Richard Gadd Favorites: 5 Movies From the Creator of 'Half Man' and 'Baby Reindeer'

Today, Richard Gadd is one of the most talked-about British creators. Following the unexpected success of Baby Reindeer and the equally viral Half Man, the filmmaker's name has firmly cemented itself in the history of modern TV.

His unique style, a bizarre blend of dark humor, confessional pain, psychological thriller, and documentary-like honesty, didn't emerge out of nowhere. Years of reflecting on his own experiences and those of others, as well as dozens of films he's watched, went into every scene of his shows.

1. 'Happiness', 1998

IMDb Score: 7.7/10

Todd Solondz's Happiness tells the story of several suburbanites whose fates form a tragic mosaic of human weaknesses. Behind the surface of normality lie obsessive fantasies, painful complexes, and a desperate need to be loved.

The film is imbued with a sense of doom and extremely dark humor, making it far from everyone's cup of tea. The movie won numerous festival nods and cemented the director's reputation as one of the most uncompromising observers of the underbelly of everyday life.

For Richard Gadd, encountering Happiness during his university years was a unique experience that largely shaped the tone of his own work.

2. 'Easy Rider', 1969

IMDb Score: 7.2/10

Easy Rider, directed and starring Dennis Hopper and produced and co-written by Peter Fonda, tells the story of two bikers, Wyatt and Billy. After receiving money for smuggling drugs, the two embark on a grand adventure.

It's easy to see why Easy Rider is one of Richard Gadd's favorites – it embodies the same raw expressiveness and chaotic spirit that inspire the filmmaker's storytelling.

3. 'Trainspotting', 1996

IMDb Score: 8.1/10

Edinburgh in the mid-1990s. Mark watches as his friends gradually approach the point of no return, mired in multiple addictions. Unlike his friends, Mark himself continues to try to escape this vicious cycle.

However, Danny Boyle's film is far from a moralizing drama about the dangers of illegal substances: it's a nerve-wracking, funny, and honest story about a generation that has lost its bearings.

The adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel became one of the defining British films. For Richard Gadd, Trainspotting remains his all-time favorite film: he says that each new viewing of the movie has the same effect as the first.

4. 'Memories of Murder', 2003

IMDb Score: 8.1/10

Bong Joon Ho's second movie, based on the true story of a series of murders of women between 1986 and 1991, exceeded Richard Gadd's expectations and left a lasting impression.

Gadd pulled the disc of Memories of Murder, like Trainspotting, from a Criterion cabinet filled with boxes of outstanding films.

The movie is set in Hwaseong, a rural area where a series of brutal murders occurred in the late 1980s. Detectives Park Doo-man and Cho Yong-koo attempt to find the perpetrator, but the investigation stalls, and each passing hour brings the killer further from justice.

5. 'Way Out West', 1937

IMDb Score: 7.6/10

Way Out West is a comedy Western directed by James W. Horne and starring the comic duo Laurel and Hardy. They are remembered for the contrast between the unflappable good nature of the round-faced Oliver and the confused fussiness of the skinny Stan.

Stan and Ollie travel to a small town with a seemingly simple assignment. They must find Mary and deliver an inheritance left to her by her father: an antique medallion and the deeds to a gold mine.

However, faced with swindlers, the friends hand over the deeds to the fake Mary. When they realize their mistake, they devise a crazy plan to return the wealth to the real heiress.