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Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

TragicEmotionalHeartbreakingIntense

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Isao Takahata
CAST:  Tsutomu Tatsumi  •  Ayano Shiraishi  •  Yoshiko Shinohara  •  Kozo Hashida

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Isao Takahata
CAST:  Tsutomu Tatsumi  •  Ayano Shiraishi  •  Yoshiko Shinohara  •  Kozo Hashida

Personal Effects (2009)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalRomantic

Walter is a rising star in the NCAA wrestling world until his life is ripped apart by the brutal murder of his sister. Returning home to console his mother Gloria he seeks vengeance on the man who is accused of the crime. A chance meeting with a beautiful mature ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  David Hollander
CAST:  Michelle Pfeiffer  •  Ashton Kutcher  •  Kathy Bates  •  Spencer Hudson

Walter is a rising star in the NCAA wrestling world until his life is ripped apart by the brutal murder of his sister. Returning home to console his mother Gloria he seeks vengeance on the man who is accused of the crime. A chance meeting with a beautiful mature ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  David Hollander
CAST:  Michelle Pfeiffer  •  Ashton Kutcher  •  Kathy Bates  •  Spencer Hudson

Light It Up (1999)

DepressingHeartbreakingSuspensefulEmotional

On a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Craig Bolotin
CAST:  Usher  •  Forest Whitaker  •  Rosario Dawson  •  Robert Ri'chard

On a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Craig Bolotin
CAST:  Usher  •  Forest Whitaker  •  Rosario Dawson  •  Robert Ri'chard

Two Lovers and a Bear (2016)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalRomantic

Set in a small town near the North Pole where roads lead to nowhere, the story follows Roman and Lucy, two burning souls who come together to make a leap for life and inner peace.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kim Nguyen
CAST:  Dane DeHaan  •  Tatiana Maslany  •  Gordon Pinsent  •  John Ralston

Set in a small town near the North Pole where roads lead to nowhere, the story follows Roman and Lucy, two burning souls who come together to make a leap for life and inner peace.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kim Nguyen
CAST:  Dane DeHaan  •  Tatiana Maslany  •  Gordon Pinsent  •  John Ralston

Oslo, August 31st (2011)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

One day in the life of Anders, a young recovering drug addict, who takes a brief leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Joachim Trier
CAST:  Anders Danielsen Lie  •  Hans Olav Brenner  •  Ingrid Olava  •  Tone Beate Mostraum

One day in the life of Anders, a young recovering drug addict, who takes a brief leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Joachim Trier
CAST:  Anders Danielsen Lie  •  Hans Olav Brenner  •  Ingrid Olava  •  Tone Beate Mostraum

Black Book (2006)

IntenseThought provokingTragicReal

In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Paul Verhoeven
CAST:  Carice van Houten  •  Sebastian Koch  •  Thom Hoffman  •  Halina Reijn

In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Paul Verhoeven
CAST:  Carice van Houten  •  Sebastian Koch  •  Thom Hoffman  •  Halina Reijn

Love (2015)

RomanticDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

Murphy is an American living in Paris who enters a highly sexually and emotionally charged relationship with the unstable Electra. Unaware of the seismic effect it will have on their relationship, they invite their pretty neighbor into their bed.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gaspar Noé
CAST:  Karl Glusman  •  Aomi Muyock  •  Klara Kristin  •  Juan Saavedra

Murphy is an American living in Paris who enters a highly sexually and emotionally charged relationship with the unstable Electra. Unaware of the seismic effect it will have on their relationship, they invite their pretty neighbor into their bed.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gaspar Noé
CAST:  Karl Glusman  •  Aomi Muyock  •  Klara Kristin  •  Juan Saavedra

Amour (2012)

DepressingTragicSlow movingRomantic

Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Haneke
CAST:  Emmanuelle Riva  •  Jean-Louis Trintignant  •  Isabelle Huppert  •  William Shimell

Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Haneke
CAST:  Emmanuelle Riva  •  Jean-Louis Trintignant  •  Isabelle Huppert  •  William Shimell

The Hanging Garden (1997)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

William, a once obese and troubled teen, goes back to his family's home after being gone, without word, for ten years and finds it (and his family) haunted with his past. He had moved to the city and become a fit, well-adjusted gay man, but during his visit home, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Thom Fitzgerald
CAST:  Ian Parsons  •  Peter MacNeill  •  Chris Leavins  •  Kerry Fox

William, a once obese and troubled teen, goes back to his family's home after being gone, without word, for ten years and finds it (and his family) haunted with his past. He had moved to the city and become a fit, well-adjusted gay man, but during his visit home, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Thom Fitzgerald
CAST:  Ian Parsons  •  Peter MacNeill  •  Chris Leavins  •  Kerry Fox

The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Jack Slavin is an environmentalist with a heart condition who lives with his daughter, Rose, on an isolated island. While Jack fights against developers who wish to build in the area, he also craves more contact with other people. When he invites his girlfriend, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rebecca Miller
CAST:  Daniel Day-Lewis  •  Camilla Belle  •  Catherine Keener  •  Ryan McDonald

Jack Slavin is an environmentalist with a heart condition who lives with his daughter, Rose, on an isolated island. While Jack fights against developers who wish to build in the area, he also craves more contact with other people. When he invites his girlfriend, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rebecca Miller
CAST:  Daniel Day-Lewis  •  Camilla Belle  •  Catherine Keener  •  Ryan McDonald

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gus Van Sant
CAST:  River Phoenix  •  Keanu Reeves  •  James Russo  •  William Richert

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gus Van Sant
CAST:  River Phoenix  •  Keanu Reeves  •  James Russo  •  William Richert

Nine Lives (2005)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rodrigo García
CAST:  Jason Isaacs  •  Robin Wright  •  Amy Brenneman  •  Elpidia Carrillo

Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rodrigo García
CAST:  Jason Isaacs  •  Robin Wright  •  Amy Brenneman  •  Elpidia Carrillo

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ron Howard
CAST:  Amy Adams  •  Glenn Close  •  Haley Bennett  •  Freida Pinto

An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ron Howard
CAST:  Amy Adams  •  Glenn Close  •  Haley Bennett  •  Freida Pinto

The Safety of Objects (2002)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rose Troche
CAST:  Glenn Close  •  Dermot Mulroney  •  Patricia Clarkson  •  Jessica Campbell

In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rose Troche
CAST:  Glenn Close  •  Dermot Mulroney  •  Patricia Clarkson  •  Jessica Campbell

1985 (2018)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Having been gone for three years, closeted advertising executive Adrian returns to his Texas hometown and struggles to reveal his dire circumstances to his conservative family.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yen Tan
CAST:  Cory Michael Smith  •  Virginia Madsen  •  Michael Chiklis  •  Jamie Chung

Having been gone for three years, closeted advertising executive Adrian returns to his Texas hometown and struggles to reveal his dire circumstances to his conservative family.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yen Tan
CAST:  Cory Michael Smith  •  Virginia Madsen  •  Michael Chiklis  •  Jamie Chung

The Glass Castle (2017)

UpliftingDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

A young girl is raised in a dysfunctional family constantly on the run from the FBI. Living in poverty, she comes of age guided by her drunkard, ingenious father who distracts her with magical stories to keep her mind off the family's dire state, and her selfish, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Destin Daniel Cretton
CAST:  Brie Larson  •  Naomi Watts  •  Woody Harrelson  •  Max Greenfield

A young girl is raised in a dysfunctional family constantly on the run from the FBI. Living in poverty, she comes of age guided by her drunkard, ingenious father who distracts her with magical stories to keep her mind off the family's dire state, and her selfish, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Destin Daniel Cretton
CAST:  Brie Larson  •  Naomi Watts  •  Woody Harrelson  •  Max Greenfield

Now Is Good (2012)

Tear-jerkerRomanticBeautifulDramatic

A girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she'd like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ol Parker
CAST:  Dakota Fanning  •  Jeremy Irvine  •  Kaya Scodelario  •  Olivia Williams

A girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she'd like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ol Parker
CAST:  Dakota Fanning  •  Jeremy Irvine  •  Kaya Scodelario  •  Olivia Williams

Sorry We Missed You (2019)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Ricky and his family have been fighting an uphill struggle against debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self-employed delivery driver. It's hard ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ken Loach
CAST:  Kris Hitchen  •  Debbie Honeywood  •  Rhys Mcgowan  •  Katie Proctor

Ricky and his family have been fighting an uphill struggle against debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self-employed delivery driver. It's hard ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ken Loach
CAST:  Kris Hitchen  •  Debbie Honeywood  •  Rhys Mcgowan  •  Katie Proctor

A Girl Like Her (2015)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Sophomore year has been a nightmare for Jessica Burns. Relentlessly harassed by her former friend Avery Keller, Jessica doesn't know what she did to deserve the abuse from one of South Brookdale High's most popular and beautiful students. But when a shocking event ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Amy S. Weber
CAST:  Jimmy Bennett  •  Lexi Ainsworth  •  Hunter King  •  Amy S. Weber

Sophomore year has been a nightmare for Jessica Burns. Relentlessly harassed by her former friend Avery Keller, Jessica doesn't know what she did to deserve the abuse from one of South Brookdale High's most popular and beautiful students. But when a shocking event ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Amy S. Weber
CAST:  Jimmy Bennett  •  Lexi Ainsworth  •  Hunter King  •  Amy S. Weber

Life as a House (2001)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Irwin Winkler
CAST:  Kevin Kline  •  Kristin Scott Thomas  •  Hayden Christensen  •  Jena Malone

When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Irwin Winkler
CAST:  Kevin Kline  •  Kristin Scott Thomas  •  Hayden Christensen  •  Jena Malone
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