Best Tear-jerker Movies to Watch

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New Top Rated Best Films Sort by Release Date

Foreign

Good Movie

Elena

Realistic, intimate, and compelling, Elena is a movie that makes you think a lot after you finish watching it. It is an inherently Russian movie, however there is something about how the story is told that makes it a universal family drama. A woman from a modest background to which she still has a lot of attachement is married to an old wealthy business man. Upon learning that the man might write her off his will, she feels pushed to get her hands dirty to honor her responsibilities towards her original family. The question of right and wrong when faced with extreme situations is at the heart of this aesthetically slow-burning family drama.

Mood: Absorbing, Depressing, Tear-jerker, Well-acted

Amazon

Drama

2011

Good Movie

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

A college professor (Richard Gere) provides a home for the abandoned Akita he encountered at the train station, against the wishes of his wife (Joan Allen). As a bond develops between dog and master and tragedy suddenly strikes the family, a true act of devotion is displayed by the pup. Based on a supposedly true story which played out in Japan in early 20th century, Lasse Hallstrom’s Hachi finds beauty in its simplicity without being overly cloying and gets empathetic, frankly really strong performance from Gere.

Mood: Tear-jerker, Touching, Warm

Netflix

Drama / Family

2009

Foreign

Best Film

Mommy

The story of a single mother trying to raise an unstable teenager and their interactions with the world surrounding them, Mommy is a movie that aims straight for the heart and doesn’t miss. It is so intense that you are likely to feel a kind of emotional tiredness after watching it. However, it is a beautiful intensity so to speak. Because while it has many joyous moments as well as funny ones, its true brilliance is reached while you are being punched in the guts. This is the more impacting with perfect the performances from the cast, the elaborate soundtrack and Xavier Dolan’s impeccable staging.

Think of Mommy as the most beautiful heartbreaking movie you will ever watch, it will hurt, but you will never regret watching it, and you will find yourself recommending it to everyone you know.

Mood: Absorbing, Beautiful, Challenging, Depressing, Dramatic, Emotional, Intense, Mind-blowing, Raw, Tear-jerker, Thought-provoking, Thrilling, Touching

Hulu

Drama

2014

Foreign

Good Movie

Nobody Knows (Dare Mo Shiranai)

A very touching film about Japanese children who are abandoned by their mother in their apartment and left on their own. It’s movie that perfectly encapsulates the world of kids and its alignment with this story is both heartbreaking and joyful. Their innocence will make you smile from ear to ear until moments come where you will shed tears. This is a film everyone should have watched, it breaks my heart how little-known it is.

Mood: Humane, Tear-jerker, Touching

Amazon

Drama

2004

Good Movie

Human Flow

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei directs his attention towards the ongoing refugee crisis, the biggest displacement of people since World War II. His documentary is a apolitical and tries to focus on the human side of the picture. It’s not a news report or a commentary on the causes of the situation. Instead, it’s a combination of heartfelt stories spanning 23 countries that showcase people’s battle for dignity and basic rights. A truly epic movie complemented by impressive drone footage that’s as impressive as it is sad.

Mood: Depressing, Tear-jerker, Thought-provoking, Touching

Prime

Documentary

2017

Best Film

Short Term 12

Short Term 12 is exactly like being injured in a part of your body where you didn’t think it was possible to get injured before. It will hurt but it will make you care.

Natural and understated by budget and by purpose, it is powered by perfect performances that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride you will never forget. It is at times sweet, at times depressing and at times hilarious.

The thing is, without even taking into consideration its small budget or the importance of the issues it talks about – we would still consider Short Term 12 as one of the best movies of the past 20 years.

Mood: Challenging, Depressing, Humane, Important, Insightful, Inspiring, Intense, Raw, Tear-jerker, Touching

Prime

Drama

2013

Best Film

Blue Valentine

A heart-breaking examination of a decaying shell of a once-bright marriage, this sad and erotic story uses juxtaposition between happy flashbacks and the grim reality of an ordinary and dull life. This film features electrifying performance from Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, who seamlessly combine tenderness, rage, lust and sadness. This is a guaranteed tear-jerker, so make sure you’ve brought your Kleenexes!

Mood: A-list actors, Challenging, Depressing, Dramatic, Grown-up Romance, Intense, Raw, Tear-jerker

Amazon

Drama / Romance

2010

Foreign

Best Film

The Broken Circle Breakdown

Sensibly written and thoughtfully directed, intuitively acted, bitter-sweet like Belgian chocolate, and propelled by incredible bluegrass music, this is one of my coming-home movies. Aside from the beautiful imagery and stunning music, the highly emotional subject matter is perfect for summer nights. It’ll leave you full and empty, it’ll make you cry, value life, and will also more than likely get you back into bluegrass again. Elise and Dedier fall passionately in love despite their differences, but when their daughter falls ill, their future together becomes uncertain.

Mood: Character-driven, Classy, Cool, Dramatic, Emotional, Grown-up Romance, Tear-jerker, Touching

Amazon

Drama / Romance

2012

ICYMI

Best Film

End of Watch

First off you have to remember it is the same writer as Training Day. Then you have to believe that he must have gone to a joint training camp between the Taliban and Mexican Cartels or something since Training Day to come up with such a tense, unpredictable script.

But End of Watch is more than that. It is warm and sweet (yes), and a great showcase of Gyllenhaal and Pena’s talents — which thanks to a documentary-style cinematography, and the actors’ 5-month immersion program with actual LA cops, make for a very authentic, rich, and overall exciting film.

Mood: Absorbing, Cool, Dramatic, Gripping, Intense, Mind-blowing, Powerful, Raw, Sincere, Tear-jerker, True-crime, Well-acted

Amazon

Drama

2012

Best Film

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

You will not come out of this movie the same person you were going into it. Get ready to cry your eyes out, scream in anger, and rejoice that such a powerful love can exist in our world. DO NOT READ ANY SPOILERS OR SUMMARIES BEFORE VIEWING! This loving documentary about the father of a young boy is one of the best movies of this decade! We can’t recommend this film enough!

Mood: Dramatic, Emotional, Gripping, Heartfelt, Mind-blowing, Powerful, Raw, Sincere, Tear-jerker, True-crime

Amazon

Documentary

2008

Foreign

Good Movie

Welcome

A Kurdish-Iraqi immigrant runs into serious immigration problems as he tries to immigrate from France to England in order to be reunited with his girlfriend. Eventually he begins to train in swimming, in an attempt to swim the channel between France and England. Welcome is a gripping tale of tolerance as well as relationships between locals and immigrants. It also gives a great look into the shortcoming of the European immigration system, and will have you crying by the end of it, no question.

Mood: Challenging, Depressing, Emotional, Humane, Tear-jerker, Thought-provoking

Amazon

Drama

2009

Best Film

Detachment

A very poetic film by Tony Kaye (American History X) about an English Literature teacher (Adrien Brody – “The Pianist”) who only works as a substitute in schools which are located in very poor urban areas. The reason behind his choice is that he doesn’t want to bond too much with his students and colleagues because he is trying to control his dark emotions about life and the triviality of our existences (although it sounds depressing it is absolutely not). He also takes care of his last family connection, his grandfather, to whom he is very close and who lives in an elderly home. Unsurprisingly, their relationship is very emotional and deep. Every time you think about your existence, your place in the world, your interactions with other people; watch Detachment.

Mood: Challenging, Depressing, Gripping, Instructive, Intense, Mysterious, Tear-jerker, Thought-provoking

Amazon

Drama

2012