Worldview-changing isolation: 10 movies about loneliness

Being alone is a difficult burden. And everyone copes with it in their own way. Some are ready to accept this fate, while others are looking for a new meaning of life. Even in loneliness. Sometimes a person himself consciously chooses such a path, for some reason it is so convenient for him. At times, some people do not feel deprived or unhappy at all. However, others find themselves alone because of an evil fate or insurmountable circumstances. We have compiled a selection of movies with heroes who find themselves isolated from the world around them.

“She”, USA, 2013

Directed by Spike Jones

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson.

Events take place in the future, when people have almost stopped communicating and writing to each other. All this they do through artificial intelligence. Theodore, a lonely writer, buys such an operating system, installs a pleasant female voice (the artificial intelligence spoke in Scarlett Johansson’s voice) and calls her Samantha. She replaces human communication for Theodore, Samantha is able to joke and reason on various topics. The man first sympathizes with “her” and then falls in love.

Age limit: 18+

“Difficulties of Translation”, USA – Japan, 2003

Directed by Sofia Coppola.

Starring Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson.

Bob is an older actor who has been married for 25 years and is tired of marriage. Charlotte is a young girl who got married not too long ago, but hardly ever sees her working spouse. One thing they have in common is that they both feel incredibly lonely. A chance meeting in Tokyo changes their lives and makes them look at themselves from a different perspective. By the way, it was this movie that made the then unknown 19-year-old Scarlett Johansson a star.

Age limit: 16+

“Wild”, USA, 2014

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern

Writer Cheryl Strayed is going through a difficult time. She has lost her beloved mother, divorced her husband. Sliding into the abyss of depression, the woman is looking for salvation. Cheryl decides to embark on a dangerous journey alone. She plans to cover almost 2000 kilometers from the Mojave Desert to the border between the states of Oregon and Washington, relying only on her own strength. The movie is based on Cheryl Strayed’s autobiographical book.

Age limit: 18+

“Gravity,” USA – Mexico – UK, 2013

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney.

Ryan Stone is a research astronaut who is doing repairs on a space station. An accidental accident leads to the fact that she finds herself alone in outer space. Partner is dead, the shuttle is damaged, there is nowhere to wait for rescue. But the woman does not despair of finding a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation. The movie received a huge number of nominations and took the Oscar for Best Director. The scene in which Sandra Bullock’s character howls in despair in the cockpit of a spaceship gives you goosebumps.

Age limit: 12+

“Outcast”, USA, 2000

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt

Delivery inspector Chuck’s plane crashes. He regains consciousness on an island in the open ocean. After several days of waiting, he realizes that rescuers will not be able to locate him. Chuck arranges everyday life, learns to fish, cope with the consequences of the elements. But to the last he does not give up hope to get off the island and see his fiancée. Tom Hanks was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance as Chuck.

Age limit: 12+

“The Truman Show, USA, 1998

Directed by Peter Weare

Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney

Truman Burbank has everything: a house, a wife, a great job, good friends and friendly neighbors. But still he feels very lonely. He does not leave the feeling that everything around him looks fake, fake, and he is here as if he is superfluous. And Truman turns out to be right: in fact he is a hero of a reality show. Viewers from all over the world watch the life of a guy who doesn’t realize that his wife and friends are actors.

Age limit: 18+

“The Lobster,” Ireland – UK – Greece – France – Netherlands – USA, 2015

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz

David has recently separated from his wife. According to the rules of the place where he lives, he is arrested and sent to a certain hotel, where he must find a companion for 45 days. If that doesn’t happen, the hero will be turned into an animal. The man tries to get together with some of the inhabitants of the hotel, but in vain. The deadline is near, and David is already in despair. He goes into the forest to hunt for “loners” who are hiding in the wilds. One captured fugitive equals one extra day as a human. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos admitted that he shot the picture as a kind of evil satire on modern relationships and stereotypes about the imposition of family values.

Age limit: 18+

“Into the Wild”, USA, 2007

Directed by Sean Penn

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook

The movie is based on real events that happened to Christopher McCandless, nicknamed Alexander Superbug. 22-year-old guy grew up in a very wealthy family, he was prophesied a brilliant future. His decision to donate his tuition money to charity and go on a solo trip shocked Christopher’s parents. First by car, then on foot, he trekked kilometer after kilometer over dangerous trails. With no money, he took any part-time job and set off again. One of his routes turned out to be fatal.

Age limit: 18+

“Mary and Max”, Australia – USA, 2009

Directed by Adam Benjamin Elliot

Starring: Christopher Massey, Oliver Marks

An eight-year-old lonely girl accidentally sends a letter to an equally lonely and misunderstood by the world 44-year-old Max. Their correspondence stretched for a full 18 years. Mary and Max became best friends, although they had never met. They shared their worries and joys and became each other’s true salvation. While those closest to them could not understand their feelings, Max and Mary became almost family.

Age limit: 16+

“Land of the Nomads”, USA – Germany, 2020

Directed by Chloe Zhao

Starring Frances McDormand, David Strathairn

Fern loses her husband and her job in one year. The woman is left all alone. She sells her house and invests all her savings in the purchase of a van. Fern travels around the American states in a motor home in search of work and a new life. She meets nomads just like her. New friends teach Fern survival skills on the road, and a woman seems to find a different meaning to life.

Age limit: 16+

The heroes of these paintings turned out to be loners for different reasons. For some, on the contrary, it became a salvation and an impetus to look at their lives differently. Others are afraid of it and try to save themselves. But they have one thing in common: isolation from the world around them has completely changed their worldview.