Nice Films for Sad People

So, less Pasolini and more Rohmer. Less Man Bites Dog - more Muriel's Wedding.

Rolling recommendations for when your DVD collection is running its tongue across jagged teeth.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons/images/7/70/The_Diversity_Kittens_on_Meltingpot_Mountain.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130506164601

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w5ogGru8qg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pASs3rerRCY

hou hsaio-hsien

There is post-Rohmer-esque type whimsy at least a couple of times a month. This is like the backbone of yer local art house, providing them with sustainable income so you don't have to walk in to the hard stuff - and I don't have to hear you getting bored, checking your phone, crucnhing plastic bags, moaning about how long this or how sad this is and eventually walking out.

Just yesterday I saw a trailer for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_4vkIMb8_4

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7rtSqI0ZeA

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D4dbbDK6Ew

So yes please stay away.

Does anyone have any more of these? Films that are decent enough, but which don't require any thought at all and won't inspire even a trace feeling of desolateness or terror. Usually films about women in bands suit this purpose well, but I think I've run out.

Hm, it's tough to recommend without knowing better what your tastes are and/or what is likely to spur feelings of desolation. Personally I find a lot of refuge in horror, trash and films about the possibility of the end of the world, but obviously those things could be triggering/absolutely not what is needed for other people.

Pretty much the only 'nice' things I can think of that I like are Miyazaki films, and I'm guessing those are all a bit obvious.

Most of Bill Forsyth's films e.g. Gregory's Girl, also Restless Natives which is like an homage to his shtick

Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon is always very comforting to me when I feel like I am losing the fucking plot. There is warm glow to it that I am insufficiently articulate to describe.

if you're looking for nice films about women in bands i imagine you've already seen we are the best!, but you should probably re-watch anyway

Found Gregory's Girl very depressing as a teen.

That seems like quite an idiosyncratic reaction.

I think I'd appreciate it more now. Disliked the smartass kids in particular.

I loved Gregory's Girl when I was younger, but tried watching Local Hero recently and couldn't stomach its representation of female scientists getting out of swimming pools or whatever. But I was particularly angry that day so maybe worth revisiting his stuff at some point.

Sorry emil.y, I didn't give you much to go on! I was nervous to provide off-puttingly narrow parameters for this as I am interested to see what works for other people and this request is kind of fraught with paradoxes and potential traps anyway. Quite often I am deeply comforted by watching films about horrible people to whom I can relate. And yes, horror and apocalypse are also great for obliterating the senses! Nevertheless, here are my off-puttingly narrow parameters for films that keep the lowest ebb at bay: Dialogue-heavy, not heteronormative, the emotional focus should be strong but not devastating, preferably fast-paced, non-conformist but not too cynical, bright (colours, themes). Teen/coming of age films are great for this. These do not necessarily represent my broader taste...

Films I can think of that 'work' include: Yes, definitely We Are the Best!, I've also watched Moodysson's Show Me Love about 50 times as required, The White Balloon, After Life, But I'm a Cheerleader, Daisies, All I Wanna Do, Tangerine...

I'll definitely add An Autumn Afternoon to my list, and more Miyazaki is never a bad idea either.

Have to stress that this is not a merit-based assessment at all and I'm not trying to suggest anything about these films other than that they alleviate sadness for me.

Passion Fish

My go to films when im depressed are 'Harvey', 'Clueless' and 'The Third Man'. Dunno if thats quite what you're looking for, but I highly recommend Harvey for a depressive spell (less so a manic episode - I once became convinced I had to act like jimmy stewart in order to be happy)

Lol I can seriously understand that logic. Yes, Clueless was very recently re-watched. Harvey and Passion Fish going on the list.

is the gregory girl sequel worth watching?

No.

'Harvey', 'Clueless' and 'The Third Man'

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/7/7e/Susanthesethings.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100612053841

I was actually going to recommend Harvey but I do find it very sad in parts. Similarly, though I'm sure you've already seen it, for the 'women in bands' thing I was going to say ...the Fabulous Stains but to me that is incredibly sad. Like, there's a sense of the loss of dreams, the impossibility of fitting in with the world without forsaking oneself, all that stuff, it's terrifying to me and makes me feel hopeless, no matter how it ends in the film.

Bill Forsyth's movies have a habit of having a bit of extremely creepy stuff in them, the Gregory's Girl sequel has middle-aged Gregory lusting after a 15 year old pupil of his, original Gregory's Girl has Gregory's 16 year old pals creeping on his 10 or 11 year old sister, there's something completely o_0 in Comfort and Joy though I've forgotten what it was.

Literally mars the films too much for them to be enjoyable to me any more.

I'm just going to go right out there and recommend an Audrey Tautou film: Delicacy (2011).

I thought I would be okay seeing The Commune on my own at the cinema just now. Wow was I wrong. SPOILER ALERT: What a relentlessly cruel film. Audrey Tatou sounds good for right now.

i don't think i've watched any of the Forsyth movies since the early 90s so i can imagine what jim is saying is right but i won't go back and confirm it for myself. funnily enough that creepiness jumped out at me from the trailer of the Belle and Sebastian bloke's movie.

anyway Legally Blonde always cheers me up except i get sad because i'm not Elle Woods.

Bill Forsyth's worldview is most def downbeat; there's a reason he chose to adapt Housekeeping.

I've never seen Harvey save for a few minutes; isn't it about, y'know, a hallucinating alcoholic?

I loved ...the Fabulous Stains but I remember not being crazy about the male interference with their plans, even if a punk Ray Winstone is hilarious. That seems right about the hopelessness too, though I'd need to watch it again. It has sort of the right energy though. I think the best antidote is probably underground punk feminist cinema.

yeah but it's hilarious 1940s alcoholism

like when they all think Cary Grant's been drunk-driving in NxNW but it's a bit of a laugh

The Grey Zone or Hotel Rwanda

Lol

I had a maths teacher who used to enact scenes from Harvey most lessons, which might be more unsettling than the film's premise.

(Xp sorry, train signal)

Isn't Hotel Rwanda supposed to be quite sad?

i find movies about genocide quite nice, not being a victim of genocide or attempted genocide is quite emotionally uplifting.

contemplating people who get on board with genocide is too stressful for me

pretty sure my ancestors played a role in the native american genocide ... people do horrible things and life is shit ... this is why we rank the best songs on albums by bands

lol

nah i know there are a lot of ways of responding to art and to people. sometimes i just need to turn away from the darkness, i don't think it's necessarily a helpful trait

in me, i meant, not ability to look at the worst things humans can do, i think that's probably important sometimes

sounds healthy.

Repo Man is one movie i like for good times viewing, it's actually kinda dark but it treats the darkness kinda lightly in its own way.

http://67.media.tumblr.com/1cc3fc733cf227e9a56bf17eec385c8c/tumblr_my2x8ejzRg1t6i5aoo1_500.gif

Saint Young Men is a Japanese slice of life comedy manga series written and illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura. Its plot involves Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha, who are living as roommates in an apartment in Tokyo.

I think the most anxiety-inducing plot element is Jesus keeps missing out on grocery market sales.

I always imagine that Repo Man is like Cable Guy but that's probably really inaccurate. Incidentally, I really like Cable Guy for the same reason.

Repo Man is nothing like Cable Guy

That sounds perfect

Haha okay, I will address this misperception.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9k09WPpNeo

I'm guessing sarahell's suggestions are jokes based on the weirdness of recommending a film about an alcoholic as a 'nice' film? But that's not the whole story w/ what happens in Harvey, so it's kind of misleading. Though, as I said before, personally I do think it's a sad film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ccGS9A5lo

Saw the trailer for this just today...apols...

i find movies about genocide quite nice, not being a victim of genocide or attempted genocide is quite emotionally uplifting.

― sarahell, Thursday, August 11, 2016 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

No Khmer Rouge no credibility

I was anticipating your return to this thread, but videos aren't working right now so I can't gauge how scathing you're being...

everyone else is getting the monolith from 2001 too then?

Yes. Though that in itself could be inherently soothing. There's a thread about it here.

Working on zing - it's the trailer for wiener-dog

The documentary the eagle huntress about eagle hunting (ie hunting with eagles) among Mongolian nomadic tribes is a nice film

I don't normally go to these inspirational docs but it was free and in my hungover state it did the trick. It's about this 13yo girl who becomes a master eagle hunter despite this being a proscribed role for women - she's a fucking hero tbh, wrangling this avian almost as big as she is. I could have done without the drippy sia theme song but it is that kind of film let's face it, or as close as a film about heading into some of the harshest conditions imaginable to kill foxes can be