Now Reading
12 Sad Netflix Movies for When You Need a Good Cry

12 Sad Netflix Movies for When You Need a Good Cry

Do you have access to a Netflix account? And, more importantly, are you looking to cry your eyes out to a heartbreaking film? Well, lucky for you, you have found the right article!

Make sure to have a full tissue box on standby when you watch these sad Netflix movies. Here are a few that will get your tears a-flowin’!

1. About Time

At first glance, this film seems to be a typical romantic-comedy, but there’s actually a lot more to it. About Time is a uniquely beautiful story about forging your own path, growing old, and learning when to let go.

Advertisement

The story begins with Tim (played by Domhnall Gleeson) learning a secret from his father on his 21st birthday: men in their family have the unusual ability to travel through time. As he begins to make use of this gift, he learns that time travel will not protect him and his loved ones from the struggles of life. The end alone makes this film worth the watch. 

2. Someone Great

Someone Great explores loss, change, and love through the lens of powerful female friendship. Jenny (played by Gina Rodriguez) recently landed her dream job in San Francisco and decides to have one last crazy adventure with her two best friends before she moves.

Advertisement

The message is clear: find yourself, then find the guy.

3. All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places is a poignant story about teenage love. Violet (played by Elle Fanning) and Finch (played by Justice Smith) are vivid characters who find solace in one another while dealing with deep sorrow. The story shows us that people who may look put together on the outside often have a lot going on underneath. 

Advertisement

4. Moonlight

Moonlight is based on American playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney’s unpublished semi-autobiographical play Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The film takes us into three pivotal chapters of Chiron’s life in Miami where he struggles with identity and survival in a deeply racist nation. Receiving immense critical acclaim (and an Academy Award for Best Picture, the first for an all-black cast), this disarmingly personal and beautifully-told story is sure to have you sobbing by the end.

Advertisement

5. War Horse

War Horse tells the story of Albert (played by Jeremy Irvine) who lives in the British countryside with his beloved horse Joey (and his family). When the first world war breaks out, the two are forced apart when Albert’s father sells Joey to the British cavalry. We then follow Joey’s harrowing journey through the battlefields of France and witness the people he transforms along the way. Through the perspective of one horse, we confront the horrors of war and humanity, and then the beauty of family and love. Even if you’re not into horse stories, this movie will have you reaching for the tissues. 

6. Irreplaceable You

While perhaps a little sappy and far-fetched, Irreplaceable You will most likely pull at your heartstrings. Abbie (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Sam (played by Michiel Huisman) have been friends since childhood and are now engaged to be married. Everything changes when Abbie receives an unfortunate diagnosis. What entails is Abbie’s humorous and heartfelt quest to find someone to take care of Sam when she is gone. 

Advertisement

7. First Match

Not your typical feel-good sports movie, First Match is the story of a young woman who must decide if it’s worth it to destroy herself for the person who deserves it the least. After years of bouncing around the foster system, protagonist Monique (played by Elvire Emanuelle) decides to join the high school wrestling team to impress her estranged biological father. Monique is forced to make hard choices and remain resilient in the face of a lifetime of disappointment.

Advertisement

8. Roma

Roma, directed by Oscar-winning Alfonso Cuarón, is a beautiful, deeply personal tale depicting intimate family drama against the backdrop of Mexico City in the 1970s. The story will have you in tears long before its conclusion. 

See Also
Instagram captions can make or break an Instagrammer's posts. Here are some of the best fall Instagram captions we've seen so far!

Advertisement

9. The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness, based on a true story, tells the classic ‘from rags to riches’ tale, but with the strong bond between father and son at its heart. Chris Gardner’s (played by Will Smith) determination to give his son (played by Smith’s real-life son, Jaden) a better life drives him through the worst of circumstances as he works tirelessly from the bottom to the top. The Pursuit of Happyness is sentimental, inspiring, and heart-wrenching.

10. The Pianist

Adapted from the autobiography The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945The Pianist follows Polish Jewish radio station pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman’s (played by Adrien Brody) journey of survival in Warsaw during World War II. This award-winning movie is slow-paced and honest, with no tasteless attempts to up the sentiment or add unrealistic drama. With honesty and candidness, The Pianist will let you experience the heart-rending yet mundane life of survival through Szpilman.

Advertisement

11. The Boy in Striped Pajamas

This utterly heartbreaking story, based on the book of the same name, tells the story of the Holocaust from an unusual, affecting perspective: through the friendship of two young, innocent boys. Although at first it is seemingly subdued in its explicitness, at least compared to other Holocaust stories, as the story progresses, more and more horror is revealed and it doesn’t hold back from depicting the monstrosities of humanity. Make sure you’re ready to watch it; the ending will stay with you for long after. 

Advertisement

12. Room

After years of being held captive in a single room, Joy (played by Brie Larson) and her five-year-old son Jack (played by Jacob Trembley) are finally free. Jack is suddenly thrust into the outside world for the first time and Joy now must deal with her depression and trauma while trying to make a life for her and her son. Room showcases the beautiful and eternal bond between mother and son, and the lengths they will go to save each other. The move will have you sobbing the whole way through. 

Which Netflix tearjerker do you recommend? Share your favorite sad Netflix movies in the comments below!

Featured image source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/428123508326777118/