9 Movies With No Happy Ending That You’ll Still Want To See

When we like a character, we care about them and we go along with them all the time, feeling awkward in uncomfortable situations and waiting impatiently for a happy ending for them. But some films pose extremely serious questions, talking about complex personal or global problems. At the end of this type of work there is no place for sweetness and tears of emotion, because often reality can be different from what we expect, and become something tragic and cruel.

O awesome.club wants to share with you a selection of films with sad and contradictory endings. After seeing them, you just want to sit and remain silent for a while, reflecting.

Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman.

Two private detectives investigate the disappearance of a little girl. With each new piece of evidence, their task only becomes more complicated and their lives are constantly in danger. At some point, the protagonist comes to doubt whether the mother of the missing child is not faking it and whether she really is so anxious for her daughter’s return. In the end, Casey Affleck’s character makes a choice, and it’s up to the viewer to judge whether it’s correct or not.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 7.7.

Cast: Peter Coyote, Emmanuel Senior, Hugh Grant.

Director Roman Polanski is the master of sad endings. The protagonists of this film are two couples who meet on a cruise. Nigel and Fiona are calm and of good morals, and are trying to bring some diversity to their common-law marriage. Oscar and Mimi’s relationship, whose story is what the viewer sees, begins with a wild and devouring passion. But when it is calm, the couple cannot separate, and the fire of love becomes a fire of hate.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 7.2.

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet Maktir.

Radcliffe’s character raises his son alone, as his beloved wife dies in childbirth. He goes to work in a provincial town where mystical and disturbing events take place and there is a legend about a “woman in black”. The protagonist’s son’s life is in danger, and the father tries with all his might to save him and leave. The ending cannot be called happy, although it remains for the viewer to decide.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 6.4.

Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley.

In a not entirely legal way, Kathy is evicted from the house where she grew up. The young woman, who still hasn’t fully recovered from problems related to bad habits, tries with all her might to get her house back, her only support that makes her stay in this life. The new owners are a family of Iranian origin with their own dilemmas and an unhappy fate. Incomprehensible enmity turns into a real war: people die, and hope disappears. Neither party can be blamed for anything, but the characters cannot be justified either.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 7.6.

Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Cruz.

The film is based on the autobiography of the editor of the French magazine Elle. His body was completely paralyzed after a stroke, and he could only move his left eye. Jean-Dominique Bauby communicated with people through a special technique: he blinked when someone pronounced a certain letter. So he wrote a book.

The film allows the viewer to experience the sensations of the main character, trapped in his own body, and think about whether a small butterfly can pull a person out of a spacesuit, from the depths of soul suffering.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 8.

Cast: Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Leslie Caron.

Are love and passion synonymous? Should a person struggle with the feeling that enveloped him in order not to harm his career and social status? These and many other questions are raised in this touching but tragic film. In the center of the story there is a love triangle and the dark forest of the human soul.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 6.9.

Cast: Adrien Brody, Yvonne Strahovski.

The career of Adrien Brody’s character is gradually coming to an end, as investigative journalism is no longer appreciated by the public. But a new acquaintance asks him to investigate her husband’s recent murder, as the official version doesn’t convince her. The reporter manages to solve the case, but more than a sigh of relief, the end causes terror. Strong feelings can become love and hate, and lead people to commit irreversible actions.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 6.3.

Cast: Sophie Marceau, Monica Bellucci.

A young writer doesn’t remember her childhood due to a car accident she had in her youth. Suddenly, she begins to notice mystical and strange things: changes in her home and even in her own appearance. For other people, everything seems as usual, but the protagonist decides to find the answer to the main question: who is she? And the answer is not very hopeful.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 5.9.

Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Alexandra Rapaport.

Lucas works as a kindergarten teacher. He’s going through a tough divorce and trying to work through his son’s issues. Due to an absurd case and the false testimony of a girl, an entire city is turned against the protagonist: he is considered a criminal and a bad person, having to face new challenges every day. But in the end he manages to redeem himself. However, the hero’s life does not return to the same course as before, and the open ending does not fully explain what happens to the story.

Ranking in Movie Ranking IMDb (from 0 to 10): 8.3.

Do you like serious movies without a happy ending, or do you think they should just entertain and comfort? Leave your opinion in the comments.