Any movie can make its audience cry, but it’s a much stronger feat for a story to be able to bring back all those emotions on repeated viewings, when the viewer knows exactly what’s going to happen but still feels the tears overflowing anyway. . Only a select handful of films can achieve thisand as a result, these emotional moments often go down in history as some of the saddest movie scenes ever filmed.
The art of making the viewer cry is not easy: Films can’t just assault the viewer with sad themes and disturbing narratives, but they need to be tweaked to feel realistic and authentic at the same time. When a scene is well written, features moving performances, and has the perfect soundtrack to accompany it, it shouldn’t matter that the audience knows what’s going to happen. These emotionally devastating moments usually happen at the end of the film, when the story’s loose threads finally pay off.
10
Andy leaves for college
Toy Story 3 (2010)
THE Toy story the series is full of moving commentary on childhood, the growth and evolution of youth, but it is the harrowing conclusion of Toy Story 3 which finally brings all these ideas together as Andy is forced to say goodbye to his toys.
It’s an incredibly sad moment that marks the end of Andy’s childhood, but it’s filled with bittersweet admiration for the toys that were always there for him.
9
ET goes home
No one does a thrilling ending like Steven Spielberg, and ET may be the most famous of all. After building a healthy friendship between Elliot and ET throughout the film, Spielberg separates them at the last moment. the alien’s family arrives on Earth to bring him home. It’s another bittersweet ending that shows both characters getting happy endings, but the audience can’t help but despair that they’re not together.
8
Mufasa falls to his death
The Lion King (1994)
There are many extremely sad deaths in Disney films, but Mufasa’s murder at the beginning of The Lion King may be the most moving of all. While it’s the most impressive shock factor upon first viewing, it’s Simba’s emotional reaction to the event that keeps the tears flowing on each repeat viewing. It’s the kind of unfair, unnecessary death you don’t expect from a family film, which is exactly why it was so effective.
7
“I could have saved more”
Schindler’s List (1993)
There are countless moments when Schindler’s List that can effortlessly make audiences cry, from the stunning look of the girl in red to the stones being placed on Oskar’s grave, but it’s Liam Neeson’s tragic final act monologue that hits the target more. It’s a scathing statement about the brutality of war, but more importantly, a transparent demonstration of the character’s own humanity and altruism that Neeson delivers with immense empathy.
6
The opening assembly
Above (2009)
Above is widely considered one of Pixar’s best films, but the film’s most moving moment comes in the first ten minutes. The film opens with a montage of Carl’s life before Russell showed up at his doorfollowing his romance with Ellie and concluding with his death in old age. It’s a moving scene that shows exactly how much emotion and feeling can be conveyed without even a word.
5
Cooper Home Videos
Interstellar (2014)
Matthew McConaughey received endless praise for his performance as Cooper in Interstellarand the famous scene where he watches his family’s messages from home is without a doubt his best work in the film.
It’s tragic and moving in all the right ways, giving you an idea of Christopher Nolan’s talent for writing emotional scenes.
The scene perfectly captures the fleeting nature of timewhich becomes even more distorted in Cooper’s scenario – he realizes how much of his children’s lives he missed, questioning his own decision to leave them behind in search of a better future for humanity. It’s tragic and moving in all the right ways, giving you an idea of Christopher Nolan’s talent for writing emotional scenes.
4
“That’s my son!”
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter It may not be the first franchise that comes to mind when considering emotional moments, but there’s a scene in the fourth installment that immediately clarifies the series’ transition from light and wonderful to dark and gritty. After Cedric’s death at the hands of a newly revived Voldemort, his father begins to cry over the boy’s body and scream for helpnot wanting to accept the death of his son.
3
Marley’s final moments
Marley and Me (2008)
Animal deaths in movies are always sad, but Marley and me undeniably has the most emotional of all. The film spends its entire time establishing the friendship between a man and his dog, only to tear them apart at the last second when he is forced to euthanize his beloved pet. While not as dramatic as some of the other memorable sad scenes in film history, is arguably all the more moving because it is so grounding and familiar to so many people.
2
Walking on the beach
It’s About Time (2013)
In essence, in addition to the science fiction elements and the engaging romance, It’s about time is the story of a young man trying to connect with his father and putting off the pain of losing him when the time comes. In the final scene, in which father and son travel back in time for one last walk on the beachIt’s a devastating moment that is sure to break the heart of anyone who has ever experienced grief before.
1
Mia and Sebastian Epilogue
La La Land (2016)
Although the film is mostly a happy story La La TerraThe conclusion doesn’t give the protagonists the happy ending they deserve. Instead of, Mia and Sebastian are only together in a dreamy vision of the futurebefore being dragged back to reality and forced away again.