7 Movies That Broke My Heart
We all need a good cry from time to time, don’t we? I often find watching a sad movie lets out emotions I didn’t know I was holding back. A study by Oxford University found that sad films actually boost endorphins in the brain and and increase our pain tolerance.
Here are some movies that broke my heart, ordered from shedding some tears to full on ugly-crying all night. You can read the first part of each review safely, but beware of the second paragraph for each movie which has a *spoilers* warning.
1. Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
This film tells the beautiful story of a teenager with mental health issues trying to make it through high school in 1990s America. Striking an unlikely friendship with older students, there’s a lovely insight into pre-internet life where they search through music tapes to find their “tunnel song” heard on the radio one night.
*Spoilers if you haven’t seen the film*
What made this film so upsetting for me is the rather unhappy ending. The story begins with Charlie being released from a mental health institution, then making friends at school and finding some happiness. But by the end of the movie, he’s discovered something awful about his childhood and is staying in hospital again trying to deal with his trauma.
2. La La Land (2016)
Famous for the Oscar blunder in which it was mistakenly awarded Best Picture, this musical rom-com had mixed reviews. The story’s main theme is the classic dilemma between relationship and career. Its approval ratings were high but it’s been criticised for the treatment of race - specifically the notion of the ‘white saviour’ trying to rescue jazz, a traditionally black musical genre. Additionally for a musical, there’s a surprising lack of original songs and the two lead actors are both underwhelming as singers.
*Spoilers ahead*
Despite its issues, I remember trying not to bawl my eyes out in the cinema when the lights came on. It’s one of the few rom-coms, like 500 Days of Summer, which doesn’t end happily. That last scene, set years in the future where they find each other again and play out a scene where nothing went wrong and they lived happily ever after, is the perfect ending to the movie. I think what makes it so teary is the genuine smile they give each other as Mia walks out of the bar, both happy to see they achieved their dreams.
3. The Imitation Game (2014)
I saw this in the cinema during university with my male flatmates and it had us all in tears. The Imitation Game tells the story of Alan Turing, a mathematician who decrypted German messages at Bletchley Park during WW2. He was highly influential in the development of computing and is often considered the father of theoretical computer science. Bletchley Park’s codebreaking efforts are estimated to have shortened the war by two years.
*Spoilers if you don’t know his story*
Alan Turing is remembered for more than just his heroic work during WW2. He was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexual acts and was given the choice between prison and chemical castration. Choosing the latter led to his suicide. The film’s ending is nothing less than heartbreaking for a man who saved so many lives.
4. Remember Me (2010)
Similar to The Imitation Game, this film’s sadness comes from its partial basis on true events. It’s well acted and tells the up-and-down love story of two young adults who both suffered traumatic events and the loss of a close family member.
*Spoilers if you haven’t seen the film*
I did not see the ending coming. Admittedly I should have, but I was young at the time and didn’t pick up on the cues, like subtle signs this 2010 movie is actually set in 2001. Tyler, the male lead, visits his dad’s office at various points, but you don’t discover until the end that it’s in the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
5. Revolutionary Road (2008)
Kate and Leo, a classic duo. It never seems to end happily for them though. This film is directed by Sam Mendes, whose name gained a lot of recognition last year for the fantastic (and also heartbreaking) 1917. He was married to Kate Winslet when Revolutionary Road was made. It depicts a 1950s love story between two complex characters, and the slow breakdown in their marriage.
*Spoilers ahead - and trigger warning: abortion*
I saw the ending coming so it shouldn’t have upset me as much as it did. The shift from such a beautiful beginning to a love story to an incredibly tragic ending is played so brilliantly by both leading actors. I think what made this finale so sad was the character’s absolute despair at the situation, resorting to an illegal home abortion she knew would likely kill her.
6. Marriage Story (2019)
This Netflix original by Noah Baumbach was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture. It takes the penultimate spot in my list. As the name would suggest, this film tells the story of a marriage - or rather its demise. Outstandingly acted by Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and the supporting cast, you become so invested as to feel you’re part of the marriage yourself.
*Spoilers*
We can guess from the title this movie doesn’t have a happy ending. But its final scene absolutely broke me. Near the beginning of the story, the couple attend counselling and are instructed to write down what they love about each other and read them aloud, which never happens and they ultimately give up on the counselling. Almost forgotten by the end, you feel happy they’ve moved on with their lives, until their son finds one of the letters and asks his father to read it in front of both parents. It’s so heartbreakingly emotive you’re left wondering if they made the right decision to divorce.
7. On Chesil Beach (2017)
I’m trying so hard not to tear up just thinking about this film. There was no doubt that it went at the end of my list - On Chesil Beach well and truly broke my heart. Based on the novel of the same name, it’s a love story set in the 1960s starring Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle. Recently graduating from university, they meet and quickly fall in love, but the story soon takes an unexpected turn.
*Spoilers and trigger warning for sexual abuse*
Through the eyes of Florence, we witness the agonising consequences of how little sex was discussed during the 1960s. Absolutely terrified and repulsed by the thought of it, she runs out of the hotel on her wedding night, onto Chesil Beach, where the two have a heated discussion. It’s hinted that her father may have sexually abused her but the movie - nor the book - confirm this, which feels like an echo of the fact that Florence herself may not have known, given how little the topic was discussed. The couple abruptly decide to separate and get an annulment. While that was enough to tug on the heartstrings, I cried my eyes out at the ending where years in the future, they’re reunited and share a look across the concert hall filled with such sadness and wonders of what could have been.
Written by Hannah Lindup
I’m a 26 year old marketing and communications professional living in beautiful York. Writing is one of my favourite parts of this field and I’m starting to explore more of it outside of work with the hopes of becoming a freelance writer.
Outside of work I’m also a photographer specialising in black and white street prints which I sell at art fairs and galleries (when they’re open!). I also enjoy art, politics, singing and music, having learnt five different instruments as a child.