherland version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The Vanishing |
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Hatchi, a dogs tale,
Watership down,
My sisters keeper.
The Deer hunter. |
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"The Vanishing "
Obviously the original film, definitely not that terrible remake. Good choice and a great film |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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When Harry shot Sally ! |
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Lovely Bones
Most generic and cheese horrors lol
The Green Mile
Any film adaptation of a Shakespeare play lol
Marley and Me
Casper lol
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Watership down
The snowman
Bridge too far
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Moulin rouge
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Has anyone seen the highly controversial Japanese erotic drama 'Ai no Corrida' (otherwise known as 'In The Realm of Senses')? It's about a torrid, sexually charged love affair and it does not end well! |
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The green mile end very sad, and ended very sad in real life RIP Michael Clarke ..legend |
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Midnight Cowboy
The Father
The Grapes of Wrath |
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A Monster Calls... You know the ending a mile away, it's just really hard to watch him try to cope with it. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Solent Green.
It's people!!! |
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Pay it forward, such a sad ending but a beautiful film.
Mrs |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Me before you.
Beaches.
And for all those saying the Snowman, I give you the Snowman and the Snowdog,much sadder.
Mum has just got out of an abusive relationship and her and her son move into a little house.The son has his beloved little dog.30 seconds later they are burying the dog in the back garden. Harsh for a kids Christmas cartoon |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I like the alternative ending to 28 Days Later, much more apt and grim.... |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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For the romantic, Notebook.
Others would be Deer Hunter, Heat, Goodfellas and Testament of Youth. |
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"Sleepers. Watched it again on Sunday. I’d conveniently forgotten the very end with the Brad Pitt voiceover. Absolutely miserable "
Agree Sleepers.... |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Das Boot |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Gladiator |
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By *hunky GentMan
over a year ago
Maldon and Peterborough |
"Pay it forward, such a sad ending but a beautiful film.
Mrs "
Amen |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The mist was a very miserable ending |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Sophie's Choice |
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"The mist"
If that's the one with aliens in the fog where they think they're the only survivors then it actually left me devastated for days |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"The mist
If that's the one with aliens in the fog where they think they're the only survivors then it actually left me devastated for days "
Yes but the ending was perfect !! The actor was shit though |
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"Titanic "
Was going to say this. Its only miserable because you knew the plot beforehand. Huge spoiler alert. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Grave of the Fireflies "
No no no no ! That was such a beautiful movie  |
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Bone Tomahawk; well, at least two make it out alive I guess….
As a rule Cannibal films never end with a ‘…and they all lived happily ever after’ though to be fair |
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Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid: Whilst we don’t actually see the protagonists fate, it nonetheless seems very much sealed.
A classic (with a sad ending) |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Everest |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Requiem for a Dream. Absolutely no one has a happy ending in it."
Love it though. |
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"Beneath The Planet Of The Apes.
‘Boooom!’ "
Excellent choice!
It also gave me one of my favourite movie quotes to say at an (in)appropriate time:
"Your god didn't save you, did he?" |
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Irreversible is hardly the cheeriest of films... although it is played backwards so the ending is the beginning. |
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"Oh, and Old Yeller "
Old Yeller makes me teary. Dog saves kid from wolf, Dog gets rabies, they have to shoot the dog. Not as sad as an Eastenders story line but sad anyway. |
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Martyrs, midsommer, hereditary, all have harrowing endings
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Twilight because I knew there were gonna be more of those films  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Awakenings...soul-crushingly awful ending to a great film |
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"Sleepers. Watched it again on Sunday. I’d conveniently forgotten the very end with the Brad Pitt voiceover. Absolutely miserable
Agree Sleepers.... "
Agreed. The whole premise of the film is so sad |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Dead Poets Society.
Psycho.
The Green Mile.
Stand By Me.
The Godfather (3).
The Omen.
Carlito's Way.
The Deer Hunter.
The Departed.
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By *ab365XMan
over a year ago
Paisley |
“The Plague Dogs”.
“The Mist”.
“The postman always Rings twice”.
“Full Metal Jacket”.
“Cabin Fever”.
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My sisters keeper, even with them switching and changing the ending compared to the book, which was equally heartbreaking.
The lovely bones
Boys don't cry
Tinder x |
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Green mile.
Million dollor baby.
The champ.
The wrestler.
All made me cry |
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"“The Plague Dogs”."
Jesus - it's heavy-going just to get through the trailer without opening your wrists with that one! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Titanic |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The beginning, the middle, the end of every Ingmar Bergman film. No one smiles in any of his films!
M |
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Knowing...until you see the children and rabbit. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Sixth sense |
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The Wicker Man; Surely one of the most miserable endings ever |
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By *imbo59seMan
over a year ago
North Norfolk area |
One for fellow oldies...
For Whom the Bell Tolls |
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City Of Angels.
After all he sacrificed….poor old Nic Cage (and even poorer Meg Ryan!) |
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"Castaway "
I thought it was a cheery ending? He found Wilson again! |
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Remember Me starring Robert Pattinson; Not a particularly great film in my opinion but the ending does pack a ‘Nooo! Holy shit!’ punch…. |
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The ending to JKF wasn't exactly happy. |
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By *anae21Woman
over a year ago
Nearer than you think |
I quite like miserable films; there's a sense of escapism in observing others' misery.
The two films that caught me completely by surprise were Hatchi and A Monster Calls.
Uncontrolled blubbing. |
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By *batMan
over a year ago
Alicante, Spain. (Sometimes in Wales) |
Don't look up.
Even worse is that it's an analogy for the way we are heading. Bleak!
Gbat
(and it's not even really Meryl Streep's bum at the end!!) |
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Brokeback Mountain; It ends tragically for Jake Gyllenhaal and heartbreakingly for Heath Ledger.
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My Girl with Macaulay Culkin.
Where did THAT horrible ending come from?! |
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Casablanca, maybe a miserable ending but in my opinion a perfect one. |
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"The Wicker Man; Surely one of the most miserable endings ever"
I thought that was a glorious ending. The police officer wasn't a nice person and, while he didn't exactly deserve his fate, I had no sympathy for him at all. The islanders were the heroes of the film, and they all had a great time of things. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The mission |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Requiem for a Dream. Absolutely no one has a happy ending in it."
Came here to say this! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Requiem for a Dream. Absolutely no one has a happy ending in it.
Came here to say this!"
What a great film though |
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"Banshees of Inisherin."
Sad ending but lots of Oscar nominations |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The Mist. I hated the ending of the remake.
There were so many other options for the ending and they went with something that produced the most horrible emotional reaction in me. |
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I recently watched A Dogs Journey,
Very sad |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Requiem for a Dream. Absolutely no one has a happy ending in it.
Came here to say this!
What a great film though "
One of my favs |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Requiem for a Dream. Absolutely no one has a happy ending in it.
Came here to say this!
What a great film though
One of my favs"
And mine, great snap shot into the horrors of addiction. And where it takes people |
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"My Girl with Macaulay Culkin.
Where did THAT horrible ending come from?! "
I dunno what to tell you mate. I balance it out.
Too many non-happy endings and I will be in the secure psych ward.
So I will watch something dark and then I'll watch something light-hearted with a happy ending/comedy.
If I'm in a really dark place, I'll watch one of the animated kid movies and that always makes me feel better.
the last thing I watched was Vikings ( brutal violence) and Sahmaran ( about love but dark and scary)
Somethings are just about life and moving on from unpleasant things. like Sex Education...it's a comedy but it's got some fairly dark and distressing things running though it. |
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