Bad Vibes Only

What, you may ask, is the difference between a feel-bad movie and a tearjerker? Basically: Crying at a tearjerker brings catharsis, relief, even a sense of joy. A feel-bad movie, though, is a good movie that feels just awful to sit through, the kind of gripping story you might never be able to bring yourself to watch again. It is, in short, the very opposite of a feel-good movie. But if you find yourself intentionally seeking a film that puts you in a deep state of despair, who are we to judge? Here, VF recommends 22 tough sits that will do just that. Happy holidays!  Elsewhere in HWD, Chris Murphy talks everything Gilded Age with star Carrie Coon; Rebecca Ford wonders when exactly smoking in movies got cool again; Paul Chi chats with Greta Lee at this year’s Unforgettable Gala; and Poor Thingsscreenwriter Tony McNamara breaks down one of the film’s trickiest scenes.

Bad ’Til the Last Drop

What’s the opposite of a feel-good movie? Uncut Gems, Taxi Driver, Melancholia, or one of these other great films that’ll leave you feeling terrible.

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Long Live Mrs. Russell

Carrie Coon on the Gilded Age opera war’s culmination, the cast’s “nerdy theater camp” energy, and what she’d love to see Mrs. Russell conquer next.

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Lights, Cameras, Action

Maestro, Cassandro, Saltburn, and more movies this season use smoking to capture time, character, and sometimes tragedy.

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Not Going Back

At the Unforgettable Gala in Beverly Hills on Saturday, Greta Lee was honored before a predominantly Asian crowd: “I think it’s time now for us to be at the center of our own stories, on our own terms.”

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Script Notes

For his first-ever adaptation, the writer of The Favourite created a character like no other, who “changes the way they speak every 15 minutes.”

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