Great Movies About Inner Turmoil

Addiction, depression, alienation, etc.... The farther back, the more rare it is. The only one I can think of in the 1940s was "The Lost Weekend".. "Le Feu Follet" (The Fire Within), 1963.. "Taxi Driver"... "The Man With The Golden Arm" with Frank Sinatra...

If you have some good recommendations before 1980, I'd probably watch them this weekend.. If I think of more, I'll post them later.

I think Five Easy Pieces could qualify.

One that is almost too sad to rewatch....and yet I do....is The Sterile Cuckoo


Thirteen Hours - sort of a noir film, I think from the 50s ( probably not a 'great film' and yet riveting in its own way)

Of course, when it comes to pointless alienation, there's the Graduate - not really a favorite of mine, btw, but certainly a prime example of that 'adrift for no reason'
theme.

Let me know if you wanna cheer up after this marathon, I have some good comedies in mind too

The Sterile Cuckoo was already on my Watchlist... Thanks, I'll try to check this out ASAP.

Take Shelter
Anomalisa
Melancholia
Krisha
Christiane F
Leaving Las Vegas
Lars and the Real Girl
The Station Agent
Pi
Edward Scissorhands

Opening Night (Cassavetes)

The Snake Pit
The Three Faces of Eve

The Hustler is a great film from 1961 starring Paul Newman, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott and Jackie Gleason. "Fast Eddie" Felson is certainly in turmoil over his psychology in pool playing. Of course Sarah turns out to have been in greater turmoil than the others.

~Doc

Control (2007) The usual rags to riches of band hitting it big is given a spin where fame and fortune alienates the lead singer from his previous life.
Half Nelson (2006)
Time out (2001)
Affliction (1997)
Monsieur Hire (1989)
The Passenger (1975)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

I've seen almost all of your list and liked most that I saw, and decided to see "Christiane F", which I never saw, and didn't know I'd see David Bowie play one of my favorite songs live (!), as well as hearing some of his other stuff. Thanks for the recommendations!

Before 1980
The Outsider (1961) - alcoholism / depression
Days of Wine and Roses (1962) - alcoholism
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) - alcoholism / depression
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972) - depression, alienation
A Woman Under the Influence (1974) - alcoholism / alienation / depression / mental illness

Would definitely go for Midnight Cowboy and The Graduate as prime examples of alienation- not really inner turmoil for the latter but a kind of drifting.

As something pre-1960, I’d go for Peeping Tom (addiction/voyeurism sort of inner turmoil).

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You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never. (The Red Shoes, 1948)