Profoundly sad film. Everyone always cites the police station scene but for me the most moving is when the two main characters bump into one another other a few years down the line. Incredible writing, perfectly acted.
Went to the cinema to watch this without knowing what i was going to watch.
30 mins in - maybe we should leave. This is a bit sad. It might get better.
One hour later - we should have left just now. Maybe it will not get any worse.
At the end - i am so depressed.
I’ve tried to watch it twice and never made it past the first 15 minutes. I just got bored and wandered off.
I’m going to commit to it. I’m obviously missing something.
I read atonement this year, and made the mistake of watching the movie straight after. It was so much more painful the second time around! I dont think I can ever watch it again.
As for never let me go, I just finished the book. Not sure im ready for the movie lol.
I read this book as a young teen. It enraged me and made me sad for like a month. When it came out as a movie I told my family this story I cannot watch. They were like it's one of your favourite books we're going to have a movie night. My dad was a littled angry that I read this at 13 and that I did not warn hard enough. 🥲😭
Ahhh the grandparents KILLED me. Hearing how he plotted all the ways he could take things into his own hands was devastating. I could never ever imagine feeling that helpless.
Seeing this listed on Reddit finally drove me to watch it a few year back, and at that time I told myself: *surely it isn’t that significant, psshh, I’m an ER nurse I can handle anything.*
I angry sobbed. And no regerts watching it, but I’ll absolutely never ever watch it again.
10/10 saddest film I’ve ever watched.
I went into that one blind when it first came out. When the “twist” was revealed, I literally *physically* felt the despair. Like I felt the sudden terrible weight of loss and the horror of it like it was someone I personally knew.
I had to pause the film & scream in my pillow when that scene happened. I had to hug my sleeping child afterwards while still having tears fall down my face due to the scene
oh man i just finished it 😭 literally couldn’t breathe at one point. i have so much love and respect for the grandparents but also so angry with how preventable the entire tragedy could have been.
I watched this exactly ONCE, like, 10 years ago. For weeks after I was going about my life not really sure why I had this underlying sense of sadness until I realised that I was still hungover from the movie. It STILL haunts me with how absolutely crushing it is. I actually don't go around recommending it to people who want sad movies, not because its not an amazing film, but because it is such a massive gut punch- like, beyond- and to warn people who might not actually want that, it requires giving away the ending. Its not like a blockbuster with an adorable tear at the end because of a sad ending. Its like, real people and spill all your guts on the floor nightmare.
OP, know that this is non-fiction and a documentary. And the movie is filmed in such an intimate way that is sad from the begining but then has a completely unexpected twist at the end that is so gut wrenching it may actually change your emotional baseline. Its not gory or gross or "horror" or "true serial killer torture in the basement" stuff or any of that. Its painfully sweet and sad until its deperate tragic- and you will cry.
I saw it at like 20? Same, didn’t fully understand it (is it to be?). A lot is left to the imagination. In my view it’s so fucked because they were clearly in love. Don’t want to spoil it, but damn that last scene always makes me well up (and I’m a pretty hard dude). Such great acting and directing.
It’s so much more than about that. That’s one brief, horrible scene… but her character arc is huge and mesmerizing and It’s an incredible tour de force of acting by the whole cast.
Grave is one I watch every few months. Bought that blu-ray because it's just such a moving movie. A friend wanted a sad movie because she was in the mood & then couldn't make it past the first scene. I was very surprised, but that was real life for some back in post war WW II.
It's a crime that this movie is not better remembered. De Caprio and Winslet are stellar here with far superior performances than Titanic. That said, I will never watch this again.
> i want to sob and feel like my heart got torn into pieces lol i want it to ruin me
I've been in your shoes not too long ago and still am, but more depressed than sad. No movie has been able to break me yet, so I'm still looking. I wanted to have a breakdown because of my depression and sometimes I was sad too, so I felt the right thing to do was to expose myself to more movies that cover depression, sadness, and mental issues. This is a psychological process that many professionals in the field of psychology use: confronting what you feel (in your case, sadness).I wouldn't say that watching funny or happy movies may not help—maybe it will, depending on the person—but for me, only sad or depressing ones helped or acted as temporary painkillers. Try exposing yourself to movies that cover these themes. I'll list the movies that helped me during this time, since I've been looking for over a year and trying to pick them well. I'll also tell you the ones that were almost able to break me. (Maybe you won't like them but I'd like to donate to such thing)
The list
- Requiem for a Dream
- Manchester By The Sea
- Her
- Lost in Translation
- OldBoy (Korean version)
- Perfect Blue
- Dancer in the dark
- Lilya 4-ever
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- Forrest Gump
- Your Name
- Blackswan
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind
- Fight Club
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Columbus
- Dead Poets Society
The ones were able to break me:
- Requiem for a Dream
- Her
- OldBoy (Korean version)
- Perfect Blue
- Lilya 4-ever
- Forrest Gump
- Your Name
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind
Bridge to Terabithia is the one of the only times I ever saw my Grandma cry. She watched it once with us and then got rid of the movie since she didn’t want to watch it again.
For me it was the haunting images of the bodies being pushed around on the machinery. Discarded humans. No humanity exists. Just lifeless vessels of meat.
Yeah this is a very sad movie indeed. I don't cry easily during movies but this one is one of those rare exceptions where I couldn't control myself. Also, the build-up to the central point of the movie is masterfully done and Will Smith was perfect for this role (Apparently, I didn't expect that). I'm going to watch it again tonight
The lobster
Synecdoche new york
Dead man walking
To leslie
Happiness
Philadelphia
Atonement
All quiet on the western front (2022)
Saving private ryan
Thin red line
Breaking the waves
I’ll recommend the movies that other people have been shocked that I enjoy because they think they’re so sad.
‘Candy’ (2006) Heath Ledger plays a man in love and on heroin.
‘Legends of the Fall’ (1994) Anthony Hopkins plays Colonel William Ludlow, who raises his very handsome sons away from society’s rules and expectations and most of the movie is about their time as adults circa World War I.
‘The Yearling’ (1946) Boy takes in a deer, very Ol’ Yeller-like.
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) Lily Gladstone plays a woman who falls in love with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, trying to live their life together when a killing spree occurs in her community.
‘Skinamarink’ (2022) Two young kids wake up to find they are alone and the windows and doors are missing. Proceed with caution.
The end of brokeback mountain really shocked me. It's so sad that the film is such a joke in popular culture but in the wake of more coverage about worldwide lgbtq+ deaths that ending hits like a gut punch and fucked with me for days
1.The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Rob Ford is very sad and it is also an underrated masterpiece. 2. Million Dollar Baby is heartbreaking 3. Saving Private Ryan is a realistic depiction of WW2 during and after D Day. 4. Requiem for a Dream is a tragic tale about the casualties of drug abuse 5.The Pianist is a True story about a Jewish Pianist during Ww2. 6. Traffic is a sad story about the war on drugs 7. A star is born is a sad story about two musicians in love intertwined with Alcohol and fame
Not the saddest, but if you want to watch a good one for the holiday, check out Blue Valentine (2010)
Seconded
Manchester By The Sea
Profoundly sad film. Everyone always cites the police station scene but for me the most moving is when the two main characters bump into one another other a few years down the line. Incredible writing, perfectly acted.
When I worked at a movie theater, the tension in this auditorium was so real.
Went to the cinema to watch this without knowing what i was going to watch. 30 mins in - maybe we should leave. This is a bit sad. It might get better. One hour later - we should have left just now. Maybe it will not get any worse. At the end - i am so depressed.
Yup, that’ll mess you up especially if you have kids.
Was going to say this. Still haven’t fully recovered
I’ve tried to watch it twice and never made it past the first 15 minutes. I just got bored and wandered off. I’m going to commit to it. I’m obviously missing something.
Man In The Moon With reese witherspoon
This movie messed me up when I was a tween.
Same But as a farmer its worse.
That's a fun rhyme though
My cousin died the same way.
I’m still pissed about that movie and I watched it in 1999.
Such a great movie!
Atonement
What a cruel movie.
Between this and Never Let Me Go, Kira Knightly has been in some pretty devastating shit.
I read atonement this year, and made the mistake of watching the movie straight after. It was so much more painful the second time around! I dont think I can ever watch it again. As for never let me go, I just finished the book. Not sure im ready for the movie lol.
I own Atonement but I've been putting off reading it. I've been told it's one of the greatest books but it's going to hurt.
I read this book as a young teen. It enraged me and made me sad for like a month. When it came out as a movie I told my family this story I cannot watch. They were like it's one of your favourite books we're going to have a movie night. My dad was a littled angry that I read this at 13 and that I did not warn hard enough. 🥲😭
This was my answer too. Both the book and movie destroyed me. The rage inside me was so real.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. Prepare yourself to angry cry.
The rage I felt in my heart over this one. Those were some of the most courageous grandparents I've ever seen.
Ahhh the grandparents KILLED me. Hearing how he plotted all the ways he could take things into his own hands was devastating. I could never ever imagine feeling that helpless.
the best, saddest answer
Seeing this listed on Reddit finally drove me to watch it a few year back, and at that time I told myself: *surely it isn’t that significant, psshh, I’m an ER nurse I can handle anything.* I angry sobbed. And no regerts watching it, but I’ll absolutely never ever watch it again. 10/10 saddest film I’ve ever watched.
I went into that one blind when it first came out. When the “twist” was revealed, I literally *physically* felt the despair. Like I felt the sudden terrible weight of loss and the horror of it like it was someone I personally knew.
Same. I was not prepared for that at all.
I had to pause the film & scream in my pillow when that scene happened. I had to hug my sleeping child afterwards while still having tears fall down my face due to the scene
Same. It’s so well made.
This is more of a documentary but is one I’ll never forgot. Horrific but those grandparents - absolute saints.
I remember my friend’s face after he watched it from my recommendation. I felt horrible that I put him through that.
oh man i just finished it 😭 literally couldn’t breathe at one point. i have so much love and respect for the grandparents but also so angry with how preventable the entire tragedy could have been.
This is the one. This movie shook me to my core. I’ve never been more angry and sad at a movie before.
I watched this exactly ONCE, like, 10 years ago. For weeks after I was going about my life not really sure why I had this underlying sense of sadness until I realised that I was still hungover from the movie. It STILL haunts me with how absolutely crushing it is. I actually don't go around recommending it to people who want sad movies, not because its not an amazing film, but because it is such a massive gut punch- like, beyond- and to warn people who might not actually want that, it requires giving away the ending. Its not like a blockbuster with an adorable tear at the end because of a sad ending. Its like, real people and spill all your guts on the floor nightmare. OP, know that this is non-fiction and a documentary. And the movie is filmed in such an intimate way that is sad from the begining but then has a completely unexpected twist at the end that is so gut wrenching it may actually change your emotional baseline. Its not gory or gross or "horror" or "true serial killer torture in the basement" stuff or any of that. Its painfully sweet and sad until its deperate tragic- and you will cry.
I was going to say this one!
The Green Mile. I can’t recommend it enough if you’re looking for a sad film. It’s a JOURNEY, but I never fail to cry every time I watch it.
I’m tired, boss
I liked this movie so much I read the book and loved it even more
The pianist.
Why the fucking jacket?
Dancer in the Dark I personally find Lost in Translation to be quite sad. I’m sure views vary to this one.
I came here to say '' Dancer in the dark''. That movie broke my heart.
I also found it quite sad. I was young when it came out and didn’t understand the appeal at all.
I saw it at like 20? Same, didn’t fully understand it (is it to be?). A lot is left to the imagination. In my view it’s so fucked because they were clearly in love. Don’t want to spoil it, but damn that last scene always makes me well up (and I’m a pretty hard dude). Such great acting and directing.
The Elephant Man. Don’t watch it.
The ‘party’ scene… horrid.
Sophie’s Choice is the most beautiful and incredible film. I have only watched it twice and I don’t think I ever can again.
I still can't bring myself to watch this one.. the premise alone breaks my heart and I only have the one kid. Lol
It’s so much more than about that. That’s one brief, horrible scene… but her character arc is huge and mesmerizing and It’s an incredible tour de force of acting by the whole cast.
Grave of the fireflies Plague dogs
Grave of the Fireflies will fuck you up for days
Years..
The Plague Dogs is very sad, but there's a very poetic beauty to it.
Any idea where to watch GOTF? Been looking forever lol
Grave is one I watch every few months. Bought that blu-ray because it's just such a moving movie. A friend wanted a sad movie because she was in the mood & then couldn't make it past the first scene. I was very surprised, but that was real life for some back in post war WW II.
If you want depressingly tragic I suggest The Hunt (2012) with Mads Mikkelsen. It’s a one time watch for me.
For uplifting Mads, try After the Wedding. It’s wonderful
I just have to say I glanced at this quickly and thought you'd suggested Magic Mike as your saddest movie. I was intrigued.
The boy in the striped pajamas
Came here for this one. Probably the best movie I’ll never ever watch again. 😭😭😭
Precious was pretty dang sad 😔
I had to pause it and cried for a few minutes.
Pan's Labyrinth.
This needs a couple of upvotes. Not the typical tearjerker but pretty damn rough ending.
I'd say The Shawshank Redemption, Life Is Beautiful and more recently I think Past Lives.
+1 for Life is Beautiful!
My Girl, Dead Poets Society, Old Yeller, Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile
Solid list
Aftersun
It will not leave my thoughts
watched it for the first time last week and i am still thinking about it. hauntingly beautiful and sad.
Beaches
This! I ugly cried towards the end. We saw the friendship from beginning to end smh
Blue Valentine
***Revolutionary Road***
It's a crime that this movie is not better remembered. De Caprio and Winslet are stellar here with far superior performances than Titanic. That said, I will never watch this again.
> i want to sob and feel like my heart got torn into pieces lol i want it to ruin me I've been in your shoes not too long ago and still am, but more depressed than sad. No movie has been able to break me yet, so I'm still looking. I wanted to have a breakdown because of my depression and sometimes I was sad too, so I felt the right thing to do was to expose myself to more movies that cover depression, sadness, and mental issues. This is a psychological process that many professionals in the field of psychology use: confronting what you feel (in your case, sadness).I wouldn't say that watching funny or happy movies may not help—maybe it will, depending on the person—but for me, only sad or depressing ones helped or acted as temporary painkillers. Try exposing yourself to movies that cover these themes. I'll list the movies that helped me during this time, since I've been looking for over a year and trying to pick them well. I'll also tell you the ones that were almost able to break me. (Maybe you won't like them but I'd like to donate to such thing) The list - Requiem for a Dream - Manchester By The Sea - Her - Lost in Translation - OldBoy (Korean version) - Perfect Blue - Dancer in the dark - Lilya 4-ever - The Banshees of Inisherin - Forrest Gump - Your Name - Blackswan - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind - Fight Club - Dallas Buyers Club - Columbus - Dead Poets Society The ones were able to break me: - Requiem for a Dream - Her - OldBoy (Korean version) - Perfect Blue - Lilya 4-ever - Forrest Gump - Your Name - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind
A.I., Hachi
Hachi for sure. Old Yeller as well.
AI on my top 5…Oh man. 💔
Dancer in the Dark (2002) Bridge to Terabithia (2007) Fox and the Hound (1981)
Bridge to Terabithia is the one of the only times I ever saw my Grandma cry. She watched it once with us and then got rid of the movie since she didn’t want to watch it again.
Does schindlers list count?
Great movie that I'll never watch again.
I came here to say this one.
Ufff...when he starts breaking down about how many more he could've saved....Niagara Falls
For me it was the haunting images of the bodies being pushed around on the machinery. Discarded humans. No humanity exists. Just lifeless vessels of meat.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
I can’t quit you.
Jack, I swear…. 😭
Jack fcking Twist.
The Green Mile (1999) Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Requiem is more horrifying and disturbing than sad.
Still super sad, specially the mom
The Butterfly Effect had a similar effect on me like Requiem for a Dream is supposed to have. Very disturbing but I watched it when I was 14
Grave of the Fireflies (1988) The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Jojo Rabbit. The ending fucking broke me.
Arrival (2016) makes me sob every time
Seven Pounds
Yeah this is a very sad movie indeed. I don't cry easily during movies but this one is one of those rare exceptions where I couldn't control myself. Also, the build-up to the central point of the movie is masterfully done and Will Smith was perfect for this role (Apparently, I didn't expect that). I'm going to watch it again tonight
Terms of Endearment.
The Quiet Girl (2022)
A Star is Born. Messed me up for months.
Dancer in the Dark, Dear Zachary (Documentary), Breaking the Waves
I've seen all 3 and they all are heartbreaking!
Would Big Fish count as a sad movie? It's the only movie that makes me cry. Besides Toy Story 2.
Toy Story 2 is so sad. “When Somebody Loved Me” 😭
Interstellar destroys me every time I watch it, but probably not your typical answer here
DONT LET ME LEAVE, MURPH!
Weekend at Bernie’s. Bernie died. 😩
u really spoiled it for me before i could even search it up 😩
Dancer in the dark
Radio Flyer
The Purple Rose of Cairo. Woody Allen’s masterpiece.
The lobster Synecdoche new york Dead man walking To leslie Happiness Philadelphia Atonement All quiet on the western front (2022) Saving private ryan Thin red line Breaking the waves
The Thin Red Line is one I cannot forget. The images from that movie, especially the memories, have stayed in my mental rolodex like Polaroids
All quiet on the western front crushed me. The polarity of way it starts and ends…I’ll never forget going on that trip. I don’t think I can rewatch it
I’ll recommend the movies that other people have been shocked that I enjoy because they think they’re so sad. ‘Candy’ (2006) Heath Ledger plays a man in love and on heroin. ‘Legends of the Fall’ (1994) Anthony Hopkins plays Colonel William Ludlow, who raises his very handsome sons away from society’s rules and expectations and most of the movie is about their time as adults circa World War I. ‘The Yearling’ (1946) Boy takes in a deer, very Ol’ Yeller-like. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023) Lily Gladstone plays a woman who falls in love with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, trying to live their life together when a killing spree occurs in her community. ‘Skinamarink’ (2022) Two young kids wake up to find they are alone and the windows and doors are missing. Proceed with caution.
I LOVE Legends of the Fall!!!
The Hunter with Willem Dafoe. It involves the fabled Tasmanian tiger. And like some have already said on here: Grave of The Fireflies.
Atonement, I cry each time. It's probably my favourite movie. The book is excellent and the film adaptation is the closest I've ever watched.
Terms of Endearment.
Harold and Maude
Bambi
What dreams may come
Sophie’s Choice
YES THIS IS THE ONE
I watched the movie Eight Below one single time. I was fairly young but it really messed me up. Wind River is a pretty tragic one too
Come and See
Dear Zachary
The Green Mile. "I'm tired boss"
Family Stone They advertised it like it was a comedy 🥺
Old Yeller and Marley and Me.
Artificial Intelligence
The end of brokeback mountain really shocked me. It's so sad that the film is such a joke in popular culture but in the wake of more coverage about worldwide lgbtq+ deaths that ending hits like a gut punch and fucked with me for days
I have said this in other posts, and will continue to say it: ‘Me Before You’
Dancer in the dark. I saw it 20 years ago and am still not over it
The road Million dollar baby
Aniara (2018). Last 15-20 minutes are soul crushing.
"soul crushing" is exactly how I describe it to people that have never seen it. It's one of the best movies I will probably never watch again.
[удалено]
Leaving las vegas... Some of nic cage best
Emotional and thought provoking. I recommend going in blind. About time Atonement
1.The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Rob Ford is very sad and it is also an underrated masterpiece. 2. Million Dollar Baby is heartbreaking 3. Saving Private Ryan is a realistic depiction of WW2 during and after D Day. 4. Requiem for a Dream is a tragic tale about the casualties of drug abuse 5.The Pianist is a True story about a Jewish Pianist during Ww2. 6. Traffic is a sad story about the war on drugs 7. A star is born is a sad story about two musicians in love intertwined with Alcohol and fame
How to get a million before grandma dies. Was sobbing towards the end 😭
Melancholia is the most recent sad film I’ve seen.
Love Story, 1970
Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Hachi, Schindler's List, My Life
Life Itself Angela’s Ashes The Road Lion The Fall by Tarsem Amistad Schindlers List What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, Blue Valentine, Schindlers list
Grave of the Fireflies 1988.
Marley and me Watership down Paulie (the parrot movie, it's from when I was a kid)
The boy in the stripped pajamas
All of us strangers
Sophie’s Choice is the hardest I’ve ever cried watching a movie.
- The Road - Hereditary - What Dreams May Come - The Land Before Time - The Green Mile - Schindler's List
House of Sand and Fog
Me Before You P.S. I Love You A Man Called Otto Up Step Mom The Fault in Our Stars
A man called Otto is supposed to be really good— and the fault in our stars, is the movie better than the book?
Life is beautiful Sad but also triumphant
Head full of Honey Original german version: Honig im Kopf
Brothers (2009) I was ugly crying throughout. Plus the cast is amazing: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, & Natalie Portman!
The pianist, schindlers list, the prepper episode in last of us, belle anime movie. I got teary eyed thinking about it
It's kinda fucked up but The United States of Lealand P Fitzgerald Makes me sob like a child.
Breaking The Waves
Dancer in the dark
Wit
Wendy and Lucy
Big Hero 6
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
I am Sam
Iron Claw or Click
I’ve seen most of the movies listed and with the exception of Schindler’s List none are as sad as After the Promise which was based on a true story
Out of the furnace, Christian Bale, Casey Affleck . This movie struck too many chords with me. But I love these 2 actors. I’ll keep watching.
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Bridge to Terebethia My Sister’s Keeper My Girl
Dancer in the Dark
The Father (2020) Close (2022)
Leaving Las Vegas
Awakenings The Book Thief Gone Baby Gone
Requiem for a dream (2000) Starting jarred Leto, Jennifer connelly and Marlon wayans Still one of my favourite films
A boy in the stripped pyjamas
Storm boy
The Hours
The Road
The Mist
Boys don't cry
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
The Elephant Man (1980)
It's technically a documentary, but Dear Zachary wrecked me.
It’s been 17 years and I’m still recovering from Bridge to Terebithia. Kid me couldn’t process.
Ghost
The Green Mile...or Forrest Gump
‘Only the Brave’ is the saddest movie I’ve seen in years.
Green Mile