With these movies, you are guaranteed a good cry whether it be because of beloved character deaths, heartbreaking life truths, or the quiet ways these characters let go of their beliefs to build themselves back up.
So, if you’re ready for your sad movie of the week, get your popcorn, your tissues, and your favorite blanket.
Here are some movies that will leave you staring at the end credits still crying and thinking of these characters’ life stories.
1) Dead Poets Society
Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.
-Mr. Keating
If you love the mentor/mentee dynamic, you’re gonna love this one. Starring Robin Williams as Welton Academy’s newest English teacher, Mr. Keating, he embarks on a mission to teach these high schoolers the art of poetry—the art of life and breaking the shackles of conformity.
Inspired by Mr. Keating’s teachings, the boys set out to live their lives to the fullest, who has a rather odd teaching style according to the headmaster.
In between the beauties of carpe diem however, we see that it isn’t always that simple. With Neil’s controlling parents and the school’s hellbent ways of conformity, there are not enough tissues in the world to wipe away the movie’s devastating end.
It’s beautiful, it’s tragic, but one thing is clear. Whether you’re Neil Perry, whose father set a clear future for him that he didn’t want, or whether you’re Todd Anderson, who, as Mr. Keating says, “thinks that everything inside him is worthless and embarrassing,” there are people out there who will give you hope that things will get better.
Where to Watch: Hulu
2) Good Will Hunting
You’ll never have that kind of relationship in a world where you’re always afraid to take the first step, because all you see is every negative thing ten miles down the road.
-Sean Maguire
And yet another great movie falling into the mentor/mentee category starring Robin Williams as Will Hunting’s therapist. After running into trouble at a bar, a math teacher at the school Will works at, makes an agreement with him. Will has to spend his evenings with him to stay out of jail. And with that, he’s assigned a therapist as part of his parole.
Will knows how to push everyone’s buttons, but only Sean Maguire takes a chance on him. This chance proves to Will that he is so much more than his upbringing and trauma. He’s more than the Southie from Boston who pushes too far and settles for a job as a janitor. And he’s certainly more than the anonymous “student” who solved a complex math problem like the genius he is.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
3) Perks of Being a Wallflower
We accept the love we think we deserve.
-Mr. Anderson
Now, this one is for the ones who have felt invisible, and deemed the shy kid by just about everyone. Charlie has had a rough year after the death of his close friend, and after changing schools, he’s all alone. But not for long, as he meets Sam and Patrick.
This is a story about friendship, love, repressed trauma, and carrying others’ secrets that ultimately snowballs to a breaking point. It highlights the emotional turmoil of all that your brain protects you from. And that breaking point? It’s only a matter of time before everything in you begins to spill out, and as you’re watching Charlie go through his spiral, you will feel like you’re right there with him.
Where to Watch: Hulu
4) Beautiful Boy
Have you seen my beautiful boy? Tell him I miss him.
-David Scheff (written)
Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet in a movie? What more could you ask for?
This one’s heart-wrenching from start to finish. It shows the horrible truth of living with a drug addiction and a father who’s there to witness it. You won’t have a single moment to breathe, even as you watch the happy moments in between the ugly.
This is a story about a boy, Nic, who floats away from his father and what high expectations can often lead to. Even a seemingly happy teenager can feel like their life is caving in and feel helpless enough to take the edge off with a few puffs here and there.
It’s also about the missteps as a father desperately tries to help their kid find the light in all the darkness. And in the end, David learned that sometimes you need to wait for them to come to you before you can help them.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
5) Train To Busan
Dad, you only care about yourself. That’s why mommy left.
-Su-an
With Korean media rising in popularity in the last few years, it is no wonder that this zombie movie became so popular upon its release.
A workaholic dad goes on a trip with his daughter to Busan to visit Su-an’s mother. When the train is infiltrated with a single infected person, the apocalypse spreads throughout. Now Seok-woo is forced to confront who he wants to be: a man who only cares about himself or a man who helps others in the face of danger.
Every twist and turn will leave you gasping with your eyes glued to the screen. And every death will have you in tears as your favorite characters risk their lives in front of your eyes.
Where to Watch: Netflix
6) The Fault in Our Stars
You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have a say in who hurts you.
-Augustus Waters
It’s based on a John Green novel, so of course, tears are part of the deal.
Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters meet at a cancer support group. After getting to know each other, a love story full of adventure and hope ensues. A trip to meet Hazel’s favorite author changes her perspective, reminding her that even disappointments can lead to different ways of viewing life.
It’s all about finding hope even when you don’t want to, even when life feels so heavy you’d rather sink into it because this is the hand you were dealt. But even then, hope has its way of blooming in unexpected places, and you can choose to let it bloom further into a beautiful flower or let it wilt onto the ground.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
7) Five Feet Apart
I’m tired of living without really living. I’m tired of wanting things. We can’t have a lot of things. But we could have this.
-Will
What’s worse than being forced to stay five feet apart from someone you love?
This story follows two teenagers, Will and Stella, who have cystic fibrosis as they navigate a fragile and complicated love—one that rebuilds their hope in life.
The risks are real, the rules are strict, but so is their will to be together. And they will do anything to show their love for each other, even if they have to stay away from each other.
And once you meet Poe, hold onto those tissues because it’s just a crying match from then on.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
8) Brokeback Mountain
I wish I knew how to quit you.
-Jack Twist
You may have heard of this gay cowboy movie, but it’s so much more than that. Starring Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar and Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack Twist, these two cowboys meet at Brokeback Mountain, working as herders. As the summer of ’63 goes on, Jack and Ennis become close—closer than either of them is ready to admit.
As the years pass, each summer they go back to Brokeback Mountain, seeking more than money and friendship. It’s in their own little bubble that they could truly be themselves, away from the lives they built for themselves upon others’ expectations.
Their story was never going to end with a happy ending—not in that time period, not in that place, and certainly not in their current disposition.
It’s a tragic story that will leave a permanent mark on your psyche and will leave you crying into your pillow after the credits roll.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
9) Boy Erased
I think we’re our own God. I mean, I think he’s in us. In all of us, not, you know, somewhere hiding and watching.
-Xavier
Based on the memoir by Garrard Conley, Boy Erased highlights the heart-wrenching realities of conversion therapy. After being outed to his parents, they decide to send Jared to Love in Action, where Victor Sykes oversees the program that claims to ‘fix’ same-sex attraction.
Best believe that there is a hopeful ending, though bittersweet. A man who went through hell trying to accept himself when everyone around him told him it was wrong finally got so much of his trauma out of him while confronting his father.
Closing out with a Troye Sivan song, it gives an air of acceptance and hope to the end of Jared’s story—a soft reminder that not every story ends with tragedy.
Where to Watch: Netflix
10) Big Hero Six
I am satisfied with my care
-Hiro Hamada
*Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen it yet!!*
Last but not least, Big Hero Six, an animated 2014 movie loosely based on Marvel comics.
Hiro Hamada, a robot-fighting genius, embarks on a journey to get into his brother Tadashi’s current “nerd” school. But after a fire that leaves Tadashi no choice but to go in and save his mentor, tragedy strikes, leaving Hiro in mourning.
This movie shows a powerful message of grief and how loss can break you, but loved ones can build you back up. And don’t forget the marshmallow robot companion who’s there to remind you you’re not alone.
Where to Watch: Disney+
Final thoughts
Found these movies to be up your alley? Give them a try and comment down below if you did cry! And if you’ve already watched some of these, tell us how it went! Which ones were your favorites?
