With the steady impact of technology on our day-to-day lives, our options to communicate have increased, although our ability to communicate has decreased… Right before the internet boom, when conversations were conducted physically, humans were better at it. We were more in tune with our emotions, thereby aligning us with the person we were communicating with. Furthermore, in today's time technology caters to every basic and sophisticated need of a person, replacing the need for human interaction with machine interaction. This technological trade-off majorly contributed to our evolution from a tribal mindset to an individual mindset, finally culminating in a life of loneliness.
Now, we find ourselves in the comfort of our homes, with our screens and machines, not wanting to be disturbed. While this may seem like an ideal situation, sometimes the machines aren’t enough, and it’s human interaction that we crave. Here are the nine best movies, that explore urban loneliness, ranked.
9 Paris, 13th District (2021)
Paris, 13th District is directed by French auteur Jacques Audiard and written by Celine Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire). Based on a series of novels by Adrian Tomine, the film throws light on the lives of young people living in Paris. Shot in beautiful black and white, the film deals with themes of individuality, youth and sexuality. Audiard in the film does well to not judge his subjects for their wants and needs; he rather portrays them as individuals creating an empathetic bond with the viewer.
8 Her (2013)
In a future that’s not too far from now, Theodore (Joaquin Pheonix) falls in love with his AI assistant Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). Like all relationships, the honeymoon phase goes well, with Theodore taking Samantha to the beach and a carnival through his phone. But as the film progresses, so do the complications of being in a relationship with a piece of software. Her delicately puts forth questions about the conventional norms attached to love and loneliness. Spike Jonze's efforts saw him win the Academy Award for best screenplay, while also being nominated for best picture.
7
Nomadland (2020)
Nomadland was one of the best films to have come out of the states in recent years… Staying true to the title, the film depicts the life of Fern (Frances McDormand), who decides on living life on the road after the company she worked at shuts down. Nomadland serves as a case study into the importance of individuality and the cost it comes at. A film that celebrates human interactions while also retaining the essence of solitude, Nomadland won the Academy Award for best picture along with Chloé Zhao and Frances McDormand winning the award for best director and best actress, respectively.
6 Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Extending his penchant for all things art and slice of life, Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a whirlpool of emotions. Vicky Cristina Barcelona provides the viewers with a peep into the lives of the rich and the arty, while also being relatable to the masses. The story centers around two friends, Vicky and Cristina, who arrive in Spain for a Holliday and bump into Juan (Javier Bardem) a charismatic painter who invites them over. With wine flowing, soon lines are blurred and boundaries crossed. Things go wrong when Juan’s fiery former lover Maria (Penelope Cruz) lands up at Juan’s door.
5 Drive (2011)
A getaway driver living a life of solitude soon finds himself falling in love with the wife of one of his clients after he’s busted and put in jail. What begins as a sense of obligation, soon turns to protection, eventually culminating in love. Drive is one of the few films that is fast and slow in equal measure. While the nature of the driver’s job is high-octane and fast-paced, his personal world is full of solitude and longing.
4 Taipie Story (1985)
Perfectly capturing the era of the neon glow, Taipei Story, depicts the angst of a newlywed couple. What initially begins as a promising future, slowly dissolves into the mundane monotony living in the fast lane warrants. A small but profound film that metaphorically depicts loneliness in its varied stages and the ways people deal with it.
3 Lost in Translation (2003)
If loneliness and longing weren’t potent feelings in themselves, Sofia Coppola takes things up a notch by setting her story full of love and longing in faraway places. The story follows Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), who’s abandoned by her photographer husband while on a holiday in Tokyo. There she bumps into Bob (Bill Murray), who’s an actor, and the duo strikes up a friendship with its foundations in longing and plutonic love. Lost in Translation explores love in its purest plutonic form, with its roots in presence and care.
2 Frances Ha (2012)
The one thing about Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha is that everybody at some point in life has been where Frances has been. Co-written and acted by Baumbach’s partner Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha, is the coming-of-age story of a young aspiring ballet dancer who’s trying to navigate love, life, and a career set against the backdrop of New York. Shot beautifully in black and white, the film is a roller coaster of emotions, seldom failing in stirring up a sense of longing within the viewer.
1 My Blueberry Nights (2007)
Wong Kar Wai films exude a certain degree of lust and longing. Lonely individuals are captured against the backdrop of neon lights, longing, looking, and searching for something. Known for his distinct visual style, Wai often captures his actors through a piece of glass, compartmentalizing them, which in turn, gives off a feeling of longing. My Blueberry Nights, is one of the rare few films that stay with the viewer way after watching the film.