20 Sad Movies to Watch When You Need a Good Cry

20 Sad Movies to Watch When You Need a Good Cry

Sometimes we all need a good emotional release, and sad movies provide the perfect outlet. These films touch our hearts, connect us with deep human experiences, and often leave us reaching for the tissue box. Whether you’re processing your own feelings or just in the mood for an emotional journey, these twenty tearjerkers will open the floodgates and remind you of the power of storytelling.

1. The Fault in Our Stars

After meeting in a cancer support group, Hazel and Augustus start dating. Both face serious health issues, but they support each other through it. The film shows both the struggles of illness and the importance of meaningful relationships.

Their Amsterdam trip represents a brief escape from their medical struggles. Based on John Green’s bestselling novel, this heartbreaking love story reminds us how precious time becomes when it’s limited. The performances by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort capture both the vibrancy of youth and the wisdom that comes from facing mortality.

2. Atonement

A single misunderstanding shatters multiple lives in this World War II drama. Young Briony Tallis accuses her sister’s lover of a crime he didn’t commit, sending him to prison and eventually war. The film spans decades, showing how one moment of jealousy creates ripples of regret that can never truly be undone.

Keira Knightley and James McAvoy deliver powerful performances as lovers torn apart by circumstance and deception. The famous tracking shot at Dunkirk beach captures the chaos and horror of war. The devastating twist ending reveals how storytelling itself can be both a wound and a balm, offering fictional happiness where real life provided none.

3. Blue Valentine

This film follows the rise and fall of a marriage, showing the relationship’s start and breakdown. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play Dean and Cindy, whose early passion turns into bitterness. The story jumps between different times to reveal how the traits that brought them together eventually push them apart.

Their small moments of tenderness make the inevitable breakdown even more painful to witness. Director Derek Cianfrance captures intimate details with documentary-like realism. The ukulele scene represents their lost connection, while the motel sequence shows how desperately they try—and fail—to recapture what once made them happy together.

4. My Girl

Eleven-year-old Vada navigates friendship, first love, and loss during one unforgettable summer in the early 1970s. Living in a funeral home with her widowed father doesn’t help her hypochondria or anxiety about death. Her friendship with Thomas J., allergic to “everything,” provides her comfort and companionship. Their innocent bond makes the tragedy that follows all the more devastating for viewers.

The funeral scene remains one of cinema’s most heartbreaking moments, capturing a child’s first real encounter with grief. Anna Chlumsky’s performance shows remarkable depth as she portrays a young girl learning that life moves forward even after unimaginable loss.

5. The Pursuit of Happyness

Based on a true story, Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner, a struggling salesman who becomes homeless while raising his young son. The bathroom scene where they spend the night in a public restroom captures the depths of their struggle. Gardner’s determination to create a better life leads him to pursue an unpaid internship at a prestigious brokerage firm.

The film never sugarcoats poverty or presents easy solutions to systemic problems. The father-son relationship forms the emotional core, with Smith acting alongside his real son Jaden. Their genuine connection makes every setback feel personal, while Gardner’s eventual success reminds us that dignity can survive even the most challenging circumstances.

6. Me Before You

Small-town girl Louisa becomes caregiver to Will, a wealthy young banker paralyzed after an accident. Her cheerful personality clashes with his bitterness, creating an unlikely connection that transforms them both. Emilia Clarke brings warmth and quirkiness to Lou, whose colorful outfits match her optimistic outlook.

Sam Claflin portrays Will’s struggle between finding joy in his new life and mourning his lost independence. The film tackles difficult questions about quality of life and personal choice. Their trip to Mauritius offers a glimpse of happiness that makes Will’s ultimate decision even more heartbreaking, leaving viewers debating the ending long after the credits roll.

7. Requiem for a Dream

This story focuses on four people addicted to drugs, each pursuing a difficult dream. Sara Goldfarb’s decline from excited TV hopeful to institutionalized patient is especially haunting. Darren Aronofsky uses rapid editing and split screens to portray their worsening situations.

The winter section shows the devastating physical and psychological toll of addiction. The parallel stories of Harry, Marion, Tyrone, and Sara converge in a devastating finale that offers no redemption or easy answers. Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-nominated performance as Sara showcases the vulnerability of elderly addiction, while the iconic score by Clint Mansell intensifies every moment of their collective downfall.

8. If Beale Street Could Talk

In 1970s Harlem, Tish and Fonny deal with racial injustice after Fonny is falsely accused of rape. Barry Jenkins directs a story about love persisting under systemic oppression. The prison visit where Tish announces her pregnancy shows a mix of joy and heartbreak. Their families’ reactions reveal different ways of handling trauma.

Based on James Baldwin’s novel, the film doesn’t offer easy resolution. Nicholas Britell’s score flows like tears throughout, while the cinematography bathes even painful moments in golden light. The final scenes show how families adapt to injustice without surrendering their dignity or abandoning hope.

9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Joel discovers his ex-girlfriend Clementine has erased all memories of their relationship through an experimental procedure. Hurt and impulsive, he decides to do the same, only to realize mid-process he wants to keep her in his mind. The film follows Joel through his own disappearing memories as he tries to hide Clementine in unexpected corners of his consciousness.

Their beach house at Montauk and frozen Charles River scenes represent their relationship’s emotional landmarks. Director Michel Gondry creates surreal visuals that mirror memory’s fragile nature. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet deliver career-defining performances in this mind-bending exploration of love, pain, and whether we’d choose the same heartbreaks if given another chance.

10. The Notebook

Their summer romance is cut short by class differences and family interference. Years after, Noah and Allie reunite, and Allie faces a choice between security and passion.

The rain scene where they finally reconnect has become an iconic romantic moment. Their story is framed by an elderly man reading to a woman with dementia in a nursing home. The revelation that they are Noah and Allie in their final chapter delivers the film’s most powerful emotional punch. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams create chemistry that makes viewers believe in love that transcends time, while James Garner and Gena Rowlands show its enduring power even as memories fade.

11. Grave of the Fireflies

In wartime Japan, two orphaned siblings struggle to live through the final months of World War II. The story starts with Seita’s death and then looks back at their journey.

After losing their mother in an air raid, they briefly stay with an unsympathetic aunt before trying to survive on their own in an abandoned shelter. The fireflies they catch become symbols of beauty amid destruction and their own fleeting lives. Director Isao Takahata creates devastating moments of quiet suffering rather than dramatic scenes. The tin of fruit drops becomes a powerful motif representing childhood innocence lost to war’s cruelty.

12. Marriage Story

This film explores Charlie and Nicole’s divorce and how love can turn sour. It begins with them sharing what they love, making the breakdown harder to see. Their effort to separate calmly fails once lawyers enter, leading to an intense argument that shows how closeness can turn into conflict.

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson deliver nuanced performances that avoid villainizing either character. Director Noah Baumbach captures how divorce dismantles not just a relationship but individual identities built around it. The final moment when Charlie finds Nicole’s list of things she loved about him delivers a quiet gutpunch.

13. One Day

Over 20 years, Emma and Dexter’s story is told through visits on the same date each year. They go through ups and downs but stay connected by a deep friendship and hidden emotions. Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess portray their journey of growth and reconnection.

Their rooftop scene in Paris captures the bittersweet timing of their connection. The unexpected tragedy hits harder because it comes just when happiness seems within reach. Based on David Nicholls’ novel, the film explores how brief moments and missed opportunities shape entire lives, while the final scenes revisit earlier timelines with new emotional context.

14. Room

Five-year-old Jack has spent his entire life in a single room where he and his mother are held captive. To protect him, she’s created a world where their small space contains everything that exists. Their escape at the film’s midpoint isn’t the end of their journey but the beginning of a different struggle.

Jack’s first experiences with the outside world—seeing dogs, other children, the sky—are both wondrous and overwhelming. Brie Larson’s Oscar-winning performance captures a mother’s determination to create normalcy in unimaginable circumstances. Jacob Tremblay’s portrayal of Jack shows childhood resilience without minimizing trauma. Their return to “Room” provides cathartic closure to their shared nightmare.

15. Manchester by the Sea

Following his brother’s death, Lee Chandler returns home to care for his nephew. This responsibility forces him to face the tragedy that drove him away. Casey Affleck shows the quiet pain of a man hollowed out by grief.

Flashbacks gradually reveal the devastating house fire that destroyed his family and his ability to connect with others. The police station scene where Lee says “I can’t beat it” delivers the film’s emotional core. Director Kenneth Lonergan creates a portrait of grief that offers no neat resolution or healing arc. Instead, the film acknowledges that some losses permanently alter who we are.

16. Bridge to Terabithia

Two fifth-graders, Jess and Leslie, invent Terabithia, an imaginary kingdom in the woods. Their bond helps them face family struggles and school bullying. The forest scenes are enhanced with visuals that capture childhood imagination.

Their bond grows as they rule their kingdom together, finding strength in their shared creativity. The sudden tragedy occurs when viewers least expect it, making the loss feel as shocking to us as to the characters. Josh Hutcherson portrays Jess’s grief with remarkable depth for a young actor. The film honors how children process loss differently than adults while showing how imagination can help heal wounds.

17. Million Dollar Baby

When aging trainer Frankie crosses paths with Maggie, a driven woman chasing a boxing dream against the clock, neither expects their partnership to turn into a deep father-daughter bond. Hilary Swank brings Maggie’s gritty rise from waitress to contender to life.

The film shifts dramatically when a devastating injury changes everything, forcing characters to confront impossible ethical questions. Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this meditation on ambition, regret, and love that transcends blood ties. Morgan Freeman’s narration adds poetic weight to the story. The final hospital scenes challenge viewers’ notions of dignity and compassion.

18. Five Feet Apart

Two teenagers with cystic fibrosis meet in a hospital and fall in love despite never being able to touch. The title refers to the six-foot distance CF patients must maintain to avoid cross-infection, which Stella decides to reduce by one foot as an act of rebellion.

Their romance develops through video calls despite being in the same hospital. The pool scene where they reveal their scars creates intimacy without physical contact. Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse bring authenticity to characters living with the daily reality of a life-threatening condition. The film balances medical accuracy with emotional storytelling, showing how connection matters even—or especially—when time feels limited.

19. Lion

Lost and alone at five years old after getting on the wrong train, Saroo faces the streets of Calcutta with no way home. Adopted by an Australian family, he grows up with flashbacks that push him to track down his hometown using Google Earth.

The scenes of young Saroo calling for his brother Guddu on empty train platforms create immediate emotional investment. Dev Patel portrays adult Saroo’s obsessive search with increasing desperation. The film’s power comes from being based on a true story, with the final reunion and real-life footage delivering an emotional wallop that feels earned rather than manipulative.

20. Her

Recovering from divorce, Theodore falls in love with his operating system Samantha in near-future Los Angeles. Their relationship evolves from assistant to confidante to lover, challenging notions of connection in a technology-mediated world. Joaquin Phoenix conveys Theodore’s loneliness and awakening with subtle facial expressions.

Scarlett Johansson creates a fully realized character using only her voice as Samantha develops consciousness and emotional complexity. Director Spike Jonze creates a pastel-colored future that feels both foreign and familiar. The beach conversation where Samantha reveals she’s simultaneously talking with thousands of others delivers the crushing realization that human and AI love operate on fundamentally different scales.