When you’re in the mood for a good cry, few things are as effective and moving as a movie that hits home and brings a tear to the eye. Sad films can come from any genre, as comedy movies will make you cry, not just intense dramas. Certain plot points are almost guaranteed to break our hearts, like the deaths of beloved characters. These movies go above and beyond in making us care deeply about the people on screen. After this, the films put these characters through hardships that feel just as real as the ones we face every day.
Of course, there are plenty of well-known movies like Up that are notorious for making the audience burst into tears. However, it isn’t just animated children’s movies that earn this distinction, though kids’ movies often hit home. The things that make us cry evolve as we grow up, but the feelings of nostalgia and loss that are sparked by children’s content have earned them a universal reputation for being cathartic to watch. The adult content that viewers are moved by must find a way to recreate these feelings with even more nuance, just as effectively earning our tears.
10
Up (2009)
Directed by Pete Docter
Up
10/10
- Release Date
-
June 11, 2009
- Runtime
-
96minutes
One of Pixar’s classic movies, Up, doesn’t waste any time in putting the audience through the wringer. Opening with a montage of the main character’s life that’s almost entirely silent, we go on a journey with Carl that sees him find the love of his life and ultimately have to mourn her. Seeing them go through the mundane ups and downs of sharing their lives already tugs on the heartstrings, but witnessing Carl have to grapple with being alone is almost too much to bear.
Though the beginning of Up is best known for being devastating, the development of the friendship between Carl and Russell is emotional in a different way.
Up is a classic children’s movie that hits as hard as an adult, as watching the film after childhood only makes Carl’s struggles and grief more relatable. Though the beginning of Up is best known for being devastating, the development of the friendship between Carl and Russell is emotional in a different way. Seeing Carl take down his walls and let himself care about this young boy is significant character development and makes you feel as if this kind of change might be possible in you.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Up (2009) |
98% |
90% |
9
About Time (2013)
Directed by Richard Curtis
About Time
7/10
- Release Date
-
September 4, 2013
- Runtime
-
123 minutes
Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson star in About Time, a time travel movie that uses its science fiction elements very lightly. When Tim (Gleeson) finds out he can travel in time, he doesn’t use this to change the world or disrupt the space-time continuum; he just wants to make his life as full of love as possible. He shares this unique ability with his dad, played by Bill Nighy, and it’s their relationship that we follow closely.
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While watching Mary and Tim share their lives is emotionally compelling, the real tearjerker moment comes unexpectedly, as it always does in life. Tim’s dad gets sick, and Tim is forced to grapple with the realization that even his ability to travel in time won’t stop the fact that he’ll never see his father again. This familial loss is familiar and devastating, and About Time gives the father-son pair one last adventure through time together that crushes the audience.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
About Time (2013) |
71% |
82% |
8
Manchester By The Sea (2016)
Directed by Kenneth Lonergan
Manchester By the Sea
9/10
- Release Date
-
November 18, 2016
- Runtime
-
137 Minutes
From the beginning of Manchester by the Sea, the audience can piece together that something terrible happened in Lee’s (Casey Affleck) past, and his brother’s death is only the latest tragedy he’s had to grapple with. However, there’s no way to prepare for how horrible his secret is and the fact that he shares some of the blame for the tragedy that haunts him. Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams are fantastic in their supporting roles in the film, as their grief is just as potent as Affleck’s.
Lee’s life will never be the same, and Manchester by the Sea doesn’t pretend that the depth of his sadness will ever go away, only that it will change and new love will blossom in his life.
While every tearjerker movie is hard to watch, Manchester by the Sea is especially crushing, leaning into the sense of isolation and loss of control that accompanies grief. Lee’s life will never be the same, and Manchester by the Sea doesn’t pretend that the depth of his sadness will ever go away, only that it will change and new love will blossom in his life. Though it isn’t easy to rewatch Manchester by the Sea, it’s certain that the movie will bring on strong emotions.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Manchester by the Sea (2016) |
96% |
78% |
7
Aftersun (2022)
Directed by Charlotte Wells
Aftersun
8/10
- Release Date
-
October 21, 2022
- Runtime
-
96 minutes
Paul Mescal gives an unforgettable performance in Aftersun, a nonlinear portrait of a young woman, Sophie, trying to piece together the final years of her late father’s life. The film bounces between Sophie’s perspective as an adult (Celia Rowlson-Halland) and a child (Frankie Corio) on vacation with Calum (Mescal). Aftersun shows the viewer the harsh juxtaposition between the moments of happiness and devastation that define Sophie’s memories. Trying to reconcile these opposing experiences isn’t easy for Sophie or the audience.
Though it would be worth watching regardless, Aftersun received almost universal critical acclaim, largely thanks to the real-life experiences that fueled the writing and direction of the film. It was Charlotte Wells’ feature directorial debut, but her sensitivity and depth of understanding of grief made it immediately timeless. Even if viewers can’t directly relate to Sophie’s experience, this doesn’t stop them from feeling what she does acutely. Additionally, Calum’s feelings of depression and confusion are just as compelling and real.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Aftersun (2022) |
95% |
82% |
6
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Directed by Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan
It’s unsurprising that Michelle Yeoh won the Oscar for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All At Once, as her work as the protagonist, Evelyn, is some of the best work of her career. All of Michelle Yeoh’s best movies demonstrate a different side of the actress. However, Everything Everywhere All At Once stands out because it incorporates the best of the action and comedy genres while anchoring the emotional story in a realistic family drama.
Though leading with love is a simple message, it holds true with every rewatch and has only become more important.
Everything Everywhere All At Once doesn’t claim that Evelyn is the perfect mother, but she’s willing to change and grow for her child, and this is what’s so moving. Her relationship with Stephanie Hsu’s Joy, her daughter, is strained and imperfect. However, Evelyn comes to understand that the most important thing in her life is to be there for her daughter and for them to find a way to connect and communicate. Though leading with love is a simple message, it holds true with every rewatch and has only become more important.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) |
94% |
79% |
5
Bridge To Terabithia (2007)
Directed by Gábor Csupó
Bridge to Terabithia
- Release Date
-
February 16, 2007
- Runtime
-
95 Minutes
Based on the iconic children’s book of the same name, Bridge to Terabithia is a tribute to the power of imagination in childhood and demonstrates the depth and nuance of kids’ emotions. Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Rob might be young, but they’re believable and compelling as Jesse and Leslie, the unlikely friends who escape their struggles in their magical world of Terabithia. Though the tragedy that strikes in the movie’s third act is unexpected, Hutcherson portrays Jesse’s grief with surprising maturity.
Loss in childhood is deeply impactful, as even as an adult with the tools to navigate grief, it’s almost impossible to handle. When a film that appears to be an uplifting portrait of coming-of-age takes a sharp turn as Bridge to Terabithia does, it comes as a shock. However, it establishes how suddenly things can change. Lives can be upended in a second, and the film’s understanding of this is what has made Bridge to Terabithia so enduring today.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Bridge to Terabithia (2007) |
85% |
70% |
4
The Iron Giant (1999)
Directed by Brad Bird
The Iron Giant
9/10
- Release Date
-
August 6, 1999
- Runtime
-
86 minutes
Brad Bird, the director of The Iron Giant, would go on to be one of Pixar’s most visionary filmmakers, but his feature debut, The Iron Giant, is still one of his best. Set during the Cold War, The Iron Giant tackles the growing issues of paranoia and fear that were spreading in the U.S. at the time through the perspective of the boy Hogarth Hughes. Like most kids, Hogarth doesn’t feel like he fits in and struggles to find people he connects with until he meets the Iron Giant, an enormous robot who only wants the world to be safe.
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It doesn’t take long for Hogarth and the audience to love the Iron Giant, as he’s a sensitive and curious character who cares deeply about Hogarth. Everyone can relate to the intensity of the love and connection that form between a child and the person who steps up when they need it most. However, the Iron Giant is an inherently tragic figure, as he has no real place in the world. Due to this, his ultimate sacrifice in The Iron Giant brings him a sense of peace, but it leaves Hogarth and the viewer devastated.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
The Iron Giant (1999) |
96% |
90% |
3
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Cinema Paradiso
- Release Date
-
February 23, 1990
- Runtime
-
174 Minutes
-
-
Enzo Cannavale
Spaccafico
-
Antonella Attili
Maria Di Vita – Younger
-
The score, the styling, and the structure of Cinema Paradiso are all carefully crafted to bring the audience to tears at just the right moment. By following the young man, Salvatore, throughout the different phases of his life, we witness his love for cinema grow. It becomes an escape from the harsh realities of post-war Italy. His friend and mentor, Alfredo (Philippe Noiret,) might have a gruff exterior, but he sees the spark of artistry and potential in Salvatore, encouraging him to leave Sicily and not look back.
Though Cinema Paradiso is most impactful if you share Salvatore’s love of films, the relationship between Salvatore and Alfredo transcends genre. Additionally, Salvatore’s decision to move away from his loved ones behind for the sake of his ambition and a better future is an emotional choice that many people face when they first leave home. In the movie’s final moments, when Salvatore sees that Alfredo left him a film reel full of all the censored scenes of the movies they projected together, it’s a culmination of the complicated sadness and joy that we share with Salvatore.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Cinema Paradiso (1988) |
91% |
96% |
2
Moonlight (2016)
Directed by Barry Jenkins
Moonlight
9/10
- Release Date
-
October 21, 2016
- Runtime
-
111 Minutes
Split into three parts, Moonlight revolves around the life of Chiron, played by Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes, as the young, teen, and adult versions of the character. During each phase of his life, Chiron experiences different hardships, many of them involving his struggle with his sexuality and tenuous relationship with his mother. Though it would’ve been easy for Moonlight to only show the hard moments, it increases its emotional potency by showing the hope Chiron encounters.
While it’s immediately easy to empathize with Chiron as a child, it’s Rhodes who is the most riveting onscreen as the adult Chiron.
While it’s immediately easy to empathize with Chiron as a child, it’s Rhodes who is the most riveting onscreen as the adult Chiron. When he vulnerably opens up about what he’s been through and how much he’s repressed in a discussion with his childhood friend, Kevin (André Holland), it’s impossible not to start crying. Additionally, Chiron’s relationship with Juan (Mahershala Ali) is so beautiful that it makes the audience long for a world where both men are accepted and get everything they want.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Moonlight (2016) |
98% |
79% |
1
Brief Encounter (1945)
Directed by David Lean
Brief Encounter
- Release Date
-
August 24, 1946
- Runtime
-
86 Minutes
-
Celia Johnson
Laura Jesson
-
Trevor Howard
Dr. Alec Harvey
-
Stanley Holloway
Albert Godby
-
Before The Before Trilogy and the other beautiful romance movies with incredible writing, there was the 1945 movie Brief Encounter. Starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard as Laura and Alec, Brief Encounter tells the story of their fleeting and impossible romance. There’s nothing more tragic than star-crossed lovers and the knowledge that two people who are meant to be can never be together. This fuels the beautiful tragedy of Brief Encounter.
Brief Encounter has inspired many of the most moving romance movies that followed it, as it mines its emotional storytelling from realistic, small moments that add up to a passionate romance. The chemistry between Johnson and Howard is a large part of this, as it takes no stretch of the imagination to believe that these people are sharing an epic love. Since they’re both already married when they meet and have no animosity toward their spouses, this makes the narrative of Brief Encounter even more heartwrenching.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Brief Encounter (1945) |
93% |
91% |