13 Movies That Have Little Hope For Humanity

7. Melancholia

Lars von Trier is an indisputable master of miserable cinema, though Melancholia is his only movie to date that actually dares to commit to the sheer hopelessness of global annihilation.

Aptly, this movie about Earth being threatened by an incoming rogue planet is the second entry into von Trier's so-called "Depression trilogy."

That sci-fi set-up belies an otherwise grounded, bleak drama about a woman, Justine (Kirsten Dunst), battling crippling depression on the eve of her wedding, and the various forlorn figures in her life.

This is a film where just about everyone is sad about something, be it a result of mental illness, personal and professional failings, or the simple fact that Earth's destruction is approaching.

How It Ends: Justine calmly sits down with her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and Claire's son as the world is destroyed by the planet's approach. There's no hint of salvation or possibility of survival, which basically reflects the human condition: you can flail around about the fact you're going to die or just accept it. Either way, the end result is the same.

Unsurprisingly, Melancholia was written during one of von Trier's intense depressive episodes. As hopeless as the movie is, it does at least have a cathartic, oddly calming quality to it.