Alec Secareanu in "God's Own Country." | Rooney Mara in "A Ghost Story." | Source: Picturehouse Entertainment | A24
Loneliness and solitude are considered universal emotional experiences stemming from varying situations. With great attention to detail, writers and filmmakers have zoomed into these experiences, exploring how they unravel onscreen.
At one point or another, humans can expect to feel lonely. This feeling can either arise due to a drastic change or an increasing detachment from what once made a person feel like they belonged.
It could be moving from one city, where most of their friends and family stay, to another, or even to another country. Getting settled might be difficult, as could finding new friends or getting accustomed to this new home's routes.
A young woman lost in a metropolitan city. | Source: Getty Images
They might also face a cultural or language barrier in a foreign country. In another situation, a person might fall in love with someone they shouldn't; they might feel they've outgrown their friends, or they might be grieving the loss of a loved one.
Whatever evokes loneliness, and however they handle it — binge drinking, eating, meaningless flings, isolation — the feeling calls attention to more profound aspects of their personhood, usually what they feel is lacking.
A young man pensively looking out his window from his bedroom. | Source: Getty Images
But more than anything, loneliness nags at people to face what, surprisingly, can be terrifying: what they want. And sometimes, they just want to know they're not crazy for feeling like they do.
So, they seek connection with others. And if they can't find it, the next best thing is immersing themselves in art (literature, films, etc.) that recognizes their experiences. Below is a list of movies that best address loneliness and everything else it drags along.
A man sitting in a '70s style living room and watching television. | Source: Getty Images
'Buffalo '66' (1998)
"Buffalo '66" follows the story of a former convict, Billy, recently released after spending five years in prison. Billy visits his parents afterward with his wife, Layla, except they're not married.
Billy kidnapped Layla and forced her to pretend she was his wife to his parents. Although the role is imposed, Layla commits to convincing her faux husband's parents of their romance. The film stars Vincent Gallo as Billy and Christina Ricci as Layla.
'Lost in Translation' (2003)
"Lost in Translation" is about an unlikely friendship that forms between a young graduate and an aging actor. Charlotte is an American visiting Japan with her busy photographer husband. She meets another American, Bob, working as an actor in the country.
Despite the different trajectories their lives are taking, Charlotte and Bob's connection forms because of their shared feeling of isolation, and they become each other's solace for a time. The film, starring Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray, won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award.
'God's Own Country' (2017)
A romantic drama about a lonely farmer in Yorkshire, England, "God's Own Country" follows the isolated livelihood of Johnny Saxby. Johnny has developed a pattern of binge drinking and engaging in casual sex to cope with his daily frustrations.
When Gheorghe Ionescu, a Romanian migrant worker, arrives, things become more meaningful as what begins as a cordial working relationship slowly transforms into romance. Josh O'Connor portrays Johnny alongside onscreen lover Alec Secareanu.
'Chungking Express' (1994)
A crime-comedy drama, "Chungking Express" offers a double-take on loneliness. The film follows two police officers, Cop 223 and Cop 663, and their separate love stories. Cop 223 falls in love with a mysterious woman capable of killing a man in cold blood.
Cop 663 develops feelings for an eccentric waitress working at a late-night restaurant. Written and directed by Kar-Wai Wong, "Chungking Express" is led by Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
'A Ghost Story' (2017)
"A Ghost Story" begins with a happy young couple, C and M, living a modest life until C dies. C returns from the other side, covered in a white sheet with two peepholes for his eyes. He watches M mourn his absence, but she never sees him.
M eventually moves out of their old home, but C remains anchored to it for centuries. "A Ghost Story" doesn't have much dialogue and relies more on music and visuals to depict grief, heartbreak, and solitude. The film starred Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara.
'Three Colors: Blue' (1993)
"Three Colors: Blue," the first of a trilogy, is a musical drama about Julie, a woman dealing with the loss of her husband and child in a tragic car accident. Julie decides to navigate her grief alone, detaching from her loved ones.
In her pursuit of emotional liberty, she finds herself pulled back into her past, questioning everything about it. True to its title, the film punctuates Julie's melancholy with blue hues. It starred Juliette Binoche as the protagonist opposite Zbigniew Zamachowski and Florence Pernel.
'Taxi Driver' (1976)
Travis Bickle, a war veteran-turned-taxi driver battling post-traumatic stress disorder, drives around New York City during the night. It's a lonely existence for this troubled individual. As he tries to pull himself out of his loneliness, he sees it in other people, too.
But beyond feeling isolated from society, Travis has a nagging urge to engage in violence, all while falling for a beautiful woman. "Taxi Driver," starring Robert de Niro, is another of Martin Scorsese's directorial masterpieces, which received four Oscar nominations.
'The Lobster' (2015)
In the not-so-distant future, "The Lobster" follows Colin Farrell as David. David's story begins at The Hotel, a facility created for single people who must fall in love within 45 days of their stay. Failure to do so results in them being turned into animals.
It is all according to the laws of The City. David arrives at The Hotel with his brother, who had turned into a dog after he failed to find love. David picks the lobster when asked what animal he's chosen should his fate be the same.
'The Double' (2013)
"The Double" follows Simon, a government agency clerk who leads a rather dull existence. He plays it safe, but everything changes when James, his physical doppelganger, is hired at his workplace. But unlike Simon's reserved character, James is charismatic and confident.
Simon is immediately alarmed, and although he gives James a chance, things go awry when James starts taking over as the better version of him. Jesse Eisenberg portrays the protagonist and antagonist in "The Double," opposite Mia Wasikowska and Wallace Sawn.
'Columbus' (2017)
"Columbus" explores the loneliness that can come from an unhealthy relationship between a parent and their child. The movie follows Jin (John Cho), stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his father is hospitalized and in a coma.
Jin had a somewhat estranged relationship with his dad. He meets Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a young woman set on shelving her dreams to be there for her mother, a recovering addict, and the two form a bond.
'Eighth Grade' (2018)
Written and directed by Bo Burnham, "Eighth Grade" delves into the adolescent loneliness of Kayla Day during her last week in the titular grade. Kayla is introverted and shy and mostly keeps to herself.
But, contrary to her external persona, Kayla has a YouTube channel where she expresses her hopes and dreams and encourages others to do what she only later finds the courage to do: being herself.
Elsie Fisher portrayed the 13-year-old alongside Josh Hamilton. The movie also starred Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan, Daniel Zolghadri, Imani Lewis, Fred Hechinger, and more.
Since its release in 2018, the movie has garnered over 90 nominations and won 60 awards. It won the 2019 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, the 2019 Movie of the Year at the AFI Awards, and the 2019 Virtuoso Award for Elsie at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
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