2000 Hit Movie, With Oscar Nomination, Has the ‘Saddest Movie Ending’ of All Time

The 2000 movie Dancer in the Dark is more than just a critically acclaimed film; it is a masterpiece that continues to be remembered in cinematic history.

More than two decades after its release, Dancer in the Dark was ranked No. 1 on Collider’s list of the “saddest movie endings” of all time.

Based on the list, it secured the top spot, followed by Frank Darabont’s The Mist, while Titanic and City Lights took third and fourth place.

The publication highlighted the movie as the obvious choice for its powerful and devastating story that gradually builds toward an emotionally shattering ending.

Apart from Collider, Rotten Tomatoes also listed Dancer in the Dark among the top 10 “Saddest Movies for a Good Cry,” with the film landing at No. 7.

Directed by Lars von Trier, Dancer in the Dark stars Björk, who plays Selma, a poor Czech immigrant and single mother raising her son in the U.S.

As the years pass, the two struggle to survive as Selma realizes that she is slowly losing her sight to a genetic disease.

Fearing that her son might also inherit the same condition, she works long hours at the factory to save enough money for an operation that could prevent him from eventually going blind.

Unfortunately, she is betrayed by a person she trusted and ends up killing the man, an act that ultimately leads to her arrest and conviction.

Rather than spend her savings on a legal defense, she chooses to preserve the money for her son’s operation and is ultimately sentenced to death.

Dancer in the Dark’s tragedy reaches its heartbreaking point after Selma’s devotion secures her son’s future and protects him from the same fate, but she faces a devastating end of her own.

At the time of its release, Dancer in the Dark was considered a commercial success, grossing over $40 million worldwide against an estimated budget of $12.8 million.

The musical drama also propelled Björk’s acting career after she won the Best Actress award at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival, one of the festival’s highest honors.

The film also received the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top overall prize, which was presented to director Lars von Trier.

Adding to the film’s achievements was its Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for the track “I’ve Seen It All,” composed by Björk along with director Lars von Trier, with Icelandic poet Sjón co-writing the lyrics.

With the overall achievement of the movie, Björk talked about how “very proud” she was to star in Dancer in the Dark.

“I know I gave everything I got and a lot more, so I feel very good, very proud about the film,” she told Hollywood.com, adding, “If I close my eyes I know all my heart’s in there. … I’m not controlling like that at all about my acting or my image or visual stuff. I wish I was more ambitious — well I don’t really — because I just don’t care.”

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