Loneliness is a topic that many will not gravitate towards when paying a visit to their local picture house. It is an element in life that affects us all at some point, or in some form, and therefore it is understandable that loneliness is not something people enjoy being reminded about when they are trying to recline in a cinematic environment. However, this topic has been dealt with poignantly and with artistry in pictures gone by, where variants of this human condition are explored with incisive craft. The loner is not a character-type that is bathed in glory, nor is he/she frequently a magnet of attraction in the world in which they exist. Often, the loner is not a possessor of charm, panache, or redeeming moral features. An audience may be shocked, or even appalled by their actions, finding the loner to be an abject creature that they cannot relate to. On the flipside however, the loner can be wholly engrossing, observed as if they were a scientific specimen, slowly revealing their emotions and psyche as their story unfolds, and, without noticing, the watching eyes and attentive minds in the picture theatre are coaxed into the bowels of another life. Sometimes, the consequence of this subtle seduction is the encroachment upon common ground, when the audience, in spite of their aversion, are able to draw parallels with the loner, understanding his/her social and existentialist plight to some degree. This effect is the culmination of a fine delivery from the director, the writer, and the actors taking part, who communicate with one another to produce a socially acute work of art. So, without further ado, here are three films that deal with loneliness in an extraordinary way...