Must-Watch Sad Movies That Are Certified Tearjerkers

"La tristesse durera toujours." Vincent van Gogh's last words—"The sadness will last forever"—capture why we sometimes seek out films that package sorrow into two hours. The movies here aim to provoke a genuine emotional response, and they are not ideal choices for a light movie night unless you are ready to feel something.

Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley as Agnes and Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare, centers on the loss of the couple's son to the plague and how that grief drives Shakespeare's work; as Mark Keizer wrote, "(Hamnet is) ultimately about overcoming grief, and how a couple torn apart by their differing grief mechanisms can come together in understanding and catharsis." The Notebook follows Noah and Allie through separation, reunion, and Allie’s struggle with Alzheimer’s—so affecting that a certain streamer altered the film’s heartbreaking ending.

Titanic pairs Jack and Rose in James Cameron’s 1997 epic, spawning Celine Dion’s "My Heart Will Go On" and earning 10 Oscars, with scenes that still leave viewers tearful.

hamnet, jessie buckley, paul mescal, william shakespeare, the notebook, allie, alzheimer's, titanic, james cameron, celine dion