An ice storm mirrors the emotional chill as a suburban family unravels in 1973.
Melancholy and bleak. A full-attention watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is devastating.
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Heads up on strong sex and nudity. That is past what the R on the box suggests. Beyond that, some violence and some strong language.
How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.
In the weekend after thanksgiving 1973 the Hood family is skidding out of control. Then an ice storm hits, the worst in a century.
Bittersweet. It earns its ending, but not everyone gets what they want.
Paris, Texas (1984)Melancholy · full attention · emotionally devastating · a slow burnA silent wanderer slowly pieces together his past, confronting the intimate, bleak memories of a broken family.
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Magnolia (1999)Melancholy · full attention · emotionally devastating · measuredLives intertwine in the San Fernando Valley, revealing a tapestry of human connection, yearning, and regret.
The Whale (2022)Bleak · full attention · emotionally devastating · measuredA reclusive teacher's earnest quest for redemption unfolds with intimate melancholy, a bleak and measured journey.
The Elephant Man (1980)Melancholy · full attention · emotionally devastating · measuredA Victorian surgeon discovers a man of intelligence and sensitivity behind a monstrous facade, revealing an intimate, bleak history.
Manchester by the Sea (2016)Melancholy · full attention · emotionally devastating · measuredA man returns to his bleak hometown, grappling with a tragic past and the weight of new responsibilities.
Sunset Boulevard (1950)Dark satire · melancholy · full attention · emotionally devastatingA forgotten star clings to faded glory, ensnaring a writer in Hollywood's darkly comic and tragic undertow.The Ice Storm is on our Thanksgiving list.
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Lists with the same feel: Tearjerkers.
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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.
