Less Than Zero
1987 · 98 min · Director: Marek Kanievska
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Clay, an eighteen-year-old freshman, comes back from his first term at Princeton to spend his Christmas vacation with his broken-up wealthy family in Los Angeles. His former girlfriend, Blair, is now involved with his ex-best-friend, Julian. She warns Clay that Julian needs help: he is using a lot of cocaine and has huge debts. What follows is a look at the youth culture of wealthy post adolescents in Beverly Hills with a strong anti-drug message. Apart from the setting and the names, the film has very little to do with Bret Easton Ellis's book by the same title on which it was based.
Emotional fingerprint
Less Than Zero (1987) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Sadness 35%, Empathy 27%, Disturbing 21%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Sadness35%
- Empathy27%
- Disturbing21%
- Anxiety17%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Sadness, Empathy, Disturbing. Genres: Drama, Crime. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Sadness, Empathy and Disturbing. Its IMDb rating of 6.4/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 68/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Sadness
- Empathy
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Joy
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Hope
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Sadness | Empathy | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Joy | 50 % | 22 % | 22 % | 18 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Sadness | 46 % | 26 % | 24 % | 23 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Joy | 41 % | 23 % | 23 % | 23 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 17′ | Sadness | 41 % | 24 % | 27 % | 27 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Empathy | 39 % | 25 % | 30 % | 29 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 27′ | Sadness | 31 % | 20 % | 24 % | 23 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Tension | 30 % | 15 % | 19 % | 24 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 37′ | Tension | 40 % | 21 % | 26 % | 34 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Sadness | 46 % | 31 % | 38 % | 36 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Hope | 48 % | 31 % | 40 % | 38 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 51′ | Tension | 54 % | 34 % | 43 % | 49 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 56′ | Tension | 55 % | 34 % | 40 % | 53 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 61′ | Tension | 56 % | 34 % | 40 % | 54 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 66′ | Empathy | 61 % | 44 % | 53 % | 54 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Empathy | 60 % | 45 % | 57 % | 45 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 76′ | Hope | 59 % | 38 % | 53 % | 46 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 81′ | Tension | 66 % | 40 % | 53 % | 63 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 86′ | Tension | 79 % | 56 % | 63 % | 74 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 91′ | Sadness | 86 % | 76 % | 74 % | 58 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 96′ | Sadness | 87 % | 85 % | 77 % | 30 % |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Patti
Alana
Kim
Lile
Kid #3
Teenager #2
D. J.
Details
- Directed by
- Marek Kanievska
- Written by
- Bret Easton Ellis, Harley Peyton, Harley Peyton
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1987
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Sadness
- Data updated
Where to watch
Subscription
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