Grab the Tissues — These Are Netflix's Saddest Movies
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Sometimes the saddest stories aren't necessarily the ones with obvious tragedy. While someone dying will most likely make me tear up, I find myself more affected by stories that weigh heavy on my heart because of despair or heartbreak. Even stories that are mostly happy but have a a sad origin — like any of those from a time like World War II — ultimately leave me feeling low, no matter how much I should be filled with hope.
If you're having one of those days where you're all up in your feelings and want something on Netflix to match, we have a variety movies you can choose from. Some are tragic, some will make you cry, some will make you think, but all of them are sad in their own way. Grab a blanket and some tissues and settle in.
Blue Valentine
This dark movie will weigh heavy on your heart as you watch Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams's marriage tumble farther and farther into trouble.
Milk
In a story filled with hope for the future, this biopic about Harvey Milk, starring Sean Penn, follows the events of his life and his tragic end.
Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto portray AIDS patients in the '80s who will rip your heart out with their fight against the disease.
Dead Poets Society
In one of Robin Williams's best films, he plays a teacher who inspires his students, and after tragedy hits the school, the students come together in support.
Coco
Coco is a story about learning to appreciate your family and everything you have in life. After being sent to the spirit world during Dia de los Muertos, you can feel Miguel's fear of not being able to return to the real world, and you go through his struggle with him.
Schindler's List
This dark story based in reality lets you relive the absolute devastation of Jewish internment camps in Auschwitz during WWII. Schindler's List, though, stars Liam Neeson as a man who brought hope to the prisoners.
Armageddon
A group of misfits is tapped by NASA to save the world, and while Armageddon ultimately has a happy ending, there are some undeniably tear-jerking bumps along the way.
6 Balloons
It's hard to deal with a family member who is addicted to drugs, and that's exactly what the characters are going through in 6 Balloons.
Atonement
In simple terms, Atonement is a tragic love story, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. You'll definitely need tissues to handle this ending.
Finding Neverland
In this fictional Peter Pan origin story, Johnny Depp plays author J.M. Barrie, who seemingly bonds with Kate Winslet's Sylvia Llewelyn-Davies, but happiness isn't in the cards for either of them.
Irreplaceable You
This love story, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, revolves around her cancer diagnosis and finding a new love for her fiance before she dies. It will undoubtedly break your heart.
Rent
The musical from turn-of-the-century New York City will have you laughing, dancing, singing, and most definitely crying over these characters who are dealing with AIDS, homelessness, and lost love.
Steel Magnolias
In this powerful female-led story starring Julia Roberts and Dolly Parton, among others, you see these Southern women band together not only within the walls of their beloved salon, but out in the world where they need each other when tragedy finds them.
The Last Five Years
This movie may be a musical, but it's rooted in a story about the main couple's failing marriage, told from both perspectives.
Lion
You'll be crying for more than one reason at this film staring Dev Patel. This true story of a child being separated from his family only to search for them later will leave you experiencing both devastation and hope.
Tallulah
The three moms in this Netflix original are bound to bring your emotions down with their sheer ineptitude at being mothers.
The Lovely Bones
Saoirse Ronan's character is murdered at the beginning of this movie, and spends the whole rest of the film watching the real world carry on without her.
The Spectacular Now
While The Spectacular Now can be seen as a story about young love, the other story within this movie focuses on teenage drinking and how much Miles Teller's character struggles.
Room
After being kidnapped, Brie Larson's character is imprisoned in a shed, raped repeatedly, and gives birth to a son, who remains captive with her. Despite any optimism the characters aim for, the overall story here will drain you.
P.S. I Love You
OK, yes, this movie is heartfelt and moving, but it does deal with death and grief as Hilary Swank's character learns to cope with loss.
The Other Woman
Between a failed love and the death of her newborn, Natalie Portman experiences some of life's most intense hardships in The Other Woman.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
After a devastating breakup, Kate Winslet's character has her mind wiped of memories of her ex, played by Jim Carrey, who does the same when he finds out.
Carol
A love between two women in the 1950s is doomed for complications, which Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett go through in this heart-wrenching film.
Blue Is the Warmest Color
In this coming-of-age story, Adèle Exarchopoulos's character struggles to define her sexuality before falling in love with a woman, played by Léa Seydoux. The two grow up and fall into a tumultuous relationship with each other.
Mudbound
This powerful story of the South during World War II examines just how tough it was dealing with prejudice and racism.