Sadness

Filmmaker Mike Figgis on sadness: why he thrives on it, how grief deepens with age, and what can make sadness beautiful. A candid episode on loss. Figgis Unfiltered S2 E5. Season 2 of Figgis Unfiltered examines the human emotions, one at a time. In Episode 5, director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) turns to sadness, grief and melancholy — the bedrock, he argues, that every moment of joy is measured against. He explores why grief deepens as we age, why we feel it in the heart, and how sad music and tragic drama, from the blues to Greek theatre to Tchaikovsky, work as a kind of catharsis and medicine. He shares some of his most personal stories: a first heartbreak waiting up until 3am, a bad LSD trip at 18 that cost him a year, and — most movingly — the loss of his sister, and the moment in an airport that first broke his grief open. Then he takes your questions: on where joy has gone in modern film, how he channels sadness into work, and how you make sadness beautiful again after losing someone you love. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Sadness, grief & melancholy 00:21 “I thrive on sadness” 01:03 Why Leaving Las Vegas works through sadness 02:22 Measuring sadness — and “the loss of a loved one” 03:33 Why grief deepens as you age 04:45 Why we feel grief in the heart 05:33 The three stages of sadness 06:44 His first heartbreak — waiting until 3am 11:04 Drawn to sadness in books, film and music 12:20 The blues, the minor third & Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique 13:46 “Grief is so beautiful” — sad music as catharsis 15:37 Greek drama and the sharing of grief 16:30 Losing loved ones — and valuing friends more 18:12 A bad trip, a year of fear, and facing it down 21:43 Listener questions — Philip (Oklahoma City): where did joy go? 24:28 Krista (Edmonton): notebooks, routine & sleep 27:00 Lena (Texas): making sadness beautiful after loss 33:34 Paul Mazursky, regeneration & a word on the joy to come 🎬 Mentioned in this episode Films — Leaving Las Vegas · Licorice Pizza People — Nicolas Cage · Elisabeth Shue · Jack Nicholson · filmmaker Paul Mazursky Music & ideas — Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony · the blues and the minor third · Greek tragedy · “The 36 Dramatic Situations” and its final one, the loss of a loved one · the funeral scene in Huckleberry Finn 🎙️ Got a question for Mike? Send it as a voice note and it could feature in a future episode — DM us on Instagram: @figgisunfiltered 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for new Season 2 episodes across all podcast platforms and here on YouTube. https://youtu.be/t6tem3MA-Ek Follow: Instagram → https://instagram.com/figgisunfiltered Note: this episode includes candid discussion of grief, bereavement and drug use. #MikeFiggis #FiggisUnfiltered #Sadness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.