Sometimes we all need a good cry. But instead of sneaking a sob session in the bathroom at work, why not try scheduling one in the privacy of your own home, maybe surrounded by some equally emotional friends and ample amounts of tissues and wine? (If you're looking for something a little lighter, head here.) The following dozen movies are the most tragic that Netflix has to offer. This compilation of untimely deaths, painful illnesses, broken hearts and cruel twists of fate is guaranteed to leave you splashing about halfheartedly in a pool of your own tears.
Go ahead, let it all out...
1. Always (1989)
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Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, Brad Johnson, John Goodman, Audrey Hepburn
Director: Steven Spielberg
From screenwriters Jerry Belson and the famous Dalton Trumbo, this classic love story follows the life and after life of a daredevil pilot that perishes in a tragic plane crash. From the beyond, he is able to influence the life of those he's left behind. Oh, and it's also the last movie Audrey Hepburn ever made!
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2. Anna Karenina (2012)
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Director: Joe Wright
Starring: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Based on the tragic Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy, Keira Knightley stars as the lovely and flawed title character, trapped in a loveless marriage with her older husband (Jude Law). Alicia Vikander is young Kitty, who longs to marry Count Vronksy (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), but Vronsky falls passionately in love with the married Anna Karenina. Meanwhile, the land-owning farmer Levin (Domhnall) pines for Princess Kitty.
3. Atonement (2007)
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Director: Joe Wright
Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn, Alfie Allen, Benedict Cumberbatch
13-year-old Briony Tallis is an aspiring writer. When she witness something happening between her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and the son of one of the family servant's, Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), she thinks she understands what she's seen, but wrongly accuses Robbie of a crime. Then World War II sets in, and their lives will never be the same.
4. Becoming Jane (2007)
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Starring: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters
Director: Julian Jarrold
Pieced together from the letters and writings of Jane Austen, Becoming Jane tells the story of the remarkable writer at the start of her career. She might have written some of the greatest romances of all time, but the own great romance of her life was a tragic casualty of the time in which she lived.
5. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas (2008)
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Starring: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend
Director: Mark Herman
This haunting historical drama follows the story of a young boy, the son of a Nazi officer, who moves with his family to a house outside the grounds of a concentration camp. He explores his new home with complete innocence, and winds up befriending a little boy on the other side of the barbed wire fence.
6. Braveheart (1995)
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Director: Mel Gibson
Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
Mel Gibson stars as the iconic Scottish rebel hero, William Wallace, who leads an uprising against the cruel English noble Edward Longshanks to try and win Scottish independence. It's more than a war movie, more than a love story. It's a classic. FREEDOM!
7. Charlie St. Cloud (2010)
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Director: Burr Steers
Starring: Zac Efron, Kim Basinger, Charlie Tahan, Amanda Crew
Charlie St. Cloud is a popular, successful high school senior, ready to go off to Stanford. But when a tragic car accident cuts his younger brother's life short, he finds himself trapped in the town where he's grown up, unable to move on and let his brother go.
8. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
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Director: Kurt Kuenne
Starring: Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby
A man is murdered by his ex-girlfriend, and his filmmaker friend sets out to chronicle his life. Then, the ex-girlfriend reveals that she is pregnant with the man's child, and the filmmaker decides to follow the heartwrenching struggle of two grandparents that must make peace with their son's murderer in order to see the only grandchild they will ever have.
9. Forrest Gump
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Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Even after a dozen viewings, this brilliant drama is still sure to leave you teary eyed. Forrest and Jenny go together like peas and carrots, until life pulls them in separate directions, and then pushes them back together again. This unforgettable film nabbed five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Hanks), and Best Director.
10. Gladiator
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Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
Set during ancient Rome after the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Russel Crowe is General Maximus Meridas, the late emperor's trusted friend and national hero. Commodus, the son of the emperor, has Maximus condemned to fight in the brutal gladiator games, out of fear that he could use his popularity to become the new leader. One man's heartache and bravery in the face of unchecked corruption will have you weeping within the first twenty minutes.
11. Hachi: A Dog's Tale
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Director: Lasse Hallstrm
Starring: Richard Gere, Joan Allen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Based on incredible true story, Hachi chronicles the story of dog and master so in sync, the dog knows what time to meet his master at the train, and waits for him every day. But when the master (Richard Gere) dies, Hachi goes on waiting for years.
12. A Walk to Remember (2002)
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Director: Adam Shankman
Starring: Mandy Moore, Shane West, Peter Coyote
Adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel by the same name, A Walk to Remember follows the love story of two teenagers, Landon and Jamie. Nothing can diminish the way they feel for each other, even when Landon finds out that Jamie is dying of cancer.
Love A Walk to Remember? Here's the sad, real-life story that inspired Nicholas Sparks's novel.
Which of these tear-jerkers will you be watching? Which would you add to the list?
