- nihilistic
- (nihilism)a dark and brooding film that features a downbeat, depressing, dreary, cynical, gloomy or bleak tone; often doom-laden and concerned with the subjects of death, suffering, tragedy, unhappiness, and existential despair; the protagonist often meets with death or tragedy in a film's conclusion; see also dystopia.Examples: Almost all film noirs are nihilistic, such as The Killers (1946), D.O.A. (1950), Sunset Boulevard (1950), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Taxi Driver (1976), and American Beauty (1999)
Glossary of cinematic terms . 2015.