Perhaps you’ve opted out of Valentine’s Day, or are struggling against winter’s long slog—but really there’s no need for an excuse to seek out movies that will make you cry. Per the inimitable Nicole Kidman, movies have a unique power to provoke intense emotions, and frankly that may be all that’s separating us from the looming robots at this point. Plus shedding emotional tears is scientifically proven to release oxytocin and endorphins. (That’s why you sometimes feel refreshed or calmer after a good cry.) So whether you’re in the mood to get a little misty-eyed or are looking for a nice cathartic chest sob, enjoy below our all-time favorite movies for when you need a good cry.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)
Yes, the fourth rom-com in the beloved Bridget Jones franchise is full of pratfalls and side-splitting one-liners and features a romantic dalliance with a younger man (Leo Woodall), but at its core, this is a story about grief, as the original Frazzled Englishwoman (a wonderful Renée Zellweger) mourns her husband (Colin Firth) and considers how to move forward. The sequence in which she and her young children celebrate his birthday is sure to leave you weeping.
We Live in Time (2024)
John Crowley’s time-jumping love story centered on a recent divorcé (Andrew Garfield) and an ambitious chef (Florence Pugh) who falls ill and feels her time running out is a gut-wrenching watch.
All of Us Strangers (2023)
In Andrew Haigh’s wrenching fantasy-tinged drama, a reclusive screenwriter (Andrew Scott, in an Oscar-snubbed performance) embarks on an affair with a mysterious younger neighbor (Paul Mescal) while also encountering visions of his long-deceased parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy).
Green Border (2023)
Agnieszka Holland’s multi-part, black-and-white epic examines the full-blown crisis that is currently unfolding at the border between Belarus and Poland—a dense forest where desperate refugees are preyed upon, where officials are trained to operate in increasingly inhumane ways, and where activists are beginning to take matters into their own hands. It’s excruciating to see it play out—but also imperative that we don’t look away.
Aftersun (2022)
One of the most acclaimed debuts in recent years, Charlotte Wells’s restrained, impressionistic drama is a meditation on memory through the eyes of an 11-year-old (Frankie Corio), who carefully observes her young father (Paul Mescal) as he wrestles with his demons on their Turkish vacation in the late 1990s. Mescal’s tremendous performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
This tragicomedy, directed and written by Martin McDonagh, tells the poignant story of two friends whose relationship comes to a sudden end at the close of the Irish Civil War in 1923. There’s plenty to get tearful about in Banshees—the punishing effects of isolation, the claustrophobia of a life with limited options, the tender bond between the character played by Colin Farrell and his sister. And perhaps you’ve heard of the sad fate of Jenny the donkey, perhaps the most sob-inducing performance of them all.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
At the heart of the ingenious multiverse madness in Everything Everywhere All at Once, the breakout indie hit from the Daniels, is a story about love. The nuanced way it depicts mother-daughter relationships, superbly acted by Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu, might destroy you.
Living (2022)
Bill Nighy earned an Oscar nomination for best actor for his moving portrayal of a bureaucrat in 1953 London who, facing a terminal illness, searches for meaning in life; also nominated was Nobel Prize–winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, who adapted the script from Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru.
Petite Maman (2021)
Who knew that a dreamlike fairytale shot across just two locations with a tiny (though incredibly impressive) cast would have us bawling hysterically for almost its entire, just-over-an-hour-long runtime? Céline Sciamma’s shimmering gem of a film, which follows an eight-year-old (Joséphine Sanz) who has just lost her grandmother and finds comfort in an unexpected new friendship, is an astonishingly profound assessment of filial love and acceptance.
Pieces of a Woman (2021)
This film, which follows a young married woman (Vanessa Kirby) as she struggles with the devastating death of her baby during childbirth, isn’t for the faint of heart, but Kirby’s restrained yet heartbreaking performance adds a new layer of texture to the cultural conversation about miscarriage and pregnancy loss.
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (2019)
A jaded writer with a troubled relationship with his father is sent to profile wholesome children’s television star Fred Rogers, played by Tom Hanks, in the kind of immensely inspiring film that might change your whole perspective on life—in the same way it did the real-life journalist at its center.
The Farewell (2019)
As uplifting as it is devastating, director Lulu Wang’s second feature is based on a real lie. A young Chinese-American woman struggles to come to terms with her family’s decision not to tell her grandmother that she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, opting to stage a wedding as an excuse for them to all visit her in China one last time, instead.
Little Women (2019)
There’s plenty to smile about in this Greta Gerwig–directed adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott classic, (particularly the costumes). But without giving away too many spoilers, there’s also a metric ton of heartbreak and pain to contend with. (I am, once again, thinking about Jo’s speech on loneliness.)
Marriage Story (2019)
Children of divorce may have a particularly hard time watching this Oscar nominee about a split-up couple fighting over custody of their young son.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
This moody and unabashedly queer love story from director Céline Sciamma is, in a way, all the more beautiful for the brevity of its central affair. In the film, Adèle Haenel plays Héloïse, a sullen 18th-century French daughter of privilege, and Noémie Merlant plays Marianne, the adventurous artist hired to paint her. A star-crossed romance ensues.
Eighth Grade (2018)
Capturing the awkwardness of adolescence in a way that is so painfully real it’s both hard to watch and entirely absorbing, Bo Burnham’s funny and poignant debut feature follows a shy teenager with social anxiety—played by the brilliant Elsie Fisher—growing up in the age of social media.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
After the incredible Oscar-winning Moonlight, Barry Jenkins adapted James Baldwin’s stirring love story. Set in 1970s New York, a couple deeply in love are torn apart when the young man is wrongly accused of rape. The humiliations they endure, big and small, make for painful viewing, but watchable under Jenkins’s direction.
A Ghost Story (2017)
A rumination on time and grief, love and loss, David Lowery’s supernatural drama involves the sheet-bedecked ghost of a recently deceased man (Casey Affleck) who must observe in silence what happens in his house after his death.
Ingrid Goes West (2017)
Okay, this movie is billed as more of a social-media romp than a tearjerker, and it’s easy to clock its quick pans through the Los Angeles of influencer culture and think of it as a comedy. At its heart, though, Matt Spicer’s film is about the devastating loneliness that propels one young woman to craft a fake identity around a friend crush, and without spoiling anything... let’s just say the ending is pretty painful to watch.
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
This Kenneth Lonergan film, which revolves around a depressed man taking care of his nephew after his brother dies, is practically a monument to depression. The bleary East Coast landscape only heightens the aura of despair in Manchester by the Sea, leaving you with a portrait of a family that’s guaranteed to make you call your mom and cry.
Inside Out (2015)
This is the rare film that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike, but if you do happen to be of legal driving age, you might find yourself welling up and feeling kind of embarrassed about it. Don’t ! Pixar is nothing if not exceptional at crafting cartoons that get right to the heart of the human experience, and Inside Out is no exception.
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
This movie about a teenage cancer patient who falls in love with a boy in her support group is guaranteed to destroy you every time. Damn you, John Green!
Blackfish (2013)
This Gabriela Cowperthwaite–directed documentary isn’t the most traditional tearjerker, but the story of Tilikum, an orca who has taken the lives of three people during his time spent captive at various aquatic amusement parks, is definitely hard to watch (and will make you think twice about that trip to SeaWorld).
What Maisie Knew (2012)
Based on the 1897 novel by Henry James, this modern adaptation expertly captures the quiet heartbreak of a neglected young girl whose parents are too busy fighting to put her needs first.
Blue Valentine (2010)
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star as a troubled couple in this romantic drama, and they each brought enough pathos to their respective roles to be nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes. Rewatch the film, in which the nonlinear narrative makes the emotional component all the more effective, and you’ll see exactly why.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Okay, all the Harry Potter movies contain some element of sob-worthiness, but this one stands apart because it’s the one where, well, a certain beloved character dies. Are we just supposed to get through that scene without weeping?
Wendy and Lucy (2008)
In Kelly Reichardt’s quietly shattering drama, Michelle Williams plays a drifter stranded in Oregon who’s separated from her beloved dog, Lucy, after she’s arrested for shoplifting food. The seeming smallness of the story does nothing to diminish the film’s bleakness nor blunt its ultimately devastating impact.
Atonement (2007)
It may be famous for that green-dress sex scene, but this movie—which focuses on the doomed love affair between a wealthy young woman and her housekeeper’s son, kept apart by circumstances beyond their control—is also wrenching.
Rent (2005)
Yes, it’s well-worn territory for musical-theater nerds, but this filmic adaptation of the 1996 Broadway show is absolutely heartrending, with tunes like “One Song Glory,” “Without You,” and “I’ll Cover You” absolutely firing up the tear ducts. We will always love you, Angel!
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
This aughts classic has a reputation for being a sickly sweet girl-power film, and it’s deserved. But the movie based on the Ann Brashares novel also gets into some incredibly sad territory, from the loss of Bridget’s mom to Carmen’s pain over her dad’s remarriage to...Bailey. (No spoilers, but that particular plotline is guaranteed to make you cry.)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
The all-too-real heartbreak of forgetting is explored metaphorically in this Michel Gondry–directed, Charlie Kaufman–penned movie about an estranged couple who opt to erase one another from their memories (but at what cost?).
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
This film about the Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Rwanda in the mid-1990s is guaranteed to have you full-on sobbing—well, when you’re not marveling at Don Cheadle’s acting chops, that is.
The Notebook (2004)
I mean, can we even talk about sad movies without talking about The Notebook? This Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams–led romantic drama that tracks a couple from youthful intoxication to old age is emotionally potent enough to make you tear up anytime you hear the phrase “it’s not over.”
Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
A young woman in the former Soviet Union is consistently neglected and ultimately forced into survival sex in this painful-to-watch film that concludes ambiguously with a pair of parallel endings.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Is this rom-com extremely early aughts? Sure. Kind of cheesy? You bet. Still, we challenge you not to sob like a tiny baby as Jamie (Mandy Moore) and Landon (Shane West) fall in love in spite of everything and against the backdrop of Jamie’s tragic illness.
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Lars von Trier’s Palme d’Or–winning, handheld-shot musical melodrama stars Björk (named best actress at Cannes) as a factory worker who’s slowly going blind and trying to scrape together money to save her son from the same fate. Fair warning: It’s an exceedingly bleak watch, with its musical interludes (including the Oscar-nominated song “I’ve Seen It All”) only exacerbating the dismalness.
All About My Mother (1999)
A moving melodrama that is funny and sad, dark and light, this Pedro Almodóvar classic follows a nurse who loses her only son in a tragic accident and seeks escape in Barcelona, where she looks to reconnect with her now estranged husband.
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Based on a true story, in this heartbreaking tragedy a young transgender man (played by Hilary Swank) relocates to Nebraska, where he falls in love with an aspiring singer, played by Chloë Sevigny. Brutal, and not at all an easy watch, this was nonetheless one of the first mainstream films to depict trans identities on the big screen in a humanizing way.
Titanic (1997)
Our hearts will go on, as will our love for this ocean-set classic that sees Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in career-defining roles as a pair of star-crossed lovers who—spoiler alert—meet an epically tragic end.
The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
Nobody jogs a tear like Meryl Streep, who plays a housewife engaged in a brief and tumultuous affair with a traveling photographer (Clint Eastwood) in this sobfest of a romantic drama.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Everyone’s favorite actor, Tom Hanks, is majorly tear-inducing as the lovable hero of this film who navigates his way through a series of increasingly wild situations only to find himself losing the love of his life.
Philadelphia (1993)
One of the first Hollywood films to explicitly address HIV/AIDS and portray homosexuality in a positive light, Jonathan Demme’s powerful legal drama stars Tom Hanks, in an Oscar-winning performance, as a lawyer who sues his employers for firing him after discovering he’s gay and living with HIV.
My Girl (1991)
Long before she stole scenes as Amy Brookheimer on Veep, Anna Chlumsky was an apple-cheeked kid hanging out with her nerdy best friend, Macaulay Culkin, before he was taken from the world in a freak accident that will have you mildly afraid of the outdoors for the rest of your life.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
At a buttoned-up elite boys’ boarding school in Vermont, a passionate English teacher (Robin Williams) inspires his students (a baby-faced Ethan Hawke among them) to buck convention, carpe diem, and look at life from different perspectives (standing atop a desk, say). The film racked up Oscar nominations for best picture, actor (Williams), and director (Peter Weir) and won for Tom Schulman’s original screenplay.
Steel Magnolias (1989)
The casting and performances in this three-hanky weepy are truly without equal: Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, and Julia Roberts (nominated here for best supporting actress) are a group of women who bond in a small Louisiana town and must eventually cope with tragedy.
Beaches (1988)
This touching, funny story from legendary director Garry Marshall focuses on two childhood best friends (Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey) from very different backgrounds who together weather careers, husbands, and life’s vicissitudes. The song “Wind Beneath My Wings,” performed by Midler on the soundtrack, won Grammys for both record and song of the year in 1990.
Terms of Endearment (1983)
What is it with ’80s movies and tearjerking plots? This James L. Brooks comedy-drama about the complicated dynamic between a woman (Shirley MacLaine, astonishing) and her adult daughter (Debra Winger, also astonishing) is almost impossible to get through without welling up.
Sophie’s Choice (1982)
Meryl Streep delivers once again as a young Polish woman forced to make a morally impossible decision at Auschwitz and live with the consequences for the rest of her life.
The Way We Were (1973)
Five words: “Your girl is lovely, Hubbell.” Do you really need to hear anything more to burst into tears? This 1970s Barbra Streisand classic set in the wild world of pre-WWII McCarthyism more than holds up as a study of two people who...just aren’t right for each other, no matter how much they want to be. (Sob.)
Bambi (1942)
Nobody gets the tears flowing freely like Walt Disney, the mastermind behind this animated classic about a baby deer who gets tragically separated from his mother. Yes, he makes forest friends, but that scene with the hunter traumatized generations of kids.