25 Sad Movies on Netflix for Your Next Good Cry
Go ahead and let it all out.
When you’re feeling down, you’ve got two types of movie choices to make. One option is to put on something feel-good in the hopes of lifting your spirits, whether it’s a steamy romance, a happy musical, or an epic Western adventure. The other, probably more therapeutic route, is to embrace your current emotions, and put on a sad movie that matches your mood.
No matter what’s got you upset (be it heartbreak, loss, or just one of those days), there’s nothing like grabbing some tissues and pressing play on a movie that will get the waterworks going. These stories encompass everything from personal misfortunes, to relationship struggles, to real historical tragedies that can affect us for days to come. Given their profound emotional impact, it makes you wonder: why do we opt for these movies during our lowest points?
According to Greatist, the answer may be because sad movies actually put us in a happier mood after watching them. Research suggests that they help put our own problems into perspective, and they also release chemicals in the brain that prompt empathy for others in real life. This seems counterintuitive considering all the runny mascara that results, but could explain why watching sad movies is a tradition we continually come back to.
Once you’re ready to find a tearjerker, Netflix has an extensive library to browse through. Titles range from earlier classics like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), to newer dramas like The Florida Project (2017) and Walk. Ride. Rodeo. (2019). With so much melancholy to choose from, it’s never been easier to stream some sadness into your movie night and let it all out.
The Florida Project
Six-year-old Moonee lives just outside Disney World, but her childhood is a far stretch from the magic of the parks. The Florida Project follows her daily life as a girl growing up in poverty, who doesn't yet grasp the harshness of the world around her.
Moonlight
Winner of the 2017 Academy Award for Best Picture, Moonlight is a stunning and heart-wrenching portrayal of a man's lifelong journey to self-love. It observes Chiron, a young black man, at three pivotal moments from his adolescence to adulthood.
Marriage Story
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson star in Marriage Story as a stage director and his wife undergoing a bitter divorce. Amid the pain, the film also allows space for laughter and hope.
Hillbilly Elegy
Based on J.D. Vance's bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy reflects on his return from Yale Law School to his Appalachian hometown. It forces him to confront his upbringing, and offers a window into a community where health and economic problems run deep.
Carol
Carol is based on the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. It stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara navigating their forbidden, romantic feelings for one another after a chance encounter at a department store.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Johnny Depp stars as Gilbert Grape in this film about a young man with a great deal of responsibility on his plate. He not only cares for his mother, but also his special needs brother played by a young Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Help
The Help stars Emma Stone as a Southern society girl with aspirations of becoming a writer. She makes waves in her community by interviewing local black maids, whose stories are sentimental, witty, and inspiring.
Les Misérables
You're likely familiar with the story of Les Misérables, which takes place in 19th-century France. No matter how many times you've watched the movie or seen the musical, it's hard not to well up during Anne Hathaway's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream."
Philomena
Philomena takes its inspiration from a true, grave injustice experienced by an Irish woman (Judi Dench) whose child is taken from her in the 1950s and sent to America for adoption. A BBC journalist (Steve Coogan) learns of her story, and together they embark on a journey to search for her son.
The Pursuit of Happyness
There won't be a dry eye in the room after watching The Pursuit of Happyness. Starring real life father-son duo Will and Jaden Smith, the film tells the story of a struggling single father and his son overcoming agonizing hardships in search of a better life.
Rain Man
When Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) learns that his father has died, it leads him to another discovery: that he has an autistic older brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). The two take a road trip to Los Angeles that will forever change them.
The Theory of Everything
Most people know Stephen Hawking for his outstanding contributions to the field of physics, but it's also true that he had a magnificent love story. The Theory of Everything depicts his relationship with his wife Jane, who serves as an exemplary partner while a motor neuron disease ravages his health.
The Intouchables
Omar Sy stars opposite François Cluzet in this touching, true story of an ex-convict caregiver who befriends the millionaire quadriplegic who employs him. Despite the tragic premise, this movie brings laughs as well as tears.
The Life Ahead
This Italian film stars Sophia Loren as a Holocaust survivor, who forms an unlikely friendship with the young Senegalese immigrant who robs her. Critics agree Loren delivers a commanding performance that makes this well worth a watch.
The Impossible
Based on a real, terrifying survival story, The Impossible depicts a family vacationing in Thailand when the 2004 tsunami hits. Parents Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor) go to extraordinary lengths to protect their three sons.
Walk. Ride. Rodeo.
Real life teen Amberley Snyder was a talented rodeo competitor before she experienced a car crash that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Walk. Ride. Rodeo tells the incredibly story of her rehabilitation, and ultimate return to her beloved sport.
The Dig
Set in the idyllic English countryside, Dig tells the story of a wealthy landowner in the 1930s, who hires an archaeologist to investigate her property grounds. The excavation that follows touches on the fragility of life and is full of charm.
Gimme Shelter
In one of her most dramatic roles, Vanessa Hudgens stars in Gimme Shelter as a pregnant teenager who runs away from her abusive mother. The film follows her emotional journey to find a safe haven, and a whole new type of family.
Unfinished Song
It's hard to beat the sentimentality and sweetness of Unfinished Song. The movie features an elderly British man, who joins a community choir to cheer up his wife diagnosed with cancer.
Sarah's Key
Sarah's Key follows a journalist's tense investigation into the Holocaust, and a 10-year-old Jewish girl from that time period.
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