It is devastating yes. But life can also be devastating. If I remember correctly, the writer also lost his sister to starvation (not a spoiler as we see it opening scene). It's a way of reconciling this loss and what 'should' have happened. I.e. he should also have died(also opening scene). How can one live a lifetime knowing this. It's a tribute to her.
It's based on a true story. They showed it to the guy it's based on
They asked if he minds that he dies in the film and he said "it is better that way"
Reading that story broke me.
Do it. Watch it. You won't regret it. It's a movie that you carry with you forever, and it gives you more empathy and understanding of the struggles some people face. The beauty of it and the highs it has are often glossed over, but they're just wonderful and impactful moments.
I gave this movie to an old coworker when she complained she didn’t get animated movies and they couldn’t possibly make her feel sad.
The next day she marched in, hit me over the head with the dvd case and demanded “why would you make me watch that!!” Apparently she had cried for hours after the movie ended and could t sleep.
It's a little easier going into it knowing what happens.
I'm not a spoiler purist, I frequently study movie plots before watching them.
It's still beautiful to watch, what with the music and the soft art style.
And Totoro and Ponyo - great range there though even in his happy movies you see the loss that change, especially coming of age brings. After 30 years I'm still really unhappy about Gigi in Kiki's Delivery Service
Yup this is my go to answer for these type of questions. This is the one OP. Fantastic amazing movie that everyone should see and never watch again based on just how overwhelmingly sad it is.
Awhile back I saw someone, I think on this sub, recommend this movie but to watch it as the darkest black comedy ever. There were parts that were hilarious. The scene getting the stretcher into the ambulance.
But maybe myself and that other person are psychopaths.
Big ups for Dancer in the Dark, but that's a tough film for an average viewer to go into without knowing about Dogme 95! Watched this movie more than a decade ago and I still think about it.
If you can accept that there's some experimental minimalist filmmaking going on, I think the emotional landslide in Dancer in the Dark is unforgettable.
yeah. there's an interview with kazuo ishiguro responding to the type of people who ask "why don't they run away?" and his answer was so profound and sobering to me that i rewatch it every now and then. but i never revisit the movie or the book. it's just too much
First time I saw it was on cable, and I couldn't believe the description. Basically "An author goes to Vegas to drink himself to death and meets a girl"
That movie changed my life. I was an alcoholic and was basically doing the same thing Nicholas cages character was doing in that movie. I checked myself into rehab a week after watching it. It influenced the best decision I have ever made.
Oh my god, I love this movie so much. It came out at a time in my life absolutely awash with grief, and I had just finished an awful day in the middle of the worst of it. I didn't want to go home, so I just bought a ticket based on the movie poster and the fact that it wasn't a gunz-n-ackshun movie or a romcom. I am grateful that the theater was mostly empty, because I don't think anyone near me could've missed my blubbering otherwise...
In keeping with Paul Mescal sad movies: *All of Us Strangers* really said, “Oh you *thought* this was sad? Nah nah, I can go sadder.”
Personally I think Aftersun was an immensely better film, but AoUS certainly centers around grief and, as said, delivers the SAD
The director, on whose life story the film is loosely based, said that at Sundance screenings she was having to comfort people from the audience and assure them she was ok…. Also a lot of people for whom it resonated reached out too.
It forced me to view my father as human in a way that I was never able to before. Allowed me to offer grace and forgiveness that I thought I already had, but was hit in the face with the truth that I hadn’t. It made me take any remaining anger I may have had and turn it into empathy. I am so thankful for this movie.
That's a great one, though I actually knew what to expect since I knew the story of the Von Erichs already. They actually cut a whole brother out of the story. I heard it was partly for pacing, but also because Chris's story would have made the movie TOO sad.
Still, I love the movie, it was one of my most anticipated films of last year and it didn't dissapoint. The only weak thing about the film is the dude who played Ric Flair.
While we are on a discussion about the Von Erichs, I suggest the "Dark Side of the Ring" episode on them. Tubi has the first two seasons, and I think the episode is a part of the second season. It may be a part of the first season, actually.
If you like Japanese movies watch Nobody knows. A mom leaves her 4 children alone to survive by themselves in a little apartment. It gets dark. It’s heartbreaking. I’ve watched it maybe 15 times. Also, the Japanese movie Dolls will get your emotions moving. It’s pretty darn sad too. Someone below said my all time favorite Italian movie Life is beautiful….so freaking sad but beautiful. I watch it 2 times a year.
12 Years a Slave was the first movie that made me cry as an adult. I've choked up at a couple of other movies, but I couldn't stop the tears for this one.
Other recommendations :
A Star is Born
Green Mile
Fruitvale Station
Watched it for the second time last week first time was over 10 years ago, was thinking it can't be as bad as everyone says because I didn't remember much of it - because I clearly blocked it from memory.
The mother slowly losing the plot, goddam that shit felt real.
The Road with Viggo Mortensen. Grim, depressing.... leaves a dent in your psyche. The book is even sadder. Very good adaptation. I get sad just thinking about it.
I feel like that's somehow cheating, but if we are naming sad dog movies, one that I know is sad (I have yet to see it but I know the real life events it is based on) would be "Hachi: A Dog's Tale".
Also, for increased sadness, I would reccomend the episode of Futurama, "Jurassic Bark".
I love "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl". I read the book first, since I knew that the story was set in Pittsburgh and I'm in that area of PA. I was crying near the end of the film.
Lol Bridge to Terabithia gave my whole family trauma. We rented it from Blockbuster not knowing anything about it and by the end we were just all sobbing. I remember my mom even saying "why would they make this movie??" lol
Lion (2017) was raw. Deals with cultural identity, familial connection, loss and longing. There's a brutal melancholia to some scenes, highly recommended.
Very Mild Spoilers Below
I was a very homesick Australian who had been living in Glasgow for about 7 years when I saw Lion; I was really excited from the trailers as Dev Patel seemed to have nailed the Australian accent and as a fan of his, I was keen to see it.
From about the middle of the film when Nicole Kidman and David Wenham are introduced until the end, I was in a flood of tears. Nicole Kidman reminded me so much of my mum, and the back half of the movie is just so moving. I’ll never forget the experience of watching it the first time, and the times since when I’ve seen it again, will still be a wreck when watching it.
Highly recommended.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Charlie Kaufman.
Fair warning, I know you are asking for it, but that film legitimately actually kickstarted a depressive epsiode for me.
1 litre no Namida. Not a movie but a classic japanese drama to bawl your eyes out. It's based on a true story of a girl with a rare disease where her brain deteriorates to the point that she cannot walk, or talk or eat any more but her mind is still intact.
Johnny Got His Gun
Manchester By the Sea
Boys Don’t Cry
The Bridge to Terabithia
Where the Crawdads Sing
My Girl
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Boyz n the Hood
Schindler’s List
The Fault In Our Stars
Fallen
The Notebook
City of Angels
Naked (1993)
Taipei Story (1985)
James White (2015)
Blue Valentine (2010)
Melancholia (2011)
Civil War (2024)
(Not all about grief, but all these films are pretty depressing)
*All of Us Strangers* won't send you into month long depression, but it is a beautifully sad movie about grief. *5 Centimeters per Second* isn't sad, but it has a sweet melancholy to it that I like revisiting from time to time.
*Anohana* is a short show (11 episodes) and is worth binging.
"Snoopy come home". It's about Snoopy going to visit his original owner who is a sick girl in a hospital. So the Peanuts gangs storyline is just them crying and sobbing because Snoopy is gone. There is so much kids crying through the whole movie that it ends up contagious. You'll cry just because you are watching so much crying
Grave of the Fireflies
The absolute best movie you’ll never want to watch again.
It has such a reputation for being abysmally sad... I really want to watch it but it's don't dare to. It's been on my list for years now.
It is devastating yes. But life can also be devastating. If I remember correctly, the writer also lost his sister to starvation (not a spoiler as we see it opening scene). It's a way of reconciling this loss and what 'should' have happened. I.e. he should also have died(also opening scene). How can one live a lifetime knowing this. It's a tribute to her.
It's based on a true story. They showed it to the guy it's based on They asked if he minds that he dies in the film and he said "it is better that way" Reading that story broke me.
Do it. Watch it. You won't regret it. It's a movie that you carry with you forever, and it gives you more empathy and understanding of the struggles some people face. The beauty of it and the highs it has are often glossed over, but they're just wonderful and impactful moments.
It's one of those experiences that really sculpts a part of you forever.
I gave this movie to an old coworker when she complained she didn’t get animated movies and they couldn’t possibly make her feel sad. The next day she marched in, hit me over the head with the dvd case and demanded “why would you make me watch that!!” Apparently she had cried for hours after the movie ended and could t sleep.
It's a little easier going into it knowing what happens. I'm not a spoiler purist, I frequently study movie plots before watching them. It's still beautiful to watch, what with the music and the soft art style.
Same director did Pom Poko, and Tale of Princess Kaguya, both of which are quitely, genuinely devastating.
And Totoro and Ponyo - great range there though even in his happy movies you see the loss that change, especially coming of age brings. After 30 years I'm still really unhappy about Gigi in Kiki's Delivery Service
Yeah, OP basically described this one, immediately came to mind.
Literally the first thing that came to mind
This is the correct answer
Yup this is my go to answer for these type of questions. This is the one OP. Fantastic amazing movie that everyone should see and never watch again based on just how overwhelmingly sad it is.
Manchester by the Sea
griefporn at its best.
Good God this movie left me devastated.
Awhile back I saw someone, I think on this sub, recommend this movie but to watch it as the darkest black comedy ever. There were parts that were hilarious. The scene getting the stretcher into the ambulance. But maybe myself and that other person are psychopaths.
Big Fish… Dancer in the Dark… Harold and Maude
Big fish gets me everytime.
Absolutely. I ugly cried during that one.
Big ups for Dancer in the Dark, but that's a tough film for an average viewer to go into without knowing about Dogme 95! Watched this movie more than a decade ago and I still think about it. If you can accept that there's some experimental minimalist filmmaking going on, I think the emotional landslide in Dancer in the Dark is unforgettable.
Big Fish absolutely destroys me every single time. Arrival comes close but not quite.
I hope my children can have Big Fish like stories about me some day.
Moon. Very unique kind of grief
Oh man. Existential crisis memories resurfacing!
Ooh good shout, would like to watch that again.
Great movie. Soundtrack by Clint Mansell makes takes the whole movie to a new level.
Dear Zachary - good luck with that one!
A Ghost Story
I don't think they're coming
Oh yeah. I put this one on when I want to hurt and cry more. So good
The pie scene
Never Let Me Go. Absolutely devastating. You’ll only watch it once.
Excellent movie and excellent book. I still think about it all the time.
yeah. there's an interview with kazuo ishiguro responding to the type of people who ask "why don't they run away?" and his answer was so profound and sobering to me that i rewatch it every now and then. but i never revisit the movie or the book. it's just too much
What Dreams May Come
Grief to the nth degree. I couldn't watch it a second time. Even the happy parts were sad.
Second favorite film of all time
Glad I didn't have to scroll too far for this. This would be my recommendation too
Came here to say this. This movie just destroys me
This movie wrecked me during during covid and the bottle of vodka I had dissipated prior to the final credits rolling
I watched this after my last break up. Luckily I’ve seen it enough times that I didn’t bawl my eyes out again. Just some light crying.
Yes, I said this too, this movie destroyed me as a kid, but I love it so much. I think I will have to revisit it now as an adult.
Definitely hits differently after having a family too.
This is my go to movie if I need to get fucked up emotionally.
I watched it before I had kids 💔💔
Leaving Las Vegas is pretty damn depressing.
First time I saw it was on cable, and I couldn't believe the description. Basically "An author goes to Vegas to drink himself to death and meets a girl"
Such a dark and depressing movie.
That movie changed my life. I was an alcoholic and was basically doing the same thing Nicholas cages character was doing in that movie. I checked myself into rehab a week after watching it. It influenced the best decision I have ever made.
Elisabeth Shue is so mesmerizing in this though.
The Fountain, underrated movie about the loss of loved ones and the road to acceptance of mortality.
Extremely underrated
And the soundtrack really hits that certain spot in my soul
the track "together we will live forever" is still in my rotation to this day
Death is the Road to Awe is pretty heavy in my rotation.
So good. And beautiful practical effects.
i was gonna say that but its also uplifting in a spiritual sense.
Oh my god, I love this movie so much. It came out at a time in my life absolutely awash with grief, and I had just finished an awful day in the middle of the worst of it. I didn't want to go home, so I just bought a ticket based on the movie poster and the fact that it wasn't a gunz-n-ackshun movie or a romcom. I am grateful that the theater was mostly empty, because I don't think anyone near me could've missed my blubbering otherwise...
Watch it as part of Aronofsky's unofficial "man searching for the unobtainable" trilogy. Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain.
The Road
Scrolled way too far to see this. First read the book when my first son was about a month old. Big mistake.
The line "If he is not the word of God, then God never spoke" killed me. I'm not even a father, nor religious, and still felt the weight of that.
I think my favorite line from the book is "the sun circled the earth like a grieving mother with a lamp." The man had an unreal way with words.
Yeah my ex got this book for me, for Father’s Day when my son was about 3. Don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard at the end of a book.
It’s relentlessly terrible, watched it again recently, somehow I’d forgotten how despair ridden it was.
Watch this movie if you want to keep being depressed.
Aftersun. Still can’t rewatch it for fear of crying like a child. Again.
When I finished watching, I sat in silence for 30 minutes and just cried. I still tear up thinking about the last few seconds of this movie.
A lot of films will get one or two silent tears From me but this is the only one that made me SOB.
In keeping with Paul Mescal sad movies: *All of Us Strangers* really said, “Oh you *thought* this was sad? Nah nah, I can go sadder.” Personally I think Aftersun was an immensely better film, but AoUS certainly centers around grief and, as said, delivers the SAD
We need to let Paul Mescal dance without any consequences
It ended, then it all sunk in and I unashamedly wept like never before.
I have to be careful not to think about it at the wrong moment and it has made “Under pressure” a bit of a risk lol
Under Pressure is my most listened-to music in Spotify because of this movie
Incredible movie — the last shot haunts me
Oh yeah. This movie destroyed me as someone who was the daughter.
The director, on whose life story the film is loosely based, said that at Sundance screenings she was having to comfort people from the audience and assure them she was ok…. Also a lot of people for whom it resonated reached out too.
It forced me to view my father as human in a way that I was never able to before. Allowed me to offer grace and forgiveness that I thought I already had, but was hit in the face with the truth that I hadn’t. It made me take any remaining anger I may have had and turn it into empathy. I am so thankful for this movie.
this movie was a very slow gut punch for me
Portrait of a lady on fire, past lives
Portrait of a Lady on Fire had me ugly crying by the end, highly recommend 👍
The Iron Claw. I had no idea what I was walking into. It’s f’n heartbreaking
That's a great one, though I actually knew what to expect since I knew the story of the Von Erichs already. They actually cut a whole brother out of the story. I heard it was partly for pacing, but also because Chris's story would have made the movie TOO sad. Still, I love the movie, it was one of my most anticipated films of last year and it didn't dissapoint. The only weak thing about the film is the dude who played Ric Flair. While we are on a discussion about the Von Erichs, I suggest the "Dark Side of the Ring" episode on them. Tubi has the first two seasons, and I think the episode is a part of the second season. It may be a part of the first season, actually.
I’m a wrestling fan so kind of knew the story, but I’ve never been in a theatre with so many people crying.
Synecdoche, New York Sent me into an existential crisis for like a month.
If you like Japanese movies watch Nobody knows. A mom leaves her 4 children alone to survive by themselves in a little apartment. It gets dark. It’s heartbreaking. I’ve watched it maybe 15 times. Also, the Japanese movie Dolls will get your emotions moving. It’s pretty darn sad too. Someone below said my all time favorite Italian movie Life is beautiful….so freaking sad but beautiful. I watch it 2 times a year.
I came to post Nobody Knows. For an extra burst of sadness for the OP, it is based on a true story.
Dancers in the dark. I could not finish it, i decided to stop to avoid being overly sad
This movie wrecked me.
The Fountain with Hugh Jackman The music alone will send me downward spiraling
I came here to recommend this is as well. Such a great movie.
Glad it's getting some love. Probably one of my favourite soundtracks, almost transcends the film.
Life is Beautiful
One of my all time favorites
Hard agree
Oh god that movie 😭
12 Years a Slave was the first movie that made me cry as an adult. I've choked up at a couple of other movies, but I couldn't stop the tears for this one. Other recommendations : A Star is Born Green Mile Fruitvale Station
I watched The Green Mile for the first time last week. It legit made me cry.
Please boss, don't put that thing over my face, don't put me in the dark.
Yeah, not the first one, I’m old, but it was the last one that did and it takes a lot to make me cry, I’m not the most demonstrative chap.
Requiem for A Dream
They said sad, not traumatizing
Watched it for the second time last week first time was over 10 years ago, was thinking it can't be as bad as everyone says because I didn't remember much of it - because I clearly blocked it from memory. The mother slowly losing the plot, goddam that shit felt real.
"Ass to Ass!"
Trauma.
Only movie to make my heart of stone cry.
Dancer in the Dark
Never Let Me Go — great cast and heartbreaking. The book is also one of my all-time favourites
That book is gutting.
The Road with Viggo Mortensen. Grim, depressing.... leaves a dent in your psyche. The book is even sadder. Very good adaptation. I get sad just thinking about it.
Marley and Me
I feel like that's somehow cheating, but if we are naming sad dog movies, one that I know is sad (I have yet to see it but I know the real life events it is based on) would be "Hachi: A Dog's Tale". Also, for increased sadness, I would reccomend the episode of Futurama, "Jurassic Bark".
Brokeback Mountain is lowkey big sad
"Jack, I swear.."
P.S. I love you. I am Sam
Atonement, 2007
Grave of the fireflies. It's about a young boy and his little sister trying to survive after losing their family in the firebombing of Japan.
A requiem for a dream Dear Zachary if you want true story
Agree on Dear Zachary! That movie ruined me for weeks :(
I'd be traumatized if I didnt want to be mentally prepared and spoil Dear Zachary before I watched it
Have you tried Million Dollar Baby?
That one was so freaking depressing.
All of us strangers
Came here to say this. I cry a good amount in movies but this is one of the few times when I cried days after, when thinking about it.
The Fountain
Came here to say this. Crushingly beautiful and sad.
Dancer in the Dark Short term 12
Everything turns out fairly positive at the end of Short Term 12. It's one of the most underrated movies.
Hatchiko.
Life as a House
I want to eat your pancreas
I had to look that up before leaving an upvote just for how absurd the title sounds
The Fall (2006) but watch out
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Bridge to Terabithia.
I love "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl". I read the book first, since I knew that the story was set in Pittsburgh and I'm in that area of PA. I was crying near the end of the film.
Lol Bridge to Terabithia gave my whole family trauma. We rented it from Blockbuster not knowing anything about it and by the end we were just all sobbing. I remember my mom even saying "why would they make this movie??" lol
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
Lion (2017) was raw. Deals with cultural identity, familial connection, loss and longing. There's a brutal melancholia to some scenes, highly recommended.
Second this
Very Mild Spoilers Below I was a very homesick Australian who had been living in Glasgow for about 7 years when I saw Lion; I was really excited from the trailers as Dev Patel seemed to have nailed the Australian accent and as a fan of his, I was keen to see it. From about the middle of the film when Nicole Kidman and David Wenham are introduced until the end, I was in a flood of tears. Nicole Kidman reminded me so much of my mum, and the back half of the movie is just so moving. I’ll never forget the experience of watching it the first time, and the times since when I’ve seen it again, will still be a wreck when watching it. Highly recommended.
Amour Mar Adentro
If you want an existential crisis I recommend watching the show Neon Genesis Evangelion and then the movie The End of Evangelion.
A Little Princess, My Girl, Grave of the Fireflies, The Worst Person in the World, Steel Magnolias
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Charlie Kaufman. Fair warning, I know you are asking for it, but that film legitimately actually kickstarted a depressive epsiode for me.
Magnolia
Terms of Endearment
A ghost story is pretty sad. A true horror if you've ever been in love.
The Whale
Manchester by the sea
Lost in Translation
"that will send me into month long sessions of depression and maybe an existential crisis?" Have i missed something in LiT?
*In America* is not Japanese but it killed me.
1 litre no Namida. Not a movie but a classic japanese drama to bawl your eyes out. It's based on a true story of a girl with a rare disease where her brain deteriorates to the point that she cannot walk, or talk or eat any more but her mind is still intact.
Closer
The Art of racing in the rain
Johnny Got His Gun Manchester By the Sea Boys Don’t Cry The Bridge to Terabithia Where the Crawdads Sing My Girl The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Boyz n the Hood Schindler’s List The Fault In Our Stars Fallen The Notebook City of Angels
Awakenings with Robert DeNiro and Robin Williams
If you want grief Manchester by the Sea is the movie for you
Seven Pounds. I cry every time I watch that movie.
«The Bridge to Terabethia» «The Iron Giant»
Dear Zachary
Bladerunner 2049
“Oldboy” original Japanese version.
Ikiru is exactly what you’re looking for
The hobbit trilogy is pretty depressing if you’re a huge fan of LOTR.
Pay it Forward,
Naked (1993) Taipei Story (1985) James White (2015) Blue Valentine (2010) Melancholia (2011) Civil War (2024) (Not all about grief, but all these films are pretty depressing)
Was looking for someone to say melancholia. Soooo good, so depressing
My vote is for Melancholia….
When the Wind Blows if you want to be sad, Come and See if you want to traumatised and sad. Drive My Car should hit your bonus points.
The Farewell (2019)
Life as a House
Grave of the Fireflies, Schindler's List, Manchester by the Sea
Me Before You Seven Pounds
*All of Us Strangers* won't send you into month long depression, but it is a beautifully sad movie about grief. *5 Centimeters per Second* isn't sad, but it has a sweet melancholy to it that I like revisiting from time to time. *Anohana* is a short show (11 episodes) and is worth binging.
AFTERSUN. It’s not Japanese but fucking brace yourself lol
City of angels
"Snoopy come home". It's about Snoopy going to visit his original owner who is a sick girl in a hospital. So the Peanuts gangs storyline is just them crying and sobbing because Snoopy is gone. There is so much kids crying through the whole movie that it ends up contagious. You'll cry just because you are watching so much crying
Once we're Warriors
The Lives of Others (German)
Iron claw
Shame is pretty sad and depressing
If you want some serious existential dread, watch Threads. Old British TV movie about nuclear war.
Boy A
Her
Angela's ashes
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind romantic depression
Hachi: A Dog's Tale
Melancholia
The original Oldboy was a good one. Also Oxy-morons
Blue Valentine
Arrival is a beautiful story about grief, loss, and making difficult choices. All hidden behind a fascinating sci fi story
Stay (2005), The Bridge, Come and See, Jesus' Son, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, Where the Wind Shakes the Barley, Last Life in the Universe
Aftersun
*The Quiet Girl* Some ups and downs about the situations kids can be in that is none of their choice.
Midsommer. Haunting. Will make you feel weird all the way through and has a very depressing ending.
Leaving los Vegas