Here are Cinephile Corner’s picks for 40 sad movies that will make you cry, ranked:
40. Drive My Car (2021)
39. Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987)
38. Marriage Story (2019)
37. Up (2009)
36. Nomadland (2020)
35. About Schmidt (2002)
About Schmidt is a good film, one that sits comfortably in Alexander Payne’s filmography but doesn’t quite reach the heights of his later classics. For fans of Payne’s more nuanced works, it’s an important piece, but it doesn’t carry the same emotional punch or cultural impact as his more well-known projects.
Read our full review of About Schmidt
34. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
33. Aftersun (2022)
Charlotte Wells’ debut movie Aftersun is a juggernaut. Few films demand the time and attention this A24 property does and also delivers on the promise of a deeply resonating ending that will surely endure the test of time and re-watchability. In many ways, Aftersun feels timeless – the rare use of technology or dated material is actually of 20 years past (around the timeframe for our lead character Sophie, played by the wonderful and peppy Frankie Corio, to reminisce the time she spent with her father), and the structural architecture and design of the Turkish resort they stay at is nearly absent. Every frame stays with people, not their surroundings.
Read our full review of Aftersun
32. After Yang (2021)
31. Rabbit Hole (2010)
30. Her (2013)
29. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
28. Arrival (2016)
Arrival is a beautifully presented, excellently edited piece of work that stands as a testament to Denis Villeneuve’s directorial ability and taste. Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner costar in one of the 2010s best science fiction movies.
Read our full review of Arrival
27. In the Mood for Love (2000)
26. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Inside Llewyn Davis is indeed a masterpiece of nuanced character study, where the Coen brothers bring their signature blend of dark humor, existential despair, and offbeat storytelling into a film that feels as emotionally resonant as it is stylistically unique. It’s a film that pulls no punches in portraying the painful, humbling reality of an artist struggling against not just the world, but also his own shortcomings. Llewyn Davis (played perfectly by Oscar Isaac) may be a man adrift, emotionally wounded by the loss of his partner, selfish and hard to like, yet he is also profoundly human, filled with raw talent and unfulfilled potential.
Read our full review of Inside Llewyn Davis
25. The Age of Innocence (1993)
24. Call Me by Your Name (2017)
23. Silence (2016)
22. The Iron Claw (2023)
The Iron Claw is a powerful reminder of the human spirit being both enduring and fragile. It’s a movie that redefines what a sports movie can be, leaving viewers emotionally spent and profoundly moved. This is, without a doubt, one of 2023’s greatest achievements in filmmaking, a confirmed *masterpiece* that will linger in your mind and heart long after the final bell rings.
Read our full review of The Iron Claw
21. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
20. Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out is still the best iteration of personifying emotions or concepts through animated films, choosing to live inside of the mind of youngster Riley moving from her Minnesota townhome to the big city of San Francisco. Pete Docter directs arguably his best film under the Pixar brand.
Read our full review of Inside Out
19. The Florida Project (2017)
The Florida Project isn’t just one of Sean Baker’s best films—it’s a modern indie masterpiece that has solidified itself as one of the defining movies of the 2010s. Released by A24 in 2017, it’s a stunningly poignant slice-of-life drama that immerses the audience in the sun-drenched but deeply flawed world of its characters. For me, this movie came at the perfect time, when I was just beginning to see film as more than entertainment and started engaging with it as an art form. It wasn’t just a gateway into Sean Baker’s career; it was a revelation that reshaped how I thought about storytelling on screen.
Read our full review of The Florida Project
18. Pig (2021)
17. Before Midnight (2013)
16. The Deer Hunter (1978)
15. The Elephant Man (1980)
The Elephant Man is both the most accessible, straightforward drama that David Lynch has ever made, and his biggest outlier (with close competition from The Straight Story). I suppose those two go hand-in-hand considering the director’s noteworthy style and disregard for formula and narrative. But The Elephant Man still has all of the sheer technical ability and hallmarks of a Lynchian story, even if squeezed into a movie a bit more palatable to a general audience.
Read our full review of The Elephant Man
14. We Live in Time (2024)
A movie like We Live in Time really shouldn’t work. The overly sentimental cancer drama is a well-trodden path, with its fair share of genuinely touching entries but even more bogged down by predictability and melodrama. We Live in Time doesn’t completely avoid these familiar pitfalls, as it leans into some of the same cheesy tropes that often plague this subgenre.
Read our full review of We Live in Time
13. The Green Mile (1999)
12. Titanic (1997)
11. Blue Valentine (2010)
10. Toy Story 3 (2010)
9. Wendy and Lucy (2008)
8. A Star Is Born (2018)
7. Moonlight (2016)
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
5. A Ghost Story (2017)
4. Past Lives (2023)
Celine Song‘s Past Lives is a revelation, despite a growing skepticism that romance movies are dead in the current streaming era. Every bit of emotion and rekindling romance is only strengthened by a nuanced approach to script and perfect casting. A real highlight of 2023.
Read our full review of Past Lives
3. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
A sense of dread and despair blankets the entirety of Fire Walk with Me, the prequal movie centered on the torment and inevitable death of Homecoming queen Laura Palmer in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington. There’s little fun to be had as much of the movie descends into a few frightening subplots with characters hiding dark secrets.
Read our full review of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
2. Manchester by the Sea (2016)
1. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
