10 Harrowing Scenes Of Suicide In Film

3. Filth (2013)

The James McAvoy starring, Irvine Welsh adaptation may be deserving of the award for 'film that most lives up to its title', as from the word go the 90-minute black comedy is splitting at the seams with moments of explicit degradation, sexual depravity and prolific drug abuse. The film is an onslaught to the senses, kinetically depicting one man's tumble from respectability as McAvoy's Bruce Robertson self-destructs with unmatchable aplomb. Through piles of cocaine, harrowing flashbacks to the manslaughter of his kid brother and coping with his wife's departure through prank phone calls and sadomasochistic cross-dressing, the eventual suicide of Robertson nonetheless remains the most hitting image of the entire film €“ and renders Filth an unforgettable portrayal of self-destruction as it comes right at the end. Gruesomely played as something quite optimistic in the wake of all the abject horror that went before, there is the fleeting feeling that Robertson, who has by now lost absolutely everything, might not actually go through with it. The one innocent glimmer of hope in his life €“ a widowed mother whose husband he attempted to save €“ comes to Bruce's door as he is teetering on a chair ready to hang himself. He almost attempts to tip the chair back to its upright position and call off the suicide, but instead smilingly proceeds with it and dies. The film ends barely a nanosecond after the noose tightens with what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most visually impacting final shots in British film history. It is the tantalising tease of possible survival that adds traumatic weight to this cinematic suicide, coupled with the fact the we are so invested in Bruce's struggle by the end of the third act that he could have the audience siding with practically any decision €“ and suicide here is portrayed as something that is occasionally the only option left. A startling portrayal of the act, but one no doubt keenly felt by those who have been there.