movies

"I could never watch it again." 24 women share the movies that made them cry their eyes out.

Every now and again, we need to have a good cry. Because, if we're being honest, nothing quite beats the cathartic release of letting it all out. 

And we all know the best way to unleash those tear glands to their full potential is to watch an emotional film.

...This is precisely why Mamamia reached out to its community to ask women what movies brought them to tears, and which ones had them bawling their eyes out.

Watch: The 7 best on-screen crying faces. Post continues after video. 


Video via Mamamia.

Below, 24 women share their favourite tear-jerking film. Read it and weep. 

The Intouchables

The Intouchables, 2011. Image: Weinstein Films.

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"The carer (Driss) and his boss (Philippe) form such an unlikely bond and open each other's worlds up to different things. In the end, they know Driss has to move on and it's bittersweet because they're so close but their lives are so much better now. It was really painful for me to watch." - Clare.

Pan's Labyrinth 

Pan's Labyrinth, 2007. Image: Studio Canal.

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"The film is directed by Guillermo Del Toro. I'm not lying when I tell you that I cried big, ugly, racking sobs. For lost innocence and for grief. If you're a bit of an art house wanker like me, you'll break over this film." - Pip.

A Walk To Remember

A Walk To Remember, 2002. Image: Warner Bros.

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"I really hate it when good people die... What did they do to EVER deserve it? Life is just really unfair and I will automatically bawl my eyes out to any movie that has a plot like A Walk To Remember." - Diane.

About Time

About Time, 2013. Image: Universal Pictures.

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"Just such a lovely story about loss and how we should cherish every moment because it goes so fast. I don't think I will ever be able to watch About Time again." - Tys.

Anastasia

Anastasia, 1997. Image: Disney.

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"Anastasia was the first movie I cried in as a kid and to this day, I still can’t watch it. She loses her family – which is every kid's worst fear realised. I well up even thinking about it." - Talissa.

The Last Song

The Last Song, 2010. Image: Touchstone Pictures.

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"My biggest fear is losing my dad and this movie just hits home. It's a wonderful film but my goodness will it break you. The Last Song explores grief in a really triggering way. It's something everyone should watch if they want to reminisce about being a rebellious daughter to a fiercely loving father." - Erin.

Lion

Image: The Weinstein Company.

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"The scene at the end of Lion, where the adopted mother and biological mother embrace for the first time absolutely ripped my heart in two. There were guttural sobs coming from me. I've never cried that hard in the middle of a cinema before. Everyone was staring. I didn't care. I was so moved." - Kate.

The Lion King

The Lion King, 1994. Image: Disney.

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"My mum had to ban me from watching The Lion King as a kid because I was literally not able to cope when I watched it. I'd chuck a fit and get so emotional." - Laura.

A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind, 2001. Image: Universal Pictures.

"I actually sobbed for like 45 minutes after A Beautiful Mind finished. It really opened up some wounds around living with a family member going through a brain injury and mental health problems." - Billie.

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The Notebook 

The Notebook, 2004. Image: New Line Cinema.

"There's something about the way The Notebook portrays the 'til death do us part' trope that killed me when I first watched it and still continues to make me cry and look like a lunatic. I don't know, maybe I'm just a sucker for love." - Magna.

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The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault In Our Stars, 2014. Image: 20th Century Fox.

"The Fault In Our Stars shows that love really does conquer all. Like, seriously. Every when her partner is sick, it didn't stop her from fulfilling every single one of their dreams. It just gets me. I could never watch it again but the first time I did is forever embedded in my memory." - Shannen. 

Lilo and Stitch

Lilo and Stitch, 2002. Image: Disney.

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"First of all, why were those girls SO mean to Lilo in Lilo and Stitch? Secondly, I've broken down many times while watching the show (and the movie!) but there was one scene where Lilo was feeding the fish in the ocean because her parents died in a car accident due to a storm. It broke me into pieces. She just wanted to be near her parents. Lilo and her big sister were ripped away from their parents. This movie is too sad to be for children." - Tys.

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Promising Young Woman

Promising Young Woman, 2020. Image: Focus Features.

"I watched Promising Young Woman at the Moonlight Cinema and I've never felt such a weird, eerie feeling in the air after watching a movie." - Pol.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, 2022, Image: Marvel Studios.

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"I cried this weekend at a screening of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. When it started, I cried. When the Marvel logo came up, silently, with images of Chadwick Boseman's face, I cried. Then I cried some more during, and then I cried at the end. It hurts the heart just thinking about him, and his legacy for such a brilliant film series." - Adrienne.

Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2012. Image: Summit Entertainment.

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"It's a mix of heartwarming and heart-wrenching. Plus Logan Lerman crying will ALWAYS make me cry." - Helena.

Iron Giant

Iron Giant, 1999. Image: Stan.

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"When he sacrifices himself for the good of the town and said: 'You stay. I go.' I sobbed as a child and still tear up watching it today. This was my brother and I's comfort movie growing up. He would rewind his favourite parts which made the VHS go black & white in certain sections." - Susannah.

Babe

Babe, 1995. Image: Universal Pictures.

"I haven't watched Babe since I was a kid because I know it would set me off again. He just wanted his mum... It shows that there really isn't a difference between pigs and other animals like dogs, so why are we so ok with eating them?" - Emmeline.

Soul

Soul, 2020. Image: Disney.

"The Disney Pixar movie Soul gave me an existential crisis and made me cry SO MUCH. Any movie that explores the themes that Soul did – from finding your purpose, fulfilment, fearlessness and having finite time on earth – basically rips my heart out." - Michelle.

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Up

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Up, 2009. Image: Disney.

"Those first 30 minutes are an absolute killer. It’s such a beautiful and relatable story of two kids with big dreams who end up living happy lives but never go on their adventure. And big themes of baby loss as well, that go right over the kids’ heads but left me a mess! It’s so well done and has such sweet humour too. I love Up but also can barely watch it as it’s such a poignant film." - Laura.

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Hereditary

Hereditary, 2018. Image: A24.

"I cried watching the horror movie Hereditary... Because I was really, really scared." - Ads.

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Coco

Coco, 2017. Image: Disney.

"My husband and I cried – and by crying I mean we were sobbing and hiccupping and laughing at each other. I think it touches on grief and death in a really beautiful way. Plus the music is A+!" - Yvette.

Requiem For A Dream

Requiem for a Dream, 2002. Image: Artisan Entertainment.

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"Requiem For A Dream is not a classic weepy movie by any stretch, but an incredible film about addiction. Ellen Burstyn's monologue about her dashed hopes and dreams is heartbreaking, as is the final scene outside the hospital. I'm welling up thinking about it." - Polly.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, 1993. Image: Disney.

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"Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a movie that makes me cry every damn time. I don't want to give spoilers (of a movie that's 20 years old) but the ending is just so beautiful. When everyone reunites, I lose it. Again." - Karen.

What is your favourite tear-jerking film? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: Warner Bros/Studio Canal/ Universal Pictures.

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