I agree...I don't understand why Schindlers List is a depressing movie...if you ask me its quite a hopeful film...as well as Irreversible...

Leaving Las Vegas - tops my list. Talk about self destruction.
Requiem for a Dream
American History X
Se7en
Menace 2 Society

Requiem for a Dream and Grave of the Fireflies.

Last American Virgin

echo:

'nuff said.

The Pledge, with Jack Nicholson. Leaving Las Vegas as well.


21 Grams wasn't all that depressing, since at the end it contained elements of redemption.

"Sophie's Choice" for me. Can't imagine many more horrible situations to be in than the one Meryl Streep's character had to endure. What a cruel, depressing "choice" she had to make.

Dancer in the Dark

I found confessions of a dangerous mind to be oddly depressing.

American Beauty depressed the hell out of me.

PEACH

I would have to go with Requiem for a Dream.

I thought that Michael Radford's 1984 was pretty damn depressing as well as the whole feel of The Handmaid's Tale. Requiem For A Dream and Joan Chen's Xiu Xiu - The Sent Down Girl also come to mind. But the most depressing film I've ever seen is Cronenberg's Dead Ringers. Great film, but damn...my girlfriend had to bolt the windows and lock the medicine chest after the first time I saw it.

Arlington Road
Fallen


Those are in addition to several that are already listed.

I also agree that Schindler's List isn't necessarily depressing when one considers the whole movie.

Unfaithful

that was a gem of a movie that you really did feel bad for him at the end and lousy in general..i remember it being the first sad ending i ever saw way back when and was completely shocked by it..

of course the others mention i agree as well.

First movie I thought about was Requiem For a Dream. Others:

American History X
Boyz in the Hood
25th Hour
Dead Presidents

And I saw Salo, but wouldn't call it depressing.

My friend always found 12 Monkeys utterly depressing due to the "choreographed" nature of Cole's life

I agree, I find neither of these films "depressing". "Depressing" to me is when you watch a film and can't relate or sympahize with any of the characters and the film ends with no sense of hope.

Alien 3 is depressing.

Dancer in the Dark
The Virgin Suicides
American History X
25th Hour
Bicentinal Man

All the above movie's choke me up.

No movie has depressed as much as How High. God, how I advocate violence against anyone involved in that life-sucking...nevermind.

As for depressing subject matter, I'm going with Salo. Just makes me say, "Why?"

Pay it Forward

Dead President's is also depressing.

Still, not near as much as 25th Hour. I'm watching that right now and it is just an excellent film. Great characters, great development..You actually feel for them.

A.I.

I feel...exactly opposite. Alien 3 is dark and brooding, but in no way did I find it depressing. Why? Because I didn't relate or sympathize with any of the characters. If you don't care about the characters, why is it depressing?

Sweet Hereafter, Requiem for a Dream, very depressing. motly cause I did sympathize with those characters...which made me feel the pain inherent in the situation.