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To the Wonder (2012)

RomanticDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church's Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Terrence Malick
CAST:  Ben Affleck  •  Olga Kurylenko  •  Javier Bardem  •  Rachel McAdams

After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church's Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Terrence Malick
CAST:  Ben Affleck  •  Olga Kurylenko  •  Javier Bardem  •  Rachel McAdams

You Can Count on Me (2000)

UpliftingDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

A single mother's life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother returns to town.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kenneth Lonergan
CAST:  Laura Linney  •  Mark Ruffalo  •  Matthew Broderick  •  Rory Culkin

A single mother's life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother returns to town.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kenneth Lonergan
CAST:  Laura Linney  •  Mark Ruffalo  •  Matthew Broderick  •  Rory Culkin

Return to Paradise (1998)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

Lewis, Sheriff and Tony are three friends vacationing in Malaysia. Sheriff and Tony eventually leave to pursue careers in New York, but Lewis stays behind to work with orangutans. Two years later, Sheriff and Tony learn that, because of their past actions, Lewis ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Joseph Ruben
CAST:  Vince Vaughn  •  Anne Heche  •  Joaquin Phoenix  •  David Conrad

Lewis, Sheriff and Tony are three friends vacationing in Malaysia. Sheriff and Tony eventually leave to pursue careers in New York, but Lewis stays behind to work with orangutans. Two years later, Sheriff and Tony learn that, because of their past actions, Lewis ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Joseph Ruben
CAST:  Vince Vaughn  •  Anne Heche  •  Joaquin Phoenix  •  David Conrad

Certain Women (2016)

UpliftingDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

Three strong-willed women strive to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest: a lawyer forced to subdue a troubled client; a wife and mother whose plans to construct her dream home reveal fissures in her marriage; and a lonely ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kelly Reichardt
CAST:  Laura Dern  •  Michelle Williams  •  Kristen Stewart  •  Lily Gladstone

Three strong-willed women strive to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest: a lawyer forced to subdue a troubled client; a wife and mother whose plans to construct her dream home reveal fissures in her marriage; and a lonely ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Kelly Reichardt
CAST:  Laura Dern  •  Michelle Williams  •  Kristen Stewart  •  Lily Gladstone

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

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Bob Muldoon and Ruth Guthrie, an impassioned young outlaw couple on an extended crime spree, are finally apprehended by lawmen after a shootout in the Texas hills. Although Ruth wounds a local officer, Bob takes the blame. But four years later, Bob escapes from ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  David Lowery
CAST:  Rooney Mara  •  Ben Foster  •  Casey Affleck  •  Rami Malek

Bob Muldoon and Ruth Guthrie, an impassioned young outlaw couple on an extended crime spree, are finally apprehended by lawmen after a shootout in the Texas hills. Although Ruth wounds a local officer, Bob takes the blame. But four years later, Bob escapes from ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  David Lowery
CAST:  Rooney Mara  •  Ben Foster  •  Casey Affleck  •  Rami Malek

As I Lay Dying (2013)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Based on the classic novel by William Faulkner, first published in 1930, "As I Lay Dying" is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her family's quest to honor her last wish to be buried in the nearby town of Jefferson.  (more)

DIRECTION:  James Franco
CAST:  James Franco  •  Danny McBride  •  Logan Marshall-Green  •  Ahna O'Reilly

Based on the classic novel by William Faulkner, first published in 1930, "As I Lay Dying" is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her family's quest to honor her last wish to be buried in the nearby town of Jefferson.  (more)

DIRECTION:  James Franco
CAST:  James Franco  •  Danny McBride  •  Logan Marshall-Green  •  Ahna O'Reilly

Morvern Callar (2002)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

After her boyfriend commits suicide, a young woman attempts to use the unpublished manuscript of a novel and a sum of money he left behind to reinvent her life.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lynne Ramsay
CAST:  Samantha Morton  •  Kathleen McDermott  •  Linda McGuire  •  James Wilson

After her boyfriend commits suicide, a young woman attempts to use the unpublished manuscript of a novel and a sum of money he left behind to reinvent her life.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lynne Ramsay
CAST:  Samantha Morton  •  Kathleen McDermott  •  Linda McGuire  •  James Wilson

Breaking the Waves (1996)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

In a small and conservative Scottish village, a woman's paralytic husband convinces her to have extramarital intercourse so she can tell him about it and give him a reason for living.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lars von Trier
CAST:  Emily Watson  •  Stellan Skarsgård  •  Katrin Cartlidge  •  Jean-Marc Barr

In a small and conservative Scottish village, a woman's paralytic husband convinces her to have extramarital intercourse so she can tell him about it and give him a reason for living.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lars von Trier
CAST:  Emily Watson  •  Stellan Skarsgård  •  Katrin Cartlidge  •  Jean-Marc Barr

I Smile Back (2015)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Laney is an attractive, intelligent suburban wife and devoted mother of two adorable children. She has the perfect husband who plays basketball with the kids in the driveway, a pristine house, and a shiny SUV for carting the children to their next activity. However ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Adam Salky
CAST:  Sarah Silverman  •  Josh Charles  •  Thomas Sadoski  •  Mia Barron

Laney is an attractive, intelligent suburban wife and devoted mother of two adorable children. She has the perfect husband who plays basketball with the kids in the driveway, a pristine house, and a shiny SUV for carting the children to their next activity. However ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Adam Salky
CAST:  Sarah Silverman  •  Josh Charles  •  Thomas Sadoski  •  Mia Barron

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Behrani, an Iranian immigrant buys a California bungalow, thinking he can fix it up, sell it again, and make enough money to send his son to college. However, the house is the legal property of former drug addict Kathy. After losing the house in an unfair legal ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Vadim Perelman
CAST:  Jennifer Connelly  •  Ben Kingsley  •  Ron Eldard  •  Frances Fisher

Behrani, an Iranian immigrant buys a California bungalow, thinking he can fix it up, sell it again, and make enough money to send his son to college. However, the house is the legal property of former drug addict Kathy. After losing the house in an unfair legal ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Vadim Perelman
CAST:  Jennifer Connelly  •  Ben Kingsley  •  Ron Eldard  •  Frances Fisher

Ben Is Back (2018)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

19-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Peter Hedges
CAST:  Julia Roberts  •  Lucas Hedges  •  Kathryn Newton  •  Courtney B. Vance

19-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Peter Hedges
CAST:  Julia Roberts  •  Lucas Hedges  •  Kathryn Newton  •  Courtney B. Vance

North Country (2005)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States -- Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Niki Caro
CAST:  Charlize Theron  •  Elle Peterson  •  Thomas Curtis  •  Frances McDormand

A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States -- Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Niki Caro
CAST:  Charlize Theron  •  Elle Peterson  •  Thomas Curtis  •  Frances McDormand

Little Birds (2011)

UpliftingDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

Lily and Alison face a life-changing event after they leave their Salton Sea home and follow the boys they meet back to Los Angeles.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Elgin James
CAST:  Juno Temple  •  Kay Panabaker  •  Kyle Gallner  •  Neal McDonough

Lily and Alison face a life-changing event after they leave their Salton Sea home and follow the boys they meet back to Los Angeles.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Elgin James
CAST:  Juno Temple  •  Kay Panabaker  •  Kyle Gallner  •  Neal McDonough

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Charlie Kaufman
CAST:  Philip Seymour Hoffman  •  Samantha Morton  •  Jennifer Jason Leigh  •  Michelle Williams

A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Charlie Kaufman
CAST:  Philip Seymour Hoffman  •  Samantha Morton  •  Jennifer Jason Leigh  •  Michelle Williams

The Turin Horse (2011)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

A monumental windstorm and an abused horse's refusal to work or eat signal the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Béla Tarr
CAST:  János Derzsi  •  Erika Bók  •  Mihály Kormos  •  Lajos Kovács

A monumental windstorm and an abused horse's refusal to work or eat signal the beginning of the end for a poor farmer and his daughter.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Béla Tarr
CAST:  János Derzsi  •  Erika Bók  •  Mihály Kormos  •  Lajos Kovács

All Good Children (2010)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

After experiencing a tragedy, Irish brothers Dara and Eoin move to rural France, where they become friends with young Bella, whose beauty and charm bewitches the emotionally unstable Dara.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alicia Duffy
CAST:  David Brazil  •  Martin Firket  •  Jack Gleeson  •  Imogen Jones

After experiencing a tragedy, Irish brothers Dara and Eoin move to rural France, where they become friends with young Bella, whose beauty and charm bewitches the emotionally unstable Dara.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alicia Duffy
CAST:  David Brazil  •  Martin Firket  •  Jack Gleeson  •  Imogen Jones

Clemency (2019)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Chinonye Chukwu
CAST:  Alfre Woodard  •  Aldis Hodge  •  Richard Schiff  •  Wendell Pierce

Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Chinonye Chukwu
CAST:  Alfre Woodard  •  Aldis Hodge  •  Richard Schiff  •  Wendell Pierce

Guy (1997)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

A young, female filmmaker looks through her camera for an object to film. She wants to film the private live of an ordinary person and starts following Guy. He is very irritated about this girl following him, always looking through her camera, never showing herself ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Lindsay-Hogg
CAST:  Vincent D'Onofrio  •  Hope Davis  •  Kimber Riddle  •  Lucy Liu

A young, female filmmaker looks through her camera for an object to film. She wants to film the private live of an ordinary person and starts following Guy. He is very irritated about this girl following him, always looking through her camera, never showing herself ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Lindsay-Hogg
CAST:  Vincent D'Onofrio  •  Hope Davis  •  Kimber Riddle  •  Lucy Liu

Louder Than Bombs (2015)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

Three years after his wife, acclaimed photographer Isabelle Reed, dies in a car crash, Gene keeps everyday life going with his shy teenage son, Conrad. A planned exhibition of Isabelle’s photographs prompts Gene's older son, Jonah, to return to the house he grew up ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Joachim Trier
CAST:  Gabriel Byrne  •  Isabelle Huppert  •  Jesse Eisenberg  •  Devin Druid

Three years after his wife, acclaimed photographer Isabelle Reed, dies in a car crash, Gene keeps everyday life going with his shy teenage son, Conrad. A planned exhibition of Isabelle’s photographs prompts Gene's older son, Jonah, to return to the house he grew up ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Joachim Trier
CAST:  Gabriel Byrne  •  Isabelle Huppert  •  Jesse Eisenberg  •  Devin Druid
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