Looking for a sad flick? This is a pick of my top five films that have made me tear up or in some cases sob uncontrollably. This list is perfect for those in need of a good cry or who just like to torture themselves with sadness.
1. Arrival (2016)
Mysterious orb-like spaceships arrive on Earth and Doctor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is tasked with figuring out how to understand their complex language. With great trial and error, mistakes and emotions, Doctor Banks has the chance to save the aliens and the human race, but this comes with new amazing knowledge that open questions about how we view life and death. It is within this reflection of existence that sadness hits home, and the tears fall.
2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Being the first ever Japanese animation that I watched entirely with English subtitles, this has become a monumental film in my enjoyment of foreign cinema. It will always have a special place in my heart, even though it makes me cry uncontrollably. Following a teen boy and his younger sister through the aftermath of a bombing in Japan during World War II, this animated film includes, devastation, heartbreak, fear and of course tears.
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
This film had a significant impact on my teenage years. I wanted friends who were as welcoming and comforting as the ones in this film, but without all the loneliness and grief that Charlie (Logan Lerman) had to suffer. He deserved better, and he shouldn’t have had to go through what he did. The empathy felt for him is where the crying comes in.
4. The Lovely Bones (2009)
A film that I watched too young for the first time and with my best friend too. We were both left in a puddle of tears. Being the same age as Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), we could relate to her dreams and wishes and feel the pain of it getting cut so short, and by a serial killer no less. It calls out to the kid within you and makes you ponder the cruelties of the world. It sounds dramatic, but this film is.
5. A Ghost Story (2017)
A peaceful and slow-paced film from popular production company A24 that contains little dialogue but still packs a strong message. Along with beautiful shots, and the story of a ghost who lingers in the afterlife clinging to what he once had, this film is the epitome of sombre. The pacing is slow, and it contains no action or surprises, but it propels the themes of isolation and lingering death and the achingly slow passing of time.
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