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20 Movies About Depression That Offer A Fresh Perspective In Life

List Of 20 Movies About Depression:

#1 Helen (2009)

”Helen” is a drama film that follows a professor who overcomes severe depression after a massive breakdown.

It stars Ashley Judd as Helen Leonard, Lauren Lee Smith as Mathilda, Alberta Watson as Dr. Sherman, and Goran Višnjić as David Leonard.

The film was directed by Sandra Nettelbeck.

#2 Three Colours: Blue (1993)

”Three Colours: Blue” is a French drama film that tells the story of a woman whose child and husband are killed in a car accident. 

The film was directed and co-written by Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski. 

#3 Cake (2014)

”Cake” is a drama film about a former Los Angeles defense attorney who becomes fascinated by the suicide of a woman in her chronic pain support group.

The film grossed more than $2.9 million. It stars Sam Worthington, Anna Kendrick, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Adriana Barraza, and Jennifer Aniston.

#4 Prozac Nation (2001)

”Prozac Nation” is a drama film based on the 1994 autobiography of the same name by Elizabeth Wurtzel.

The film stars Jessica Lange, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Michelle Williams, Anne Heche, Jason Biggs, and Christina Ricci. It was directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg.

#5 The Virgin Suicides (1999)

”The Virgin Suicides” is a drama film that follows the lives of 5 adolescent sisters during the late 1970s. 

The film premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. It is based on the 1993 best selling debut novel of the same name by Jeffrey Eugenides.

It features Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett, Michael Paré, Kirsten Dunst, Scott Glenn, Kathleen Turner, and James Woods. The Virgin Suicides was written and directed by Sofia Coppola.

#6 Melancholia (2011)

”Melancholia” is an SF drama film about two sisters. It premiered on May 18, 2011, at the 64th Cannes Film Festival.

The film stars Udo Kier, Kirsten Dunst, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Gainsbourg, John Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jesper Christensen, Charlotte Rampling, Cameron Spurr, Brady Corbet, and Alexander Skarsgård.

#7 It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

”It’s Kind of a Funny Story” is a comedy-drama film that centers on a clinically depressed teenager who gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.

It stars Viola Davis, Emma Roberts, Zach Galifianakis, and Keir Gilchrist. The film is an adaptation of Ned Vizzini’s novel of the same name, and it was written and directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden.

#8 World’s Greatest Dad (2009)

”World’s Greatest Dad” is a satirical black comedy-drama film starring Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara, and Robin Williams. 

The film was written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait.

#9 The Hours (2002)

”The Hours” is a psychological drama film about three women of different generations whose lives are interconnected. The screenplay is based on Michael Cunningham’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title.

The film stars Eileen Atkins, Meryl Streep, Claire Danes, Julianne Moore, Toni Collette, Nicole Kidman, Allison Janney, Ed Harris, Miranda Richardson, Jeff Daniels, Stephen Dillane, and John C. Reilly.

#10 The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

”The Perks of Being a Wallflower” follows a shy and depressed teenager without friends. It grossed over $33 million.

The film’s ensemble cast features Joan Cusack, Logan Lerman, Paul Rudd, Emma Watson, Melanie Lynskey, Erin Wilhelmi, Johnny Simmons, Nina Dobrev, Ezra Miller, Dylan McDermott,  Kate Walsh, and Mae Whitman.

#11 A Single Man (2009)

”A Single Man” is a drama film that follows a depressed, homosexual British university professor living in Southern California in 1962.

It premiered on September 11, 2009, at the 66th Venice International Film Festival. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. 

#12 The Skeleton Twins (2014)

”The Skeleton Twins” is a comedy-drama film about twins Maggie (Kristen Wiig) and Milo (Bill Hader).

It premiered in competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014. The film was directed by Craig Johnson.

#13 Sylvia (2003)

”Sylvia” is a British biographical drama film that centers on the relationship between poets Sylvia Plath (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Edward James “Ted” Hughes (Daniel Craig).

#14 Ordinary People (1980)

”Ordinary People” is a drama film about an upper-middle-class family that is living a trauma following the accidental death of one of their two sons.

The film won four Academy Awards. It stars Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsch, Mary Tyler Moore, and Donald Sutherland. The screenplay is based upon the 1976 novel Ordinary People by Judith Guest.

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#15 Blue Valentine (2010)

”Blue Valentine” is a romantic drama film about a married couple, Cynthia “Cindy” Heller (Michelle Williams) and Dean Pereira (Ryan Gosling).

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#16 Side Effects (2013)

”Side Effects” is a psychological thriller film that tells the story of a woman who is prescribed experimental drugs by psychiatrists after her husband is released from prison.

It stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Dr. Victoria Siebert, Rooney Mara as Emily Taylor, and Jude Law as Dr. Jonathan Banks.

The film was written by Scott Z. Burns and directed by Steven Soderbergh.

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#17 Anomalisa (2015)

”Anomalisa” is a stop-motion comedy-drama film about a customer service expert who perceives everyone as identical.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

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#18 Revolutionary Road (2008)

”Revolutionary Road” is a romantic drama film that follows an unhappy couple living in a Connecticut suburb.

The film is based on a novel by Richard Yates.

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#19 Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

”Little Miss Sunshine” is a comedy-drama road film that tells the story of a family determined to get their daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant.

The film grossed over $100 million worldwide.

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#20 Garden State (2004)

”Garden State” is a romantic comedy-drama film that centers on a 26-year-old actor/waiter who returns to his hometown after his mom dies. 

Featured image credit – igorstevanovic/Shutterstock

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