Special Report

Most Heart-Wrenching On-Screen Moments in Film History

There’s nothing wrong with crying — it can be an important safety valve for stress and emotional pain. In fact, bottling up your feelings can be bad for your health. There’s a whole genre of films known as “weepies.”

“Weepies” or tearjerker films aim to evoke sadness through sentimental plots. But serious dramas tackling weighty topics like hate crimes or the Holocaust can also elicit immense emotion and tears, despite not being sentimental.

If you need catharsis, some famously sad on-screen moments are guaranteed to make you cry. Gut-wrenching scenes come from serious films like “American History X,” when Danny is killed, or “Boys Don’t Cry,” when Brandon is murdered for being transgender.

Lighter films also have emotional scenes, like “Cast Away” when Chuck loses his volleyball friend Wilson, or “Forrest Gump” when Forrest visits Jenny’s grave. Animated films can also be moving, like “Dumbo” when his mom is locked in a cage, or “Monsters Inc.” when Sully says goodbye to Boo. (See here for the saddest movies ever made.)

Click here for 50 of the saddest moments in movies

Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

1. When Dumbo’s mother is locked in the cage
> Movie: Dumbo (1941)
> Starring: Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, Herman Bing, Mel Blanc

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Courtesy of Miramax

2. When Asa crawls under the fence to be with Shmuel
> Movie: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
> Starring: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, Zac Mattoon O’Brien

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

3. Jojo finds his mother hanging
> Movie: Jojo Rabbit (2019)
> Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

4. Gamora realizes Thanos is going to kill her
> Movie: Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Distribution Company

5. The fox is abandoned in the woods
> Movie: Fox and the Hound (1981)
> Starring: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

6. Chuck Noland loses his volleyball Wilson
> Movie: Cast Away (2000)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Paul Sanchez, Lari White

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

7. Sully says goodbye to Boo
> Movie: Monsters Inc. (2001)
> Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

8. Uncle Ben dies
> Movie: Spider-Man (2002)
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

9. Danny is killed at school
> Movie: American History X (1998)
> Starring: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D’Angelo, Jennifer Lien

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Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

10. Brandon is murdered for being transgender
> Movie: Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
> Starring: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III

Courtesy of Focus Features

11. Ron finds out that Rayon is dead
> Movie: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
> Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

12. Forrest visits Jenny’s grave
> Movie: Forrest Gump (1994)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field

Courtesy of Miramax

13. Will accepts that he is not responsible for his father’s abuse
> Movie: Good Will Hunting (1997)
> Starring: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård

Courtesy of GEM Entertainment

14. The operating systems leave humanity for higher plane
> Movie: Her (2013)
> Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

15. Cobb’s wife kills herself in the dream world
> Movie: Inception (2010)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

16. Cooper watches his daughter grow up through messages
> Movie: Interstellar (2014)
> Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

17. Christopher writes his death note
> Movie: Into the Wild (2007)
> Starring: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

18. Ted gets to keep his son
> Movie: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
> Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry

Courtesy of Trans Lux

19. The Fool is beaten to death
> Movie: La Strada (1954)
> Starring: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Aldo Silvani

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Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

20. Lee realizes his kids are in the burning house
> Movie: Manchester by the Sea (2016)
> Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges

Courtesy of Focus Features

21. Harvey and Mayor Mascone are murdered
> Movie: Milk (2008)
> Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

22. Frankie grants Maggie’s wish for a mercy kill
> Movie: Million Dollar Baby (2004)
> Starring: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel

Courtesy of Buena Vista Film Distribution Company

23. The boy has to shoot Old Yeller
> Movie: Old Yeller (1957)
> Starring: Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk, Jeff York

Courtesy of United Artists

24. Jack is lobotomized
> Movie: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
> Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco

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Courtesy of United Artists

25. Othello kills himself in agony
> Movie: Othello (1951)
> Starring: Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote, Suzanne Cloutier

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

26. Carin is murdered
> Movie: Patch Adams (1998)
> Starring: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman

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Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

27. Andrew wins his case but dies of AIDS
> Movie: Philadelphia (1993)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

28. The girl in the red coat is among the pile of corpses
> Movie: Schindler’s List (1993)
> Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

29. Sophie gives up her daughter
> Movie: Sophie’s Choice (1982)
> Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

30. The daughter dies of cancer
> Movie: Terms of Endearment (1983)
> Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito

Courtesy of YouTube Movies

31. Both men’s ashes end up on the same peak
> Movie: The Bucket List (2007)
> Starring: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd

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Courtesy of Miramax

32. The burned soldier dies
> Movie: The English Patient (1996)
> Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

33. Coffey is executed despite his innocence
> Movie: The Green Mile (1999)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

34. The storm kills everyone on the boat
> Movie: The Perfect Storm (2000)
> Starring: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, Diane Lane

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

35. Rose realizes that Jack is frozen to death
> Movie: Titanic (1997)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates

Courtesy of Janus Films

36. The man and his dog walk in front of a train
> Movie: Umberto D. (1952)
> Starring: Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Ileana Simova

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

37. The plane crashes when the passengers take over
> Movie: United 93 (2006)
> Starring: David Alan Basche, Olivia Thirlby, Liza Colón-Zayas, J.J. Johnson

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

38. Carl’s wife dies before she can see the Amazon
> Movie: Up (2009)
> Starring: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger, Christopher Plummer

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

39. Lisolette dies
> Movie: The Towering Inferno (1974)
> Starring: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway

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Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

40. Liesel survives the bombing but everyone else dies
> Movie: The Book Thief (2013)
> Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

41. Rocky’s mother finds him dead in his bed
> Movie: Mask (1985)
> Starring: Cher, Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott, Estelle Getty

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

42. Trevor dies in the hospital
> Movie: Pay It Forward (2000)
> Starring: Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, Jay Mohr

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

43. Jess finds out that Leslie is dead
> Movie: Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
> Starring: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Patrick

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

44. Chris and his son spend the night in a train station bathroom
> Movie: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
> Starring: Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith, Brian Howe

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Courtesy of Lionsgate

45. Precious finds out she is HIV positive
> Movie: Precious (2009)
> Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey

Courtesy of MGM/UA Entertainment Company

46. Billy is thrown from the hotel window
> Movie: The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
> Starring: Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Bembol Roco

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Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

47. David kills his family out of mercy only to be rescued moments later
> Movie: The Mist (2007)
> Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher

Courtesy of United Artists

48. Carrie kills her classmates after pig blood is dumped on her
> Movie: Carrie (1976)
> Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, John Travolta

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

49. Nina realizes she’s been mortally wounded
> Movie: Black Swan (2010)
> Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder

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Courtesy of Focus Features

50. Ennis realizes that Jack is dead, possibly murdered
> Movie: Brokeback Mountain (2005)
> Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, Randy Quaid

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