Sentence:  These films . . . are evidence of a deep cultural malaise. The need to make them and the desire to consume them are symptoms of a contemporary <WSD>sickness unto death</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Despair, profound discontent, or a similar persistent debilitating malaise of the mind, spirit, or soul that produces a decline in mental, physical, or societal health and that may culminate in death or dissolution.