They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)

The film uses the dance marathon as a brutal metaphor for human existence: an absurd spectacle where desperate beings destroy their dignity for crumbs while a crowd amuses itself with their degradation. The problem is not that it depicts the suffering of the Great Depression — that is legitimate history — but that it deliberately constructs a universe without escape, without meaning, and without hope. The character of Gloria articulates a completely nihilistic vision: life is a cruel fraud and death, the only liberation. The screenplay systematically eliminates any glimmer of purpose, transcendence, or inherent human dignity. The ending presents an act of euthanasia as a gesture of compassion, without moral questioning or consequences that invite reflection. The work is technically sound — precise direction, intense performances — but that narrative mastery allows the philosophical poison to penetrate deeper. For Christian realism, the problem is not depicting darkness but denying it any possibility of light. It is one thing to denounce social injustice; it is another to proclaim that existence itself is evil. Not recommended.