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The Ice Storm (1997)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

In the weekend after thanksgiving 1973 the Hood family is skidding out of control. Then an ice storm hits, the worst in a century.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ang Lee
CAST:  Kevin Kline  •  Joan Allen  •  Sigourney Weaver  •  Henry Czerny

In the weekend after thanksgiving 1973 the Hood family is skidding out of control. Then an ice storm hits, the worst in a century.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ang Lee
CAST:  Kevin Kline  •  Joan Allen  •  Sigourney Weaver  •  Henry Czerny

Any Day Now (2012)

UpliftingDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

In the late 1970s, when a mentally handicapped teenager is abandoned, a gay couple takes him in and becomes the family he's never had. But once the unconventional living arrangement is discovered by authorities, the men must fight the legal system to adopt the child.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Travis Fine
CAST:  Alan Cumming  •  Garret Dillahunt  •  Isaac Leyva  •  Frances Fisher

In the late 1970s, when a mentally handicapped teenager is abandoned, a gay couple takes him in and becomes the family he's never had. But once the unconventional living arrangement is discovered by authorities, the men must fight the legal system to adopt the child.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Travis Fine
CAST:  Alan Cumming  •  Garret Dillahunt  •  Isaac Leyva  •  Frances Fisher

The Goldfinch (2019)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In a rush of panic, he steals 'The Goldfinch', a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Crowley
CAST:  Ansel Elgort  •  Oakes Fegley  •  Aneurin Barnard  •  Finn Wolfhard

A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In a rush of panic, he steals 'The Goldfinch', a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Crowley
CAST:  Ansel Elgort  •  Oakes Fegley  •  Aneurin Barnard  •  Finn Wolfhard

Manic (2001)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

Follows the fate of Lyle, a violent adolescent who, in lieu of prison, is placed in a juvenile mental institution where he encounters a group of equally troubled teens. This motley crew - abused, sexually confused, violent, and yet hanging on by their grit and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jordan Melamed
CAST:  Joseph Gordon-Levitt  •  Don Cheadle  •  Elden Henson  •  Cody Lightning

Follows the fate of Lyle, a violent adolescent who, in lieu of prison, is placed in a juvenile mental institution where he encounters a group of equally troubled teens. This motley crew - abused, sexually confused, violent, and yet hanging on by their grit and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jordan Melamed
CAST:  Joseph Gordon-Levitt  •  Don Cheadle  •  Elden Henson  •  Cody Lightning

Explicit Ills (2008)

UpliftingDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

The film follows four inter-connecting stories revolving around love, drugs and poverty in Philadelphia  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mark Webber
CAST:  Rosario Dawson  •  Paul Dano  •  Jermaine Crawford  •  Rebecca Comerford

The film follows four inter-connecting stories revolving around love, drugs and poverty in Philadelphia  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mark Webber
CAST:  Rosario Dawson  •  Paul Dano  •  Jermaine Crawford  •  Rebecca Comerford

3 Idiots (2009)

Thought provokingBrilliantEmotionalEnjoyable

Rascal. Joker. Dreamer. Genius... You've never met a college student quite like "Rancho." From the moment he arrives at India's most prestigious university, Rancho's outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down—along with the lives of his two newfound best ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rajkumar Hirani
CAST:  Aamir Khan  •  Kareena Kapoor Khan  •  R. Madhavan  •  Sharman Joshi

Rascal. Joker. Dreamer. Genius... You've never met a college student quite like "Rancho." From the moment he arrives at India's most prestigious university, Rancho's outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down—along with the lives of his two newfound best ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rajkumar Hirani
CAST:  Aamir Khan  •  Kareena Kapoor Khan  •  R. Madhavan  •  Sharman Joshi

Day Zero (2007)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

The military draft is back. Three best friends are drafted and given 30 days to report for duty. In that time they're forced to confront everything they believe about courage, duty, love, friendship and honor. If called to serve, what would you do?  (more)

DIRECTION:  Bryan Gunnar Cole
CAST:  Elijah Wood  •  Chris Klein  •  Ginnifer Goodwin  •  Ally Sheedy

The military draft is back. Three best friends are drafted and given 30 days to report for duty. In that time they're forced to confront everything they believe about courage, duty, love, friendship and honor. If called to serve, what would you do?  (more)

DIRECTION:  Bryan Gunnar Cole
CAST:  Elijah Wood  •  Chris Klein  •  Ginnifer Goodwin  •  Ally Sheedy

Chelsea Walls (2001)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

This movie tells five stories set in a single day at the famed Chelsea Hotel in New York City, involving an ensemble cast of some 30-35 characters.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ethan Hawke
CAST:  Uma Thurman  •  Guillermo Díaz  •  Vincent D'Onofrio  •  Kris Kristofferson

This movie tells five stories set in a single day at the famed Chelsea Hotel in New York City, involving an ensemble cast of some 30-35 characters.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ethan Hawke
CAST:  Uma Thurman  •  Guillermo Díaz  •  Vincent D'Onofrio  •  Kris Kristofferson

American Gun (2005)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

Seemingly disparate portraits of people -- among them a single mother, a high school principal, and an ace student -- Distinctly American -- all affected by the proliferation of guns in American society.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Aric Avelino
CAST:  Forest Whitaker  •  Marcia Gay Harden  •  Donald Sutherland  •  Lisa Long

Seemingly disparate portraits of people -- among them a single mother, a high school principal, and an ace student -- Distinctly American -- all affected by the proliferation of guns in American society.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Aric Avelino
CAST:  Forest Whitaker  •  Marcia Gay Harden  •  Donald Sutherland  •  Lisa Long

Paranoid Park (2007)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

A teenage skateboarder becomes suspected of being connected with a security guard who suffered a brutal death in a skate park called "Paranoid Park".  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gus Van Sant
CAST:  Gabe Nevins  •  Taylor Momsen  •  Jake Miller  •  Daniel Liu

A teenage skateboarder becomes suspected of being connected with a security guard who suffered a brutal death in a skate park called "Paranoid Park".  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gus Van Sant
CAST:  Gabe Nevins  •  Taylor Momsen  •  Jake Miller  •  Daniel Liu

The Wife (2018)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Björn Runge
CAST:  Glenn Close  •  Jonathan Pryce  •  Christian Slater  •  Max Irons

A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Björn Runge
CAST:  Glenn Close  •  Jonathan Pryce  •  Christian Slater  •  Max Irons

We the Animals (2018)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

Manny, Joel and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. As Manny and Joel grow into versions of their father and Ma dreams of escape, Jonah, the youngest, embraces an imagined world all his own.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jeremiah Zagar
CAST:  Raúl Castillo  •  Sheila Vand  •  Evan Rosado  •  Isaiah Kristian

Manny, Joel and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. As Manny and Joel grow into versions of their father and Ma dreams of escape, Jonah, the youngest, embraces an imagined world all his own.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jeremiah Zagar
CAST:  Raúl Castillo  •  Sheila Vand  •  Evan Rosado  •  Isaiah Kristian

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're Not You (2014)

UpliftingDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

A drama centered on a classical pianist who has been diagnosed with ALS and the brash college student who becomes her caregiver.  (more)

DIRECTION:  George C. Wolfe
CAST:  Hilary Swank  •  Emmy Rossum  •  Josh Duhamel  •  Ali Larter

A drama centered on a classical pianist who has been diagnosed with ALS and the brash college student who becomes her caregiver.  (more)

DIRECTION:  George C. Wolfe
CAST:  Hilary Swank  •  Emmy Rossum  •  Josh Duhamel  •  Ali Larter

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

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

99 Homes (2015)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalThought provoking

After his family is evicted from their home, proud and desperate construction worker Dennis Nash tries to win his home back by striking a deal with the devil and working for Rick Carver, the corrupt real estate broker who evicted him.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ramin Bahrani
CAST:  Andrew Garfield  •  Laura Dern  •  Michael Shannon  •  Tim Guinee

After his family is evicted from their home, proud and desperate construction worker Dennis Nash tries to win his home back by striking a deal with the devil and working for Rick Carver, the corrupt real estate broker who evicted him.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ramin Bahrani
CAST:  Andrew Garfield  •  Laura Dern  •  Michael Shannon  •  Tim Guinee

Gangs of New York (2002)

Thought provokingViolentDisturbingEmotional

In 1863, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points of America to seek vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin, Bill the Butcher, who murdered his father years earlier. With an eager pickpocket by his side and a whole new army, Vallon fights his way to ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Martin Scorsese
CAST:  Leonardo DiCaprio  •  Daniel Day-Lewis  •  Cameron Diaz  •  Liam Neeson

In 1863, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points of America to seek vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin, Bill the Butcher, who murdered his father years earlier. With an eager pickpocket by his side and a whole new army, Vallon fights his way to ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Martin Scorsese
CAST:  Leonardo DiCaprio  •  Daniel Day-Lewis  •  Cameron Diaz  •  Liam Neeson

Steel City (2006)

DepressingHeartbreakingEmotionalTear-jerker

After a tragic accident caused by the truck of the middle-aged Carl Lee where a woman dies with a crushed stern, he is arrested and sent to the county jail. His son PJ, who works washing dishes and cleaning tables in a restaurant, feels lost, without financial ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Brian Jun
CAST:  Jamie Anne Allman  •  Raymond J. Barry  •  Tom Guiry  •  Kristian Best

After a tragic accident caused by the truck of the middle-aged Carl Lee where a woman dies with a crushed stern, he is arrested and sent to the county jail. His son PJ, who works washing dishes and cleaning tables in a restaurant, feels lost, without financial ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Brian Jun
CAST:  Jamie Anne Allman  •  Raymond J. Barry  •  Tom Guiry  •  Kristian Best

The Kindness of Strangers (2019)

UpliftingDepressingHeartbreakingEmotional

Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter. While stealing food at a Russian restaurant called ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lone Scherfig
CAST:  Andrea Riseborough  •  Tahar Rahim  •  Zoe Kazan  •  Bill Nighy

Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter. While stealing food at a Russian restaurant called ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lone Scherfig
CAST:  Andrea Riseborough  •  Tahar Rahim  •  Zoe Kazan  •  Bill Nighy
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