A good movie is capable of provoking all types of emotions in the audience, so take a minute before you decide to watch any of these seven movies that will make you cry. From heart-wrenching love stories, to humanitarian dramas, the films on this list will push your emotional resilience to the limit. Unless you are made of stone, you’ll most likely need a handkerchief by the end of these films.
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Most people expect to be entertained when it comes to cinema and for that we recently published an article about the 10 highest rated movies of 2014. And although the movies on this list will undoubtedly help you kill a few hours, I don’t recommend you watch them before going to work or on a date. Why? Because those tears will drop quicker than you can anticipate them.
One of my college teachers once told me that if you can make a person cry with your story, then you’ve written a great script and created a movie that will stand the test of time. So, let’s see what these blockbusters did right to make it on the list of seven movies that will make you cry.
7. The Notebook
Romantic tales have a way of touching us emotionally and generating empathy in our hearts. While some will call this Nicholas Sparks classic cheesy, I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t cried at the end of the film. The Notebook tells the story of Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), two teenagers that fall deeply in love and have to overcome several separations before they are reunited in their bliss. I won’t spoil the saddest moment, but I will say it’s a definite climax point that will have you drenched in a matter of seconds.
One of the most acclaimed love stories in movie history lands at number seven. Where can the list of movies that will make you cry go from here? Head to the next page to find out. *sniff*
6. Big Fish
Tim Burton isn’t particularly known for making his audiences cry, but the end of this fantastic story will have you sobbing beyond belief. And I’m talking about tears of joy and an overwhelming sense of beauty. Not only is this movie full of surprises, but the narrative revolves around Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), who tries to repair his relationship with his son (Billy Crudup) by recounting his life’s story as a sick old man.
5. Hotel Rwanda
The mere fact that this film is based on real events should already be enough to make you question the existing conflicts of humanity. Hotel Rwanda focuses on the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994, when Hutu’s and Tutsi’s were pinned against each other, resulting in a horrendous blood bath. Don Cheadle plays a hotel manager that harbours refugees in the hopes of saving some innocent lives. Can you guess where the tears will drop? Well, most likely throughout the majority of the movie as you watch families being torn apart and children being ruthlessly murdered.
4. 12 Years a Slave
While genocide is probably one of the toughest historic events to sit through, slavery is no joke either. This Oscar-winning drama, written by John Ridley, narrates how Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) survives 12 years of enslavement and the hardships that go with it, in order to be reunited with his family. The movie is full of heart-breaking moments that make you seriously question the human behaviour of that time and I would be seriously surprised if anyone managed to sit through this epic drama without shedding tears of empathy.
3. The Fault in Our Stars
Any screenplay with a cancer patient as the protagonist is a recipe for ongoing tears. And if you add a love interest who overcame the illness, get ready for a weeping ensemble. This is precisely the storyline of the latest drama by Josh Boone, who did an excellent job at directing the young Shailene Woodley, who plays Hazel (the cancer patient), and Ansel Elgort, her lover. The movie is full of sad scenes that will confront you with the fact that life is too short to live it without love and that illness can attack you at any given time.
2. Dead Poets Society
In this inspiring drama, the recently deceased Robin Williams plays the character of John Keating, an English teacher that shakes up the conservative teaching structure of an all-boys academy. He quickly becomes a role model for the young group of students, motivating them to pursue their dreams, even when the odds are against them. Again, no spoilers here, but a series of tragic events amongst the students and faculty staff will test your compassion to the core.
1. My Girl
I have yet to meet a person that can withstand the tears and sadness of a child without crying themselves. This movie is a testament to the fact that life’s hardships can hit you at any time, even before you reach puberty. My Girl’s protagonist, 11 year old Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) has already experienced her mother’s death, only to be followed by the loss of her best friend Thomas J (Macaulay Culkin). What makes this film truly heart-breaking is Vada’s sense of guilt regarding both incidents…so keep those handkerchiefs at hand.
