"Feel Bad" Comfort Movies

Two weeks ago, I shared some movies that cheer me up and generally help me shake off a funk. The list was loaded with comedies and heartfelt mush. Pretty standard stuff for an effective emotional pick-me-up. But it also got me thinking... Who says comfort movies have to be sweet, funny, or upbeat? Do they even need a happy ending?

The truth is, when I'm feeling down, I am just as inclined to choose a sad or serious or suspenseful title, as I am a happy one. Why would darker movies be comforting? It could be because they're such an engaging, visceral distraction -- what with all the tense music, jump scares, heart wrenching plot twists, piecing clues together, etc.

Or maybe I'm just a weirdo. Who knows!

Since it's still rainy AF in Montreal today, I thought a list of my favorite "feel bad" comfort movies would suit the gloomy atmosphere.

Just to be clear: I definitely draw a line at anything gratuitously bleak, deeply depressing, or otherwise irreversibly disturbing. (You'll never, ever catch me casually watching Dancer in the Dark. That's a promise.) I've seen these films multiple times, and would happily pick one at random to rewatch this afternoon.

Atonement

Blue Valentine 
Cloverfield (give me alien and/or godzilla content any day of the week)

District 9 

Drive

Get Out

Inglorious Basterds

Memento (I remember feeling sooo mature watching this when it first came out)

No Country For Old Men

Revolutionary Road (but if you're specifically looking for Michael Shannon feel bad content, Take Shelter will not disappoint)

Sicario

There Will Be Blood

Uncut Gems (prepare to have full-body muscle tension for the entire movie)

Zodiac

I could keep going but it's starting to feel like overkill lol. Are you ever comforted by things that aren't overtly (or even close to being) cheerful and upbeat? I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

Image credit: Wholefully