As I Lay Dying

Audience emotional responses are dominated by a profound sense of Sadness and Melancholy, stemming from the film's central theme of death, grief, and the arduous, often futile, journey of the Bundren family. This is coupled with significant Empathy for the flawed yet struggling characters, and a strong feeling of Anxiety and being Disturbing due to the constant obstacles, the family's dysfunctional dynamics, and the grim realities of their situation, including the decaying corpse. Lesser but present emotions include Anger at character actions and circumstances, and Disgust at the more grotesque elements.