Content Warning: The following article contains discussions of drug addiction, self-harm and suicide.No matter the genre, every film sees the protagonist experience an event that impacts them to the point where their mental health declines on numerous levels. However, movies that make this their focal point create a more profound perspective where the mental state is not the only thing that changes. Over time, the inside battle of the subconscious transpires into impacts on relationships, careers, life goals, and an overall change in the character's worldview.

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The deterioration of the psyche can be depicted in many ways; through an artful lens, a horror story, a story of recovery, or a story of complete demise—these are often the main interpretations that attempt to capture a truthful experience. When life gives you lemons, sometimes, things go sour—these films focus on the protagonist’s psyche deteriorating as the film progresses, from Fight Club to Black Swan.

Updated on January 30th, 2023, by Hannah Saab:

With nine Oscar nominations, The Banshees of Inisherin has cemented itself as an instant classic and a true standout in the tragicomedy genre. Its slow-burn yet intense exploration of its protagonist's deteriorating psyche makes it riveting from start to finish. As fans eagerly wait to see which awards it will land, it's the perfect time to check out similar films that delve into a main character's unreliable perspective.

1 'Fight Club' (1999)

Tyler Durden and the narrator in 'Fight Club'

A cult-classic film that probably first pops into the mind when thinking about the deterioration of the self is David Fincher’s Fight Club. An existential crisis takes over the narrator (Edward Norton) as he develops a severe case of insomnia. The less he sleeps, the more distorted his current worldview becomes.

His work becomes mundane and too predictable; his Ikea-filled apartment no longer fills a void, and his empathy reserves are nearing empty. The rejection of the capitalist "rat race" comes after meeting the suave Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), where the narrator’s safe life is martyrized under Tyler’s eye-opening perception of the world. As the narrator loses himself in Tyler's anarchist teachings, Tyler becomes the all-singing, all-dancing leader of a rebellion.

2 'Mulholland Dr.' (2001)

Mulholland Dr

Mulholland Dr., like Fight Club, presents commentary on everyday life, insisting that the normal world isn't what it seems—this time centering on the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. Aspiring actress Betty (Naomi Watts) has newly arrived in Los Angeles to broaden her career options when she finds Rita (Laura Harring) in her aunt’s apartment, unable to recall her identity after a car accident. The film follows the women as they befriend each other, with Betty helping Rita recover her memories.

However, the misleading links between themselves and other characters—like director Adam (Justin Theroux) and his coercion into casting an unknown actress into his film—begin to unravel the characters’ identities. A film that cannot simply be explained, Mulholland Dr. could be a dream or a reality—a paradox on celluloid that might send you into a spiral.

3 'Taxi Driver' (1976)

Taxi Driver Starring Robert De Niro
Image via Columbia Pictures

Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver is an often misunderstood great film that throws viewers into the alienated life of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), a veteran of the Vietnam War that consequently lives with PTSD. As a result, Travis finds himself unable to connect with anyone, and, struggling to sleep, he works night shifts as a taxi driver to satisfy his social needs.

Through his drives around New York, Travis develops a hatred for crime and thrives on the idea that he can clean up the city. As his mental health rapidly declines, his sense of heroism heightens, leading him astray with threatening behaviors around New York and an obsession with "saving" a young sex worker (Jodie Foster) from a life of injustice.

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4 'Eraserhead' (1977)

A shot of Jack Nance with a worried expression in Eraserhead
Image via Libra Films International

Surrealism aids in mental deterioration in Eraserhead—a horror film that makes an impact. The timid and anxious Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) finds out that he has a child with his girlfriend Mary (Charlotte Stewart) and is suddenly thrown into fatherhood, but being a dad exceeds any expectations when the child is hardly human. When Mary walks out, it’s up to Henry to take care of the deformed baby who struggles to breathe.

Left isolated with the baby, Henry descends into mad hallucinations. Is Eraserhead a wacky interpretation of the fear of fatherhood? A metaphor for the suppression of trauma? A story of disconnection and death? Director David Lynch refuses to express any meaning, allowing viewers’ minds to run with the domestic chaos.

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5 'Joker' (2019)

Joker standing in front of a mirror that says "put on a happy face"

The juxtaposition between a man dressed as a clown and a clown who kills is partially what makes Joker so thrilling and psychologically engaging. Arthur Fleck’s (Joaquin Phoenix) spiral into one of the most infamous villains stems from his declining mental health following his struggles with poverty, a lack of success in his career, and his neurological disorder that causes him to laugh at inappropriate times.

His social awkwardness holds him back from people connecting and understanding him, isolating him and allowing him to grow angry with the world. Arthur’s attempts to humanize himself have dehumanizing consequences, allowing viewers to see a backstory of Batman’s nemesis.

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6 'Candy' (2006)

Candy

The downfall of the mental state is rough—and one caused by drug addiction is inevitable. Candy explores just that in a poetic, love and addiction-filled haze. Both Dan (Heath Ledger) and Candy (Abbie Cornish) transform when their co-dependency on drugs and each other causes them to resort to a life of violence, crimes, and toxicity to reach their next euphoria.

As their need for heroin becomes stronger, their relationship reaches a breaking point fueled with anxiety, resentment and lackluster attempts at normality.

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7 'Girl, Interrupted' (1999)

Winona Ryder staring through a wire fence

Girl, Interrupted is a movie that subverts the idea that a mental health facility will help your mental state through the admiration and connection with others in the same boat. Suzanna (Winona Ryder) is a young woman admitted to a mental health facility after attempting suicide, believing she's fine.

There, she befriends Polly (Elisabeth Moss)—a self-inflicted burn victim; Georgina (Clea DuVall)—a pathological liar; Daisy (Brittany Murphy)—who has OCD and a laxative addiction; Janet (Angela Bettis)—a woman with anorexia and the easily amused Cynthia (Jillian Armenante). However, it is her infatuation with the notorious sociopathic leader, Lisa (Angelina Jolie), that Suzana finds herself drawn to the idea of never getting better.

8 'Requiem for a Dream' (2000)

Requiem For A Dream

Like Candy, Requiem for a Dream follows the destruction of one’s life at the hands of drug addiction. Three friends—Harry (Jared Leto), Tyrone (Marlon Wayans), and Marion (Jennifer Connelly)—deal and use heroin as they daydream of better lives, opening a clothing store, and seeking the approval of their families.

The short period when the world makes sense keeps the trio returning to the wallet-burning, life-changing habit. Meanwhile, Harry’s obese mother, Sara (Ellen Burstyn), spends her days watching television, where she is influenced to abuse amphetamines to lose weight. Requiem for a Dream presents the idea that addiction, in any shape or form, rips individuals from any sense of reality and destroys everything around them.

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9 'American Psycho' (2000)

Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho
Image via Lionsgate Films

With a title like American Psycho, viewers can safely assume that the plot follows a somewhat disturbed individual. Seemingly just your average investment banker, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), is consumed by the social politics of the upper-class circle he surrounds himself with—namely, who has the best business card.

However, by nightfall, Patrick sheds his charismatic skin and wields weapons, hunting for victims in his serial killing scheme. Unlike most of the above films, American Psycho presents an already mentally-unstable character who furthers himself into madness to the point where no one recognizes what’s happening by the time the credits start rolling.

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10 'Black Swan' (2010)

Nathalie Portman in 'Black Swan'

Black Swan is the crown jewel of films centered on obsession and psychology. Career-driven ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman) becomes obsessed over her duo role in Swan Lake, where she must embody a sweet white swan Odette and the sensual dark swan Odile.

Her compulsion only heightens when newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis) is pitted against her, causing Nina to fall down a self-sabotaging rabbit hole, losing herself in her art. The film's main point is that some drives for perfection can be self-destructive—and even fatal.

11 'The Lighthouse' (2019)

A medium black and white shot of Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson standing next to each other in 'The Lighthouse'
Image via A24

Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson star in the horror-mystery film The Lighthouse. This film, directed by Robert Eggers, takes place in the 1890s and centers on two lighthouse keepers who are stationed on a remote and dangerous island. The film is a psychological thriller that delves into the protagonists' spiral into madness while alone in a lighthouse on a secluded island and plagued by otherworldly phenomena.

The Lighthouse has beautiful, eerie cinematography that will lure in viewers and transport them to another world. The film is especially renowned for the work of actors Dafoe and Pattinson, who play the tormented and sometimes humorous lighthouse keepers. The film takes its viewers on a trip through the protagonists' questionable realities as it examines themes of solitude, obsession and lunacy.

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12 'The Machinist' (2004)

A malnourished, worryingly skinny lies back on his bed with his eyes closed and his arms above his head.
Image via Paramount Vantage

Christian Bale plays the lead role of Trevor Reznik in the Brad Anderson-helmed psychological thriller, The Machinist. Trevor, the titular machinist, hasn't slept in a year, and he's starting to have hallucinations and memory loss as a result. In the film, the main character's mental state deteriorates as he withdraws from society and develops paranoid fantasies. As Trevor searches for answers about his background and the circumstances that led to his present condition, his world starts to fall apart.

Fans and critics alike praised The Machinist for its dark and unsettling atmosphere. Audiences will feel uneasy and disturbed as they watch Trevor's life fall apart on screen, which is perfectly complemented by the film's low-key and tense tone. The highlight is, of course, Christian Bale's brilliant performance as Trevor Reznik, a man on the brink of madness.

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13 'The Father' (2020)

Olivia Colman staring at Anthony Hopkins while he is sitting in The Father.
Image via Lionsgate

The Father revolves around the protagonist, Anthony (masterfully played by Anthony Hopkins), an elderly man with dementia. The film delves into the main character's failing mind as his mental state declines and his grip on reality weakens. The movie is told from Anthony's point of view, and it chronicles his efforts to make sense of his surroundings despite his memory loss and worsening uncertainty.

Directed by Florian Zeller, the film was praised for its raw and heartbreaking depiction of dementia. Hopkins's portrayal of the main character, who gradually loses his handle on reality, can evoke strong emotions among viewers. The film's unusual and original style of storytelling, in which viewers see everything through the protagonist's point of view, is also quite striking.

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14 'Birdman' (2014)

Michael Keaton in 'Birdman'
Image via Searchlight Pictures

Birdman, directed by Alejandro G. Iárritu, follows Michael Keaton's Riggan Thomson (a former Hollywood celebrity) as he attempts to revive his career by writing, directing and starring in a play on Broadway. The film delves into the protagonist's deteriorating mental state as his fixation with the play and its popularity grows.

First-time viewers of Birdman will be captivated by the film's unorthodox approach to storytelling, since it was filmed to give the impression that it was all one continuous take. As Riggan, a man struggling with his own ego and need for importance, Keaton gives a riveting performance that elevates the film to a new level. Audiences are taken on a trip into Riggan's deteriorating mind as the film addresses issues of ego, achievement and the toll that chasing fame can have on a person's psyche.

15 'The Banshees of Inisherin' (2022)

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrel as Colm and Podrick talking while drinking beer in 'The Banshees of Inisherin'

Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin is a tragicomedy that takes place on a small Irish island. When Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) decides he no longer wants Pádraic Silleabháin (Colin Farrell) in his life, it is a heartbreaking blow to their lifelong friendship. With the guidance of his sister and a disturbed young islander, Pádraic embarks on a journey to regain Colm's friendship. Colm's determination to sever their relationship, however, only grows when tensions between them reach the point of violence. Both men's mental states deteriorate and their relationship becomes more perilous as Colm issues an ultimatum with frightening repercussions.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a film that delves deeply into themes of friendship, obsession and the repercussions of one's actions, all while maintaining a dark sense of humor. Through its portrayal of the descent into madness and the destructive power of obsession, McDonagh has created a movie that is both funny and poignant, and that will leave audiences questioning their own relationships.

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NEXT: 'Decision to Leave' & Other Intense Psychological Thrillers That Explore The Human Psyche