The “happy ending” is one of the most overused concepts in cinema, yet it has rarely been labeled a cliché. After being forced to endure several challenges, the characters normally end up happy. This is not only a way to give audiences closure, but also a way to inspire them and remind them that life’s challenges never last forever. With enough optimism and effort, a problem always gets solved.
However, there are a few movies that end on a sad and even tragic note, and a good number of them are originalNetflixoriginals. These films are either structured this way to make them unique or are accurate accounts of incidents that happened in the real world. But despite concluding with an air of melancholy, they all offer first-rate entertainment and have excellent production values all around. Here are 20 Netflix original movies that have the most tragic endings.
The following list contains major spoilers.
20All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
All Quiet on the Western Front
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A War Hawk’s Thirst for Blood Costs Paul His Life
Paul ends up dying at the end of the Netflix original movie because of an unnecessary order from a bloodthirsty “War Hawk” General. After the troops learn that the armistice meant to end World War I has been signed and will come into effect at 11:00 AM. on July 22, 2025, the General orders an attack at 10:45. There is no justifiable reason for this. It is all because he hates the French and wants to take out as many of them as he can before the top of the hour.
During that final battle, Paul gets bayonetted in the back and dies. It’s an unfortunate outcome, given how cautious the young soldier had been until that point. An ideal scenario would have seen him live out his war fantasies and then come back home in one piece,
19Blonde (2022)
Blondeis a graphic account of Marylin Monroe’s life, based on Joyce Carol Oates' best-selling book of the same name. It’s also the first NC-17 movie to be released on a streaming service. In it, Monroe (Ana de Armas) endures a difficult childhood under her abusive mother and then grows up to become a famous actress. She gets into a polyamorous relationship with actors Edward G. “Eddy” Robinson Jr., and Cass Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin’s son), but her life only keeps getting harder.
One of the Film’s Few Historically Accurate Scenes
There are plenty ofexaggerated scenes inBlonde, but the ending is accurate. On Jul 09, 2025, Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose inside her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. That’s how this particular movie concludes. It’s quite a tragic ending, given how promising Monroe’s film career appears to be, but, here, her sudden death is painted as a relief for her because of the endless sexual assault she was subjected to.
Shortly before she dies in the Netflix original film, she is even assaulted by President Kennedy (their relationship in real life was rumored to be consensual). Still, given how much pain Marylin endures in the movie, it would have been better to offer her a happy ending. After all, this is a fictionalized take. It’s, therefore, not surprising that many critics labeled the movie unethical.
18Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottomis a tale of music, racism, and unregulated ambition. The chaotic events begin when blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) and her band show up at Paramount’s Recording Studios in Chicago to record “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom." There, everyone keeps disagreeing, with trumpeter Levee Green (Chadwick Borsman) secretly trying to impress producer Mel Sturdyvant, so that he can get a separate solo deal. Sadly, his ambitions are cut short because of an impulsive decision.
An Unexpected Murder
When Levee meets Sturdyvant privately to play him his original songs, the producer insists that the best he can do is to only buy the songs because this is the 1920s, and the studio cannot sign more than one Black singer. This causes Levee to suffer a mental breakdown, and when another band member accidentally steps on his shoes, he fatally stabs him with a knife. Later, Sturdyvant gives Levee’s songs to a white band. Levee thus ends up as both a convict and a failed musician, certainly not the way he pictured things. And it’s not just him who loses. The entire band loses two members, and the Black community continues to be oppressed.
171922 (2017)
1922is a widely scary and disturbing Netflix original film, so much so thatit creeped out Stephen King. The story revolves around Nebraska farmer Wilfred “Wilf” James, who decides to murder his wife because she plans on selling the land and relocating. He ropes his 14-year-old son into the plan, telling him, “If we move, you won’t be able to see that sweet girlfriend of yours anymore.” After the murder, each of them mentally spirals out of control.
All for Nothing
This is the kind of issue that ought to have been resolved with a simple couple’s talk, not murder, and Wilf learns that the hard way. After killing his wife and choosing to stay on the farm, he becomes more miserable because he keeps getting bothered by rats. In the closing stages, he is confronted by the ghosts of his wife, son (he committed suicide after his girlfriend was killed during a robbery attempt), and his son’s girlfriend. The three are then shown approaching Wilf, ready to kill him for the mess he created.
16The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
The Fundamentals of Caring
InThe Fundamentals of Caring, a bank manager, Elsa, hires a struggling writer, Ben (Paul Rudd), to take care of her son, Trevor. The teenager happens to be suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and after the two become friends, Trevor convinces Ben to take him on a road trip. While at it, they get to have many interesting adventures.
The Inevitable Divorce Happens
At the start of the Netflix original film, Ben is shown to be avoiding attempts by his wife to make him sign divorce papers. He clearly loves her, and the only reason he takes up the caregiver job is to prove he is not a loser. The rest of the movie ends up being fun, with Ben and Trevor having many happy moments together. Sadly, in the dying minutes, it’s revealed that Trevor still has to sign the divorce papers.
And when it comes to his career, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. All that he can hope for is that his next book will sell well. Additionally, there is a hint in Ben’s manuscript that suggests Trevor died, which is unfortunate, considering that he was starting to enjoy life.
15Horse Girl (2020)
Horse Girl’s Sarah (Alison Brie) has, perhaps, too much on her plate. Her mother has just died of suicide and she, herself, is having weird dreams. At the same time, she is depressed about losing her former horse, which now has new owners. She keeps visiting it, and even though the current owners are angered by her actions, she keeps going.
Extraterrestrial Twists
In the Netflix original movie’s final scene, Sarah steals the horse and takes it on a walk in the woods, only to getabducted by aliens. No explanation is given as to why this happens, and it’s quite an unfortunate outcome for her because her ideal life would have involved her spending a lot of time with the horse. Additionally, she doesn’t resist the abduction, confirming that she has become fed up with the bad luck in her life, so she has resigned herself to fate.
14ARQ (2016)
ARQis set in a future where oil reserves have run dry. As expected, nations are fighting over every remaining resource. Thankfully, Renton (Robbie Amell), an engineer, has come up with an invention that will solve the world’s energy problems. However, the same technology has triggered a time loop that forces him and his loved ones to relive the same day over and over.
Problems Are Left Unsolved
Undoubtedly one of thegreatest time loop moviesever made,ARQtakes audiences on a complex scientific journey while still managing to rope in a home invasion. Unfortunately, the Netflix film concludes with no hope for either the protagonist or humanity. Renton and his ex-lover get murdered by a robot, and before that happens, they leave a message for their future selves, informing them how they can end the loop. Audiences would have loved to see Renton figuring out the mess he unintentionally created, but that doesn’t happen.
13Outlaw King (2018)
Outlaw King
Outlaw Kingtells the story of the brave 14th-Century Scottish ruler Robert the Bruce and his great contributions during the Scottish Wars of Independence. Events span three years, starting in 1304, when Robert decides to rebel against King Edward I, and ending with the Battle of Loudoun Hill in 1307.
Robert’s Loved Ones Become Targets
In honorable rivalries, families are always off-limits, but, here, Edward doesn’t hesitate to go after Robert’s family, including his innocent wife, whom he sentences to hanging. Robert’s brother gets hanged, too, while his associates are subjected to various forms of punishment. All these events ought to have paved the way for a perfect revenge story, but Edward dies before Robert can get to him, hence he is denied the pleasure of driving a sword into his abdomen, and forced to deal with his successor, whom he doesn’t hate as much.
12Roma (2018)
Romais the story of two troubled women. One is Cleodegaria “Cleo” Gutiérrez, a live-in maid in a wealthy Mexico City household, and the other is Cleo’s employer, Sofia. Both Cleo and Sofia have relationship problems: Cleo’s lover doesn’t want to acknowledge that he is the father of her unborn baby, while Sofia’s husband is having an affair with a younger woman.
Fruitless Attempts to Mend Broken Love
Both women make great efforts to fix things with their lovers, but it never works out. To them, monogamy is important and relationships are worth fighting for, especially when there are children involved. Their partners don’t see things that way, so they are forced to reluctantly part ways. Sofia announces her divorce to her children while Cleo gives birth to a stillborn baby, a development that extends her agony even further.
11To the Bone (2017)
To the Bonerevolves around Ellen (played by Lily Collins), a stubborn 20-year-old anorexic woman, who keeps rejecting treatment programs meant to help her. Eventually, she agrees to be sent to a group home for youths, where the treatment involves non-traditional progress. There, she starts making progress, but finds herself desiring her former body.
Ellen Relapses
After making great strides in her treatment program, by the end of this Netflix original film, Ellen relapses. She escapes the treatment center and goes back home, forcing her mother to feed her from her bottle like a baby. Audiences are left with no option, but to pity her since her health keeps failing, yet she doesn’t seem to care. By the time the closing credits come, it’s hinted that she might be considering restarting the treatment, though it’s never stated if she does.
