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Depiction of Depression and Suicide in Movies
- Yadav B V
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Depression and Suicide are topics that are considered taboo or awkward, but both these topics are interrelated and impact the quality of life for all people, especially family members who survive the loss of a loved one. Here are a few movies that address this topic, and my take on the matter with the help of opinions from some Redditors.
Depression and Suicide in Movies
1. Dead Poets Society (1989)
In Dead Poets Society, Neil Perry tragically takes his own life after being forced to abandon his love for acting under the pressure of his strict, controlling father, who demands he pursue medicine instead.
Feeling trapped between parental expectations and the rigid discipline of Welton Academy, Neil sees no path to self-expression or freedom. His death deeply impacts his classmates, who direct their grief and anger toward their teacher, Mr. Keating, ultimately leading to Keating’s dismissal from the school.
Neil’s suicide stems from multiple factors: his father’s dominance and refusal to accept his artistic dreams, the lack of emotional support at home, and the suffocating structure of his school environment.
Feeling powerless, Neil saw death as both an escape from his emotional imprisonment and a final act of defiance against the life imposed on him. His tragic choice underscores the destructive weight of parental control and societal expectations on individuality and self-expression.
When a person thinks of suicide, it is because they have repeatedly been dealt a bad hand in life and feel nothing can change it. A Redditor has explained how people often show many signs of deep depression before taking their own life.
It might be a student not allowed to pursue his passion for the arts, as in this movie, the famous comedian Robin Williams, who could not recover from his divorce and his sad life, or a person in your family, even whom you've seen all your life. You can either help them or move on, just don't make things worse.
Like the Redditor who explained how someone's child, who split up their parents just for material gain and to make up for their own sad life. If Karma ever had it in for anyone, it would be for this fabulous person. Suicide doesn't just affect the family of the person who takes their own life, but also friends of the immediate family.
Thankfully, in real life, Suicide will only affect people who loved these persons and not everyone who turns up for the funeral and sheds a few tears out of peer pressure. You can tell the former from the latter by how many of these people actually contact the ones that survive. I can only imagine the ratio to be staggeringly minute.
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
In The Shawshank Redemption, Brooks Hatlen commits suicide by hanging himself after being paroled, unable to adapt to the outside world after 50 years in prison, a theme of institutionalization explored by the film. This is one of the most accurate portrayals of depression and suicide in movies
If you interrupt well-established patterns of emotional support or relationships, for example, between a husband and wife when one of them is prone to depression and suicidal tendencies, it will never end well.
If the person in question has tried to commit suicide once, they'll do it again and again until they succeed - so ensure they never have to need for emotional support. I have heard of a Redditor sharing that a person who, knowing the suicidal patterns of their parent, has pushed them so far that they ended up taking their life - the hottest places in hell are reserved for such great samiratans who continue to do such amazing things and maintain a facade of normalcy.
In Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, an asteroid threatens to wipe out humanity in weeks, and Dodge Petersen’s wife leaves him. Lost and alone, he meets his neighbor Penny, who regrets missing her chance to see her family in England.
They set out together—joined by a stray dog named Sorry—encountering chaos, odd strangers, and fleeting moments of intimacy, all while searching for Dodge’s old love and a way for Penny to reach her family.
On their journey, Dodge and Penny fall in love, realizing they’ve found what they were truly seeking in each other. After reuniting briefly with Dodge’s estranged father, Penny is sent away for safety but quickly returns. As the asteroid strikes, the two lie together, finding comfort and meaning in their final moments.
The relationship between a husband and a wife in an average marriage is sacred, and when either of them is made to be without the other, neither one is bound to be happy.
There are plenty of people in this world who will not think twice before manipulating people in a marriage - it might be for love ( is it love at this point? ), material gain ( most common ), and just for the sheer heck of it. Such awesome people will have ready justifications for the evil they do and will be well-versed in high-quality fibbing.
4. 3 Idiots (2009)
This is very similar to the sub-plot in Dead Poets' Society and addresses the flawed educational systems across the world.
In 3 Idiots, Joy Lobo dies by suicide after his drone project is rejected by the strict college dean, Virus. Unable to finish on time because of his father’s illness, Joy feels crushed by academic pressure and leaves behind the words “I Quit” before ending his life. His death deeply affects Rancho, who later completes the drone and flies it to Joy’s window, only to discover the tragic scene.
This moment underscores the film’s critique of a rigid education system that prioritizes deadlines and rote learning over creativity and compassion. Lobo’s despair becomes a symbol of how crushing expectations can isolate students, while also fueling Rancho’s challenge to the system—questioning whether the goal of education should be blind success or true understanding.
You might like Movies with Profound Dialogue About the Human Condition
5. The Discovery (2017)
In The Discovery, scientist Thomas Harbor proves the existence of an afterlife, a revelation that sparks mass suicides worldwide. His estranged son Will returns on the second anniversary of the finding and meets Isla, a troubled woman he later saves from ending her life.
At Harbor’s mansion, Will learns his father is testing a machine that records visions of the afterlife. But when Will secretly fixes the device, it reveals not the afterlife itself, but alternate realities where people make different choices. This discovery deepens Will’s resentment, as he blames his father’s work for both his mother’s death and the ongoing wave of suicides.
As Will and Isla grow close, tragedy strikes when she is killed by a believer who sees her death as a “relocation.” Grief drives Will to use the machine himself, where he learns he is caught in a loop, reliving lives to try and save Isla.
Ultimately, he accepts that he was only meant to prevent her suicide, not control her fate, and chooses to move on. In an alternate reality, he encounters Isla again, this time as strangers, but feels a profound sense of recognition. The film closes with the possibility of new beginnings, even across different versions of life.
How You Can Help The Surviving Family of a Suicide Victim
Don'ts! 🚫
Ask whether family members who remain are getting along well. Chances are, your family is more fucked up than ever.
Ask if X or Y family members or relatives come to visit you ( talking to you - jobless neighbours who are into real-life drama ). It's none of your business. If you are truly concerned, you will do the visiting yourself and keep your worthless trap shut.
Entertain the boredom or frustration in your own life by milking some juicy gossip or entertainment from the surviving family; go get your fix somewhere else. You aren't gonna live forever, you know.
Showcase performance pity. Instead, choose someone and somewhere else to rack up those fake brownie points.
If you are truly feeling sad and can't compose yourself, ensure you cry yourself out in the privacy of your home before you heap your second-hand burden on the family that remains.
Do's ✅
Visit the bereaved and spend some time with them. It doesn't have to be playing badminton or chess - a heartfelt conversation without ulterior motives will do just fine.
Send the surviving family good food and don't make a big deal out of it - you're being human, not saving the world.
Be honest and pleasant in your conversation, and do not make things worse for the grieving
Help them if you can; if you can't, don't give worthless advice or tips
