14 Sad Movies for When You Need a Good Cry
Ladies, sometimes we just gotta have a good cry! Life is hard, bills are due, relationships are complicated, and we keep a lot of things pent up. Now especially during a time of political and racial unrest, and a global pandemic, our emotional landscape is just totally jacked up! There’s a special place in hell for the society that tries to make us believe that we’re weak for crying, but crying is amazing! Have you ever had a really good cry, where the snot is running down your face, and you can barely catch your breath? Were the slightest glimpse of yourself in the mirror would put Kim Kardashian’s crying face to shame? You have, ok cool. Remember how much better you felt afterwards? The crying didn’t solve your problem, or whatever it was you were crying about, but it did remove a weight off your shoulders.
That’s because research shows, that crying can not only be self-soothing, and a great way to unpack emotional stress, but it also releases oxytocin and endorphins! So when you let yourself cry, you’re actually removing emotional and physical pain, and promoting a rebalancing of your system! So now that you know it’s pretty awesome to shed some tears, maybe you need a little help getting there. So you just focus on your comfort snacks and wine, because we’ve found the best films for you to let it all go to.
Waterworks to begin in 3, 2,...
A Little Bit of Heaven
(2011)
Who doesn’t like Kate Hudson, right? In one of her lesser known films, A Little Bit of Heaven, is about the free-spirited, independent, and liberated Ad Executive, who must confront the finality of her life when she’s diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. For some reason that I can’t quite put my finger on, this movie gets me differently than the rest on this list, and to be honest I’m watching it right now. Cue the waterworks.
Watch free on Youtube
Blue Valentine
(2010)
I clearly love to torture myself with ill fated love stories. This Oscar and Golden Globe nominated film details the unraveling of a marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are so realistic as a married couple, there’s virtually no way you don’t feel the pain they each are going through.
Rent on Amazon
500 Days of Summer
(2009)
The rom-com that broke us all. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt star in this film that from the onset tells us that it isn’t a love story. Levitt is the hopeless romantic, greeting card writer, who looks back at his 500 days dating Summer, in attempt to find out why they didn’t work out. This movie, on repeat, has helped me deal with a very consuming breakup, and proved to me that there is always life after, anything!
Watch on Hulu
Stepmom
(1998)
A quintessential Julia Roberts flick, this 90s hit deals with the blending of a family, and like a the title suggests…becoming a stepmom. This is a must watch for criers out there, and I’m sure one that’ll become your favorite.
Watch on Hulu
The Secret Life of Pets 2
(2019)
So this one is a bit of a wild card, but hear me out! The love that these animals have for their families is equally heartwarming and heartbreaking. Yes, its a funny film and mostly steers clear of seriousness, but the last scene when the dogs have to drop their kid off at his first day of preschool….TEARS!
Watch on Netflix
Celeste & Jesse Forever
(2012)
Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg star in this film about a co-dependent couple, that naively thinks they can remain best friends, after going through a divorce. This is one of the more relatable movies on the list, that beautifully depicts the evolution and re-imagining of a relationship.
Rent on Amazon
Revolutionary Road
(2008)
Is there anything better than watching Leo and Kate star alongside each other? The pair are a married couple, living in an idyllic American life, on a beautiful street in the 1950’s. But of course, no marriage is what it seems, and turns out this marriage is particularly f*cked up. The ending is pretty traumatic, yet it remains one of my favorite films for how it portrays the extreme stress and depression that can arise from living the “perfect suburban life.”
Watch on Hulu
The Fault in our Stars
(2014)
It’s simple, two critically ill teenagers meet, and fall in love. It’s sad AF, yet still beautiful, and that’s really all you need to know.
Rent on Amazon and Youtube
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
(2012)
Another film adapted from a young adult novel, Perks, deals with the isolation and confusion that comes with being a teenager. The films cast is perfectly done, with Emma Watson, Mae Whitman, and Ezra Miller in leading roles, and truly is a must watch for anyone who has ever been, or will be a teenager.
Watch on Netflix
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby
(2014)
The most ambitious film on the list, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, is actually the collective title of what is three separate films. The films chronicle the relationship of a young married couple struck by tragedy, from three different perspectives: Hers, His, and Them. It’s a beautiful film about love and loss, and the things we tell ourselves along the way about the things that happen to us.
Watch on Amazon
About Time
(2013)
I’m a sucker for anything Rachel McAdams, and this one does not disappoint. On the surface this is a film about love between the two main characters, but it’s really a deeper story about the love between a son and his father. Trust me, it’s both cute, fun, and sad af!
Watch on Netflix
The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas
(2008)
Set during WWII, two boys strike up a friendship in a very unlikely situation. One is Jewish and living in a extermination camp, the other is the son of the camps Nazi commandant, and through the barbed wire fence both boys begin to learn the horrifying truths behind both of their lives. If this film doesn’t make you weep for days after, I’m afraid you have no soul.
Rent on Amazon or Youtube
Miss You Already
(2015)
Two best friends look back on their decades long friendship, while one undergoes treatment for breast cancer, while the other attempts to get pregnant. This film, also directed by a woman, does a beautiful job at examining the intricate and delicate nature of female friendships, especially when you’re each others soulmate. Female relationships are so beautiful and so important for a lot of us, and this film forces us to reckon with the fragility life, and its impact on our lives.
Rent on Amazon or Youtube
Never Let Me Go
(2010)
Based on the novel of the same name, this films centers around three friends and their seemingly idyllic boarding school in England. When they wander away from their school and into the real world, they learn the shocking truth behind their existence, and must then grapple with their fate and friendships.
Rent on Amazon or Youtube
Southpaw
(2015)
Though this movie is primarily about boxing, it’s also a heartbreaking film about family and redemption. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a champion boxer, forced to raise his daughter alone when his wife is killed in a horrifying accident. It’s a surprising choice, but I promise it’ll deliver the tears.
Rent on Amazon
a star is born
(2018)
Bradley Cooper’s Oscar nominated film, stuck with me well after the credits stopped rolling, and it’s a guaranteed tearjerker. The films ending delivers a gut-punch that’ll have you devastated for days. Honestly, if I have to keep explaining to you why you should watch this, I’ll start to lose it, so just go watch it!
Watch on Hulu