Thought provoking + Intense + Tragic + Emotional + Tear-jerker + Depressing movies

 Emotional  Thought provoking  Tragic  Tear-jerker  Depressing  Intense  Heartbreaking  Romantic
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Barefoot Gen (1983)

TragicTear-jerkerDepressing

A story about the effect of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mori Masaki
CAST:  Issei Miyazaki  •  Masaki Kouda  •  Seiko Nakano  •  Takao Inoue

A story about the effect of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mori Masaki
CAST:  Issei Miyazaki  •  Masaki Kouda  •  Seiko Nakano  •  Takao Inoue

Men, Women & Children (2014)

Thought provokingEmotionalDepressing

Follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jason Reitman
CAST:  Rosemarie DeWitt  •  Jennifer Garner  •  Judy Greer  •  Dean Norris

Follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jason Reitman
CAST:  Rosemarie DeWitt  •  Jennifer Garner  •  Judy Greer  •  Dean Norris

Lingerie Soldier Papillon Rose (2003)

Thought provokingIntenseUpliftingTragic

Tsubomi is a savvy and horny school girl who works at a lingerie club, a gentlemen’s bar where scantily clad young women serve drinks to the patrons. She is useless at her job but is blackmailing her boss so she won’t get fired. One day she runs into a gorgeous ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Shinji Tobita
CAST:  Shiho Kikuchi  •  Masahito Yabe  •  Sachiko Kojima  •  Sayaka Kinoshita

Tsubomi is a savvy and horny school girl who works at a lingerie club, a gentlemen’s bar where scantily clad young women serve drinks to the patrons. She is useless at her job but is blackmailing her boss so she won’t get fired. One day she runs into a gorgeous ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Shinji Tobita
CAST:  Shiho Kikuchi  •  Masahito Yabe  •  Sachiko Kojima  •  Sayaka Kinoshita

Thirakkatha (2008)

IntenseRomanticTragicEmotional

The film is a tribute to the yesteryear actresses who had been graceful, popular figures in cinema during their younger age with patronage and later got completely disregarded by the industry, media and the masses alike. Ranjith has drawn inspiration from the life ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ranjith
CAST:  Priyamani  •  Anoop Menon  •  Samvrutha Sunil  •  Prithviraj Sukumaran

The film is a tribute to the yesteryear actresses who had been graceful, popular figures in cinema during their younger age with patronage and later got completely disregarded by the industry, media and the masses alike. Ranjith has drawn inspiration from the life ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ranjith
CAST:  Priyamani  •  Anoop Menon  •  Samvrutha Sunil  •  Prithviraj Sukumaran

Blues Tropical (1983)

Thought provokingIntenseEmotionalCaptivating

First part of the Trilogy of the Island in which Poli Marichal expresses and vents the anger and frustration caused by the colonial situation.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Poli Marichal
CAST: 

First part of the Trilogy of the Island in which Poli Marichal expresses and vents the anger and frustration caused by the colonial situation.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Poli Marichal
CAST: 

Love in the Time of Money (2002)

Thought provokingIntenseRomanticTragic

New York serves as a backdrop for a cast of characters in search of love, lust or lucre including a woman who makes awkward moves on the man renovating her SoHo loft, an embezzler, a sleazy artist and a phone psychic.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Peter Mattei
CAST:  Vera Farmiga  •  Domenick Lombardozzi  •  Jill Hennessy  •  Malcolm Gets

New York serves as a backdrop for a cast of characters in search of love, lust or lucre including a woman who makes awkward moves on the man renovating her SoHo loft, an embezzler, a sleazy artist and a phone psychic.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Peter Mattei
CAST:  Vera Farmiga  •  Domenick Lombardozzi  •  Jill Hennessy  •  Malcolm Gets

Blind (2014)

IntenseTragicEmotionalCreepy

Having recently lost her sight, Ingrid retreats to the safety of her home—a place where she can feel in control, alone with her husband and her thoughts. After a while, Ingrid starts to feel the presence of her husband in the flat when he is supposed to be at work. ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Eskil Vogt
CAST:  Ellen Dorrit Petersen  •  Vera Vitali  •  Henrik Rafaelsen  •  Marius Kolbenstvedt

Having recently lost her sight, Ingrid retreats to the safety of her home—a place where she can feel in control, alone with her husband and her thoughts. After a while, Ingrid starts to feel the presence of her husband in the flat when he is supposed to be at work. ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Eskil Vogt
CAST:  Ellen Dorrit Petersen  •  Vera Vitali  •  Henrik Rafaelsen  •  Marius Kolbenstvedt

Ordinary People (1980)

Thought provokingGrippingEmotionalDepressing

Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Redford
CAST:  Donald Sutherland  •  Mary Tyler Moore  •  Judd Hirsch  •  Timothy Hutton

Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robert Redford
CAST:  Donald Sutherland  •  Mary Tyler Moore  •  Judd Hirsch  •  Timothy Hutton

Soul Bird (2014)

Thought provokingTragicEmotionalHeartbreaking

We must listen to the 'bird' of the soul as well as our hearts in order to soar alongside our destiny. Jova has to make a decision with the love of her life, and can only feel that voice within.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Roana Wullinger
CAST:  Daniel Abreu  •  Danielle Drass  •  Matthew McKelligon  •  Morayo Orija

We must listen to the 'bird' of the soul as well as our hearts in order to soar alongside our destiny. Jova has to make a decision with the love of her life, and can only feel that voice within.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Roana Wullinger
CAST:  Daniel Abreu  •  Danielle Drass  •  Matthew McKelligon  •  Morayo Orija

Sophie's Choice (1982)

Thought provokingEmotionalDepressingHeartbreaking

Stingo, a young writer, moves to Brooklyn in 1947 to begin work on his first novel. As he becomes friendly with Sophie and her lover Nathan, he learns that she is a Holocaust survivor. Flashbacks reveal her harrowing story, from pre-war prosperity to Auschwitz. In ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alan J. Pakula
CAST:  Meryl Streep  •  Kevin Kline  •  Peter MacNicol  •  Rita Karin

Stingo, a young writer, moves to Brooklyn in 1947 to begin work on his first novel. As he becomes friendly with Sophie and her lover Nathan, he learns that she is a Holocaust survivor. Flashbacks reveal her harrowing story, from pre-war prosperity to Auschwitz. In ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alan J. Pakula
CAST:  Meryl Streep  •  Kevin Kline  •  Peter MacNicol  •  Rita Karin

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

Thought provokingEmotionalTear-jerkerHeartbreaking

In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kurt Kuenne
CAST:  Kurt Kuenne  •  Andrew Bagby  •  David Bagby  •  Kathleen Bagby

In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kurt Kuenne
CAST:  Kurt Kuenne  •  Andrew Bagby  •  David Bagby  •  Kathleen Bagby

Apur Sansar (1959)

Thought provokingTragicCharmingEmotional

Apu is a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer. An old college friend talks him into a visit up-country to a village wedding...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Sharmila Tagore  •  Alok Chakravarty  •  Swapan Mukherjee

Apu is a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer. An old college friend talks him into a visit up-country to a village wedding...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Sharmila Tagore  •  Alok Chakravarty  •  Swapan Mukherjee

True Crime (1999)

Tear-jerkerThought provokingSuspensefulTragic

Boozer, skirt chaser, careless father. You could create your own list of reporter Steve Everett's faults but there's no time. A San Quentin Death Row prisoner is slated to die at midnight – a man Everett has suddenly realized is innocent.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Clint Eastwood
CAST:  Clint Eastwood  •  Isaiah Washington  •  LisaGay Hamilton  •  Diane Venora

Boozer, skirt chaser, careless father. You could create your own list of reporter Steve Everett's faults but there's no time. A San Quentin Death Row prisoner is slated to die at midnight – a man Everett has suddenly realized is innocent.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Clint Eastwood
CAST:  Clint Eastwood  •  Isaiah Washington  •  LisaGay Hamilton  •  Diane Venora

Mary Magdalene (2018)

Thought provokingIntenseGrippingTragic

In the first century, free-spirited Mary Magdalene flees the marriage her family has arranged for her, finding refuge and a sense of purpose in a radical new movement led by the charismatic, rabble-rousing preacher named Jesus.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Garth Davis
CAST:  Rooney Mara  •  Joaquin Phoenix  •  Chiwetel Ejiofor  •  Ariane Labed

In the first century, free-spirited Mary Magdalene flees the marriage her family has arranged for her, finding refuge and a sense of purpose in a radical new movement led by the charismatic, rabble-rousing preacher named Jesus.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Garth Davis
CAST:  Rooney Mara  •  Joaquin Phoenix  •  Chiwetel Ejiofor  •  Ariane Labed

Nomadland (2021)

Thought provokingIntenseGrippingTragic

A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Chloé Zhao
CAST:  Frances McDormand  •  David Strathairn  •  Linda May  •  Bob Wells

A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Chloé Zhao
CAST:  Frances McDormand  •  David Strathairn  •  Linda May  •  Bob Wells

Remember Me (2010)

Thought provokingCharmingDarkEmotional

Still reeling from a heartbreaking family event and his parents' subsequent divorce, Tyler Hawkins discovers a fresh lease on life when he meets Ally Craig, a gregarious beauty who witnessed her mother's death. But as the couple draws closer, the fallout from their ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Allen Coulter
CAST:  Robert Pattinson  •  Pierce Brosnan  •  Emilie de Ravin  •  Chris Cooper

Still reeling from a heartbreaking family event and his parents' subsequent divorce, Tyler Hawkins discovers a fresh lease on life when he meets Ally Craig, a gregarious beauty who witnessed her mother's death. But as the couple draws closer, the fallout from their ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Allen Coulter
CAST:  Robert Pattinson  •  Pierce Brosnan  •  Emilie de Ravin  •  Chris Cooper

Monster's Ball (2001)

Thought provokingRomanticEmotionalTear-jerker

A prison guard begins a tentative romance with the unsuspecting widow of a man whose execution he presided over.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Marc Forster
CAST:  Halle Berry  •  Billy Bob Thornton  •  Heath Ledger  •  Sean Combs

A prison guard begins a tentative romance with the unsuspecting widow of a man whose execution he presided over.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Marc Forster
CAST:  Halle Berry  •  Billy Bob Thornton  •  Heath Ledger  •  Sean Combs

Rockstar (2011)

IntenseRomanticMindlessDark

An uninhibited youth woos the hottest about-to-be-married college girl. He rises to become a rock-star - then self-destructs.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Imtiaz Ali
CAST:  Ranbir Kapoor  •  Nargis Fakhri  •  Shammi Kapoor  •  Aditi Rao Hydari

An uninhibited youth woos the hottest about-to-be-married college girl. He rises to become a rock-star - then self-destructs.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Imtiaz Ali
CAST:  Ranbir Kapoor  •  Nargis Fakhri  •  Shammi Kapoor  •  Aditi Rao Hydari

The Hours (2002)

Slow movingTragicBeautifulBoring

"The Hours" is the story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Stephen Daldry
CAST:  Nicole Kidman  •  Julianne Moore  •  Meryl Streep  •  Stephen Dillane

"The Hours" is the story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Stephen Daldry
CAST:  Nicole Kidman  •  Julianne Moore  •  Meryl Streep  •  Stephen Dillane

Careful What You Wish For (2015)

Thought provokingIntenseGrippingSuspenseful

A guy gets more than he bargained for after entering into an affair with the wife of an investment banker. Soon, a suspicious death and substantial life insurance policy embroil him in a scandal.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
CAST:  Isabel Lucas  •  Kandyse McClure  •  Nick Jonas  •  Dermot Mulroney

A guy gets more than he bargained for after entering into an affair with the wife of an investment banker. Soon, a suspicious death and substantial life insurance policy embroil him in a scandal.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
CAST:  Isabel Lucas  •  Kandyse McClure  •  Nick Jonas  •  Dermot Mulroney
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