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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

Adrift (2018)

IntenseTragicRealHeartbreaking

Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp couldn't anticipate that they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Baltasar Kormákur
CAST:  Shailene Woodley  •  Sam Claflin  •  Jeffrey Thomas  •  Elizabeth Hawthorne

Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp couldn't anticipate that they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Baltasar Kormákur
CAST:  Shailene Woodley  •  Sam Claflin  •  Jeffrey Thomas  •  Elizabeth Hawthorne

Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

InsightfulTear-jerkerDepressingHeartbreaking

Augusto and Michaela Odone are dealt a cruel blow by fate when their five-year-old son Lorenzo is diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease. But the Odones' persistence and faith leads to an unorthodox cure which saves their boy and re-writes medical history.  (more)

DIRECTION:  George Miller
CAST:  Susan Sarandon  •  Nick Nolte  •  Peter Ustinov  •  Ann Hearn

Augusto and Michaela Odone are dealt a cruel blow by fate when their five-year-old son Lorenzo is diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease. But the Odones' persistence and faith leads to an unorthodox cure which saves their boy and re-writes medical history.  (more)

DIRECTION:  George Miller
CAST:  Susan Sarandon  •  Nick Nolte  •  Peter Ustinov  •  Ann Hearn

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

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

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

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

EpicIntenseTragicDramatic

There were five Marines and one Navy Corpsman photographed raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. This is the story of three of the six surviving servicemen - John 'Doc' Bradley, Pvt. Rene Gagnon and Pvt. Ira Hayes - who ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Clint Eastwood
CAST:  Ryan Phillippe  •  Adam Beach  •  Jesse Bradford  •  Paul Walker

There were five Marines and one Navy Corpsman photographed raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. This is the story of three of the six surviving servicemen - John 'Doc' Bradley, Pvt. Rene Gagnon and Pvt. Ira Hayes - who ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Clint Eastwood
CAST:  Ryan Phillippe  •  Adam Beach  •  Jesse Bradford  •  Paul Walker

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

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

Whiplash (2013)

IntenseEmotionalThrillingMusical

A ferocious, bullying music teacher teaches a dedicated student. This is the 18 minute short film that the feature film was based on.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Damien Chazelle
CAST:  J.K. Simmons  •  Johnny Simmons  •  Nate Lang  •  C.J. Vana

A ferocious, bullying music teacher teaches a dedicated student. This is the 18 minute short film that the feature film was based on.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Damien Chazelle
CAST:  J.K. Simmons  •  Johnny Simmons  •  Nate Lang  •  C.J. Vana

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
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