Or when Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) must say goodbye to her mother in Sean Baker’s The Florida Project.
And try fighting back your tears when an uncontrollable blaze threatens to undo everything the Yi family has accomplished in Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical Minari. Similarly, there’s Gary Cooper’s Lou Gerhig addressing the stadium crowd in The Pride of the Yankees, declaring himself “the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.” Add in Heath Ledger’s Ennis as he breaks down holding his lover’s jacket at the end of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain.Īlthough much of Pig follows Nicolas Cage’s isolated truffle hunter and his violent attempts to get his animal back, the revelation of the heartache at the character’s core and the soulfulness Cage brings to his performance is unexpectedly touching. There have been many adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women, but no scene packs the emotional wallop that Claire Danes brings to her monologue as Beth in Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version. This tier of movies feature a scene that will have your eyes misting up. (Photo by Focus Films/Everett Collection) MOVIES THAT WILL HAVE YOU TEARING UP will touch the heart of even the biggest grinch. Finally, the aging Umberto’s dedication to his dog Flike in Vittorio De Sica’s Umberto D. Similarly, Lee Unkrich’s Coco explores changing family dynamics, forgiveness, and the power of shared memory across generations. Prickly family tensions and the steadfast power of love and partnership - as well as Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda’s captivating late-career performances - will tug at your heartstrings in On Golden Pond. Carpe diem!Īudrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck make an unexpected connection as a runaway princess and an ethically murky journalist who learn the true meaning of sacrifice for the greater good in classic romance Roman Holiday. Captained by an iconic performance from star Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society is an ode to the power of teachers to guide their students towards a life led with intelligence and a sense of wonder. In Celine Song’s Past Lives, the writer-director uses the Korean concept of In-Yun to explore missed connections and the powerful mysteries of love in all its many forms. In Killer of Sheep, director Charles Burnett explores the beauty, the joy, the desolation, and the resilience of an economically oppressed Black family living in Watts, Los Angeles during the recession of the 1970s through the powerful images and soul-stirring music. While still as deeply weird as any film in his filmography, David Lynch’s The Elephant Man asks its viewers to set aside any preconceived notions they have about Joseph Merrick, whose facial deformities made him standout in Victorian-era England, and acknowledge our shared humanity. If Beale Street Could Talk looks systematic racism right in the eye while also exploring the strength that can be found in family and love. For example, The Iron Giant touches on themes of loneliness and community and the idea that inherent goodness can win the day. Some movies may not be earth-shatteringly sad, but they will touch in a deeply emotional way. The beauty of sad movies - or the desire to watch a sad movie - is that they can work on many levels. (Photo by Focus Features/courtesy Everett Collection) MOVIES THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL EMOTIONAL Gates takes you through the 100 saddest movies ever. We start with the emotional rescue from the likes of The Iron Giant and The Shawshank Redemption, to the water works guarantees offered by Titanic and The Notebook, and up to the five-alarm feeling destroyers of Fruitvale Station, Come and See, Grave of the Fireflies, and Dancer in the Dark. Instead, we split different tiers to flow your tears. Our take on the essential and best sad movies doesn’t have a one-cry-fits-all approach.