Special Report
Most Heart-Wrenching On-Screen Moments in Film History
Published:
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
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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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
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3. Jojo finds his mother hanging
> Movie: Jojo Rabbit (2019)
> Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi
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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5. The fox is abandoned in the woods
> Movie: Fox and the Hound (1981)
> Starring: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson
6. Chuck Noland loses his volleyball Wilson
> Movie: Cast Away (2000)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Paul Sanchez, Lari White
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7. Sully says goodbye to Boo
> Movie: Monsters Inc. (2001)
> Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi
8. Uncle Ben dies
> Movie: Spider-Man (2002)
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco
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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10. Brandon is murdered for being transgender
> Movie: Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
> Starring: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III
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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12. Forrest visits Jenny’s grave
> Movie: Forrest Gump (1994)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
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
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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15. Cobb’s wife kills herself in the dream world
> Movie: Inception (2010)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
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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17. Christopher writes his death note
> Movie: Into the Wild (2007)
> Starring: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden
18. Ted gets to keep his son
> Movie: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
> Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry
19. The Fool is beaten to death
> Movie: La Strada (1954)
> Starring: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Aldo Silvani
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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
21. Harvey and Mayor Mascone are murdered
> Movie: Milk (2008)
> Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna
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22. Frankie grants Maggie’s wish for a mercy kill
> Movie: Million Dollar Baby (2004)
> Starring: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel
23. The boy has to shoot Old Yeller
> Movie: Old Yeller (1957)
> Starring: Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Tommy Kirk, Jeff York
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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25. Othello kills himself in agony
> Movie: Othello (1951)
> Starring: Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote, Suzanne Cloutier
26. Carin is murdered
> Movie: Patch Adams (1998)
> Starring: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman
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27. Andrew wins his case but dies of AIDS
> Movie: Philadelphia (1993)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman
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
29. Sophie gives up her daughter
> Movie: Sophie’s Choice (1982)
> Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Rita Karin
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30. The daughter dies of cancer
> Movie: Terms of Endearment (1983)
> Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito
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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32. The burned soldier dies
> Movie: The English Patient (1996)
> Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas
33. Coffey is executed despite his innocence
> Movie: The Green Mile (1999)
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt
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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35. Rose realizes that Jack is frozen to death
> Movie: Titanic (1997)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
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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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
38. Carl’s wife dies before she can see the Amazon
> Movie: Up (2009)
> Starring: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger, Christopher Plummer
39. Lisolette dies
> Movie: The Towering Inferno (1974)
> Starring: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, Faye Dunaway
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40. Liesel survives the bombing but everyone else dies
> Movie: The Book Thief (2013)
> Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer
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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42. Trevor dies in the hospital
> Movie: Pay It Forward (2000)
> Starring: Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, Jay Mohr
43. Jess finds out that Leslie is dead
> Movie: Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
> Starring: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Patrick
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
> Starring: Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith, Brian Howe
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45. Precious finds out she is HIV positive
> Movie: Precious (2009)
> Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey
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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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
48. Carrie kills her classmates after pig blood is dumped on her
> Movie: Carrie (1976)
> Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, John Travolta
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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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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