Sometimes, after a particularly bad day, the last thing anyone wants to do is go home and turn on a movie where every character is having the time of their lives. Every once in a while, it's good to sit down and appreciate a truly depressing movie. Luckily, there are plenty to choose from for those in the mood for miserable movies, exploring various themes and topics depending on which one applies to your situation the most.

Let's be clear: these movies aren't "fun" to watch. They're good, but that doesn't mean audiences will have a good time watching them. They often expose topics that are uncomfortable due to their realism or imagery and deal with harrowing themes, unafraid to explore the darkest corners of the human psyche. It's not pleasant for anyone, but that doesn't mean they should be ignored; in fact, these movies might be necessary watches despite their depressing plotlines.

10 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' (2008)

Directed by Mark Herman

The Holocaust is, without a doubt, one of the worst things that ever happened in humanity's history. Naturally, any movie portraying tragedy on such an enormous scale is going to be quite harrowing. Enter The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, a 2008 film starring a young Asa Butterfield as Bruno, a German boy whose father is a high-ranking Nazi officer. While exploring, Bruno meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), a Jewish boy who lives in a concentration camp. The two communicate through the barbed wire fence, neither really understanding the severity of the situation.

The film is a stabbing reminder that children are not exempt from tragedy, even if they can't quite understand the severity of it. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas includes one of the most tragic film endings of all time, along with exceptional performances and a crushing setting, making it well worth the watch. Most who experience it will probably do it only once, as the film might be too depressing to watch a second time. How could it not?

9 'The Father' (2020)

Directed by Florian Teller

The Father paints a brutally realistic picture for all those who have had to take care of parents with Alzheimer's Disease, making them forget nearly everything. In The Father, an exhausted woman named Anne (Olivia Colman) struggles to take care of her stubborn father, Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), who refuses most of her help despite being in the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease. The movie is shown through Anthony's eyes, which leads to events becoming hazy and confusing, all in an effort to show what Anthony is really going through.

It's a bitter reality for many, as Alzheimer's Disease affects over six and a half million people in the US alone, making Anne's plight and Anthony's harrowing struggle to be heard and understood all too familiar for many. It seeks not only to sympathize with caregivers but with people who have Alzheimer's, too. It's this sad but true take on this all-too-common disease that makes The Father such a challenging yet excellent watch.

8 'Melancholia' (2011)

Directed by Lars von Trier

Controversial director Lars von Trier is notorious for making depressing movies, producing many over the years. While most are quite good, they aren't exactly comfortable to watch. Such is also the case with Melancholia, a psychological drama sci-fi featuring some big names like Kirsten Dunst, Sir John Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, and Alexander and Stellan Skarsgård.

Dunst stars as Justine, a beleaguered bride having the worst wedding ever, which is sad enough on its own. However, it is made exponentially worse by Justine succumbing to severe depression at around the same time that a rogue planet is on a collision course with the Earth. Exploring themes of apathy in the face of impending doom, Melancholia not only reflects on Earth's miniscule presence in the cosmos but how mental illness can sap anyone of the most basic emotions and resign them to their fate. Melancholia is not unique, underrated, and horribly sad.

7 'Precious' (2009)

Directed by Lee Daniels

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire stars Gabourey Sidibe, who previously had no acting experience, as the titular character. The movie's story is gut-punch after gut-punch, following Precious as she is subject to teenage pregnancy provoked by sexual abuse, deals with a controlling mother, and attempts to find a better life by enrolling in school. Precious is, unfortunately, a realistic depiction of things that can actually happen, and not just in impoverished communities.

While Precious rarely lets up, Sidibe delivers an extraordinary performance that no one expected from someone who had never acted before. The movie is full of emotion, with heavy doses of misery mixed with some unexpected catharsis. This isn't just on behalf of the characters but the audience, too, who certainly aren't going to feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed while watching it. Still, Precious remains powerful and uncompromising, a devastating film about the innate resistance of the human spirit.

6 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1930)

Directed by Lewis Milestone

German author Erich Maria Remarque penned his novel All Quiet on the Western Front back in 1929 based on his experiences serving in World War I. Just a year after the novel was released, Hollywood scooped it up and made a film adaptation with a timeless anti-war message. Sure, there are a lot of anti-war movies out there, but none have delivered quite the same dramatic punch as 1930's All Quiet on the Western Front.

The main reason it's so upsetting is because it depicts the war effort, along with the lives of the soldiers, as being futile. It is a hopeless pursuit, and the living, breathing men featured in the film are nothing but cogs in the machine. It depicts the journey of a young man named Paul (Lew Ayres) as he struggles with being nothing more than a number to the people waging the war. All Quiet on the Western Front depicts the harsh truth of war, embodying Ernest Hemingway's famous quote perfectly: "In modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason." There are no heroic sacrifices, no great crusades, no moments of glory, only death.

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5 '12 Years a Slave' (2013)

Directed by Steve McQueen

Slavery is a dark part of history that should never be forgotten. Enter 12 Years a Slave, a true story based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free Black man who was abducted and sold into slavery. Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers a touching and raw performance as Northup is relocated from the free Northern States, where his wife and family are, to the Southern States, where he is forced to pick cotton in the blazing heat for most of the day without pay, adequate living conditions, or decent food.

As the title implies, Northup spends twelve years toiling away for plantation owners before someone from the North realizes where he is and demands his release. Meanwhile, his family grows up and moves on without him. 12 Years a Slave is hard to watch because of its painful reality and the hell that Solomon endures. Director Steve McQueen shows the pain of being unloved and unwanted combined with the pain of a father dearly missing his family and searching for any way to get back to them. The 2014 Best Picture winner, 12 Years a Slave is a tear-jerker through and through and a movie that everyone should watch at least once.

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4 'Dancer in the Dark' (2000)

Directed by Lars von Trier

Lars von Trier strikes again with Dancer in the Dark, the final film in the director's Golden Heart trilogy. Although musical films are usually large, uplifting productions with catchy numbers and explosive dances, Dancer in the Dark goes the opposite direction. The movie stars Icelandic singer Björk as Selma, a Czech immigrant to the US who lives in a trailer park and develops an eye condition that will eventually leave her blind.

This is sad enough, but the story takes many more turns toward impending misery. Selma suffers some pretty horrific events, eventually falling to one of the worst fates imaginable. Many of these are due to the sacrifices she makes to ensure that her son doesn't develop the same condition. While a great film, Dancer in the Dark is a harrowing tale of parental instinct and the lengths parents will go to ensure their children's wellbeing despite any circumstances befalling them.

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3 'When the Wind Blows' (1986)

Directed by Jimmy T. Murakami

In 1986, the Cold War was nearing its end, but nuclear conflict was still a very scary, very real possibility. During the 80s, many films explored the potential situation, but none were as depressing as When the Wind Blows. Other films on the topic opt for the more terrifying route, but this film goes for tragedy instead. When the Wind Blows follows an elderly couple living in rural England, who are confined to their home after a nuclear explosion leaves much of the surrounding countryside uninhabitable.

Made with a unique animation style, When the Wind Blows pulls no punches in showing the horrific tragedies of war, exhibiting the truth that the innocent are always the primary victims. With nuclear war wiping out most living things in the nation, the couple struggles immensely to survive with no one to help them. Audiences can probably guess the ending already, but it's a long, hard road to get to it, mimicking the couple's feelings of devastating resignation. When the Wind Blows is extremely sad but amazing all the same.

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2 'Grave of the Fireflies' (1988)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Grave of the Fireflies is another movie that explores the trying lives of children during the world's deadliest conflict. Japanese children Seita and Setsuko wander the wilderness after an American bombing raid destroys their home. Food is scarce and the environment has become a free-for-all for civilians, all of whom struggle to find food and water. While Studio Ghibli's acclaimed movies are normally known for their whimsical, light-hearted approach, this movie is nothing of the sort.

Setsuko is forced to make sacrifices for his little sister, Seita, even though he desperately needs help himself. It is yet another reminder that children are just as affected by conflict as any other person; to make matters worse, they are guiltless and often incapable of caring for themselves. Very few movies have ever delivered such a heart-piercing story as Grave of the Fireflies does. It is well worth the watch, although it is best to be prepared to feel, at the very least, bummed out by the end of it.

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1 'Requiem for a Dream' (2000)

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Drug abuse is, unfortunately, a huge epidemic in modern society. No matter where in the world, everywhere has its dark, hidden corners where ordinary people are held prisoner by the substances they take. Many fall into a cycle of addiction that is nearly impossible to break. Requiem for a Dream explores this topic in greater detail, exposing the soft underbelly of drug abuse through the stories of people who have fallen into this lifestyle.

Starring Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly as a couple addicted to opiates, the movie shows their spiraling descent into a vicious cycle that clearly has no happy ending. Requiem for a Dream is by far the most depressing movie ever made because of its in-your-face, uncompromising approach. The brutality of its approach is only matched by the severity of its themes; for some, addiction can be overcome, but many others aren't so lucky. It's a movie that shows a common problem in a new light, with profundity and depth that makes it such an amazing and necessary watch.

NEXT: 10 Sad Movies That Are Worth The Cry