If you're looking for emotionally charged movies that make you tear up, we've got you covered. Someone in a popular online forum asked for recommendations for “movies that punched you in the soul.” Here are 15 heartfelt films that had movie lovers reaching for the tissues.
1. The Green Mile (1999)
Hailed as a cinematic masterpiece, the depth of the characters and storyline in The Green Mile moves its audience. You’ll be thinking about the film for days after watching it. The movie has an epic cast, including Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan.
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Everything Everywhere All at Once took the cinematic world by storm and was one of the best movies to come out in 2022, if not the entire decade. The story features a woman who has to save all of the different versions of the universe from a dark entity.
3. The Painted Veil (2006)
The Painted Veil follows a British scientist (Edward Norton) and his unfaithful wife (Naomi Watts) traveling to mainland China to fight a cholera epidemic in the 1920s. Once there, she embarks on the path of self-discovery and has a change of heart — but not without unexpected circumstances.
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming-of-age drama film following a teenager, Charlie (Logan Lerman), writing to an unknown friend. He chronicles his first-year high school struggles and triumphs while making new friends (Emma Watson and Ezra Miller). It features a star-studded cast, including Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Joan Cusack, and Nina Dobrev.
5. About Time (2013)
About Time is a film about a young man (Domhnall Gleeson) who can time travel, so he tries to change his past in hopes of improving his future. He meets and falls in love with Mary (Rachel McAdams) and soon discovers his abilities can't protect him and his loved ones from everyday obstacles in life.
6. Pride (2014)
Pride is a British historical comedy-drama based on the true story of lesbian and gay activists raising money to help families affected by the 1984 British miners' strike. Ultimately, it became the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign. It stars Ben Schnetzer, Faye Marsay, Dominic West, Andrew Scott, Freddie Fox, and Joseph Gilgun.
7. The Crossing Guard (1995)
The Crossing Guard is an independent drama following a man (Jack Nicholson) tormented for over five years by his daughter's death in a car accident. After discovering the man (David Morse) responsible for the drunk driving car accident is released from prison, Freddy seeks vengeance. It stars Robin Wright and Anjelica Huston. Also, the film is co-produced, written, and directed by Sean Penn.
8. Only the Brave (2017)
Only the Brave is an American biographical drama based on the GQ article “No Exit” by Sean Flynn. It follows the heroic tale of an elite crew of 20 firefighters from Prescott, Arizona, fighting the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire. Nineteen of the 20 firefighters gave their lives, and the film is dedicated to their memories.
It features an ensemble cast, including Josh Brolin, James Badge Dale, Jeff Bridges, Miles Teller, Alex Russell, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Hardy, Thad Luckinbill, Geoff Stults, Scott Haze, Andie MacDowell, and Jennifer Connelly.
9. Blue Bayou (2021)
Blue Bayou is a drama following a Korean adoptee (Justin Chon), the love of his life (Alicia Vikander), and his treasured stepdaughter living in a small town in the Louisiana bayou. However, he finds himself confronting ghosts from the past after discovering he may be deported from the only country he's ever known and called home.
10. 50/50 (2011)
50/50 is a comedy-drama loosely inspired by Will Reiser's experience with cancer. It follows a radio journalist in Seattle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who discovers he has malignant tumors across his spine and is given a 50/50 chance at survival. It stars Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Seth Rogen, and Anjelica Huston. Rogen's character is based on Rogen himself in Reiser's story.
11. Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Life Is Beautiful is an Italian comedy war drama following a Jewish Italian bookshop owner (Roberto Benigni) being taken to a concentration camp with his son. They become separated from his wife, and he uses his vivid imagination to protect his son from the fear and terror of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. It's inspired by Rubino Romeo Salmonì's book, In the End, I Beat Hitler.
12. The Big Sick (2017)
The Big Sick is a romantic comedy inspired by the writers' (Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon) relationship. It follows an interethnic couple dealing with cultural differences after Emily (Zoe Kazan) becomes ill.
Nanjiani, who stars as himself, is concerned about what his traditional Muslim parents will think of Emily. He also becomes close to her parents after she goes into a coma. It stars Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar, and Anupam Kher.
13. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Based on a web short that was popular in the early 2000s, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a heartwarming, sweet story about a little mollusk and his family and friends as they live their lives at an Airbnb. It was filmed as a documentary and was nominated at the 2023 Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film.
14. CODA (2021)
CODA is a touching story about a family who is mostly deaf except for their teenage daughter, who is called a CODA, or a child of deaf adults. She's torn between being there for her family or pursuing music, which is something her family doesn't understand at all. CODA had three Oscar wins in 2022, including Best Motion Picture of the Year.
15. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
This French historical drama centers around a young woman who is hired to paint a wedding portrait of a very headstrong young woman. While getting to know each other on an isolated island, the two women start to reveal their feelings for each other. In a society where women are held to a certain level of expectations and their love isn't acceptable, this movie breaks so many hearts in the end.
Source: Reddit.
