What To Watch
14 Tearjerker Movies for a Good Old-Fashioned Ugly Cry
Need some emotional catharsis? This list will get the job done.
By Jessie Mooney and Erin Corbett
June 19, 2026
14 Best Tearjerker Movies for When You Need a Good Cry - Netflix Tudum
There’s something beautiful about an ugly cry. That cathartic, no-holds-barred kind of release is just human — and probably explains why so many of us love emotional movies. From tragic romances to sorrowful period pieces to heartbreaking adaptations of true stories, the best sob stories bring the good with the sad: empathy, new perspectives, and the comfort of knowing we’re not alone in our hardships.
If you’re in need of a good cry — with either sad or happy tears — you’ve come to the right place. These films feature tales of star-crossed lovers, grieving mothers, and trials and tribulations that lead to better days, all ready and waiting to wet your cheeks and sucker punch you right in the feels. Grab the tissues and your emotional support blanket, because you’re gonna need ’em.
All The Bright Places
Adapted from the novel by Jennifer Niven, this coming-of-age drama, despite its title, begins in a decidedly dark place. While out for a run, Finch (Justice Smith) comes across a seemingly suicidal Violet (Elle Fanning) perched on the side of a bridge. He talks her down, and the teens become partners for a school project exploring their home state of Indiana. As they grow close, Finch learns of Violet’s survivor’s guilt in the aftermath of a car crash that killed her sister, while Violet discovers the terrible truth behind Finch’s loner persona and occasional strange behavior. Will the brightness they find in each other be enough to save them from the darkness within themselves?
All Together Now
Everybody loves Amber (Auliʻi Cravalho), a high school senior with a sunny disposition, generous spirit, and dreams of studying musical theater at Carnegie Mellon University, the alma mater of her late father. But underneath the huge smile lies a huge secret: Amber and her mom, Becky (Justina Machado), are homeless and living in the school bus Becky drives for work. As their money situation becomes dire, Becky begins accepting favors from an abusive ex-boyfriend who exacerbates her alcoholic tendencies. When Carnegie Mellon invites Amber to audition, the girl who gives so much to everyone else will have to learn to accept help herself.
Canvas
Don’t let the animation fool you. This nine-minute short film from Pixar director-animator Frank E. Abney III packs a punch. Since the loss of his wife, an elderly painter can’t seem to return to his passion — he even goes so far as to knock his easel to the ground. His granddaughter visits and regularly shares her own artwork while inviting him to create alongside her, but he refuses. That is until one day, the little girl is exploring her granddad’s house and comes across a covered canvas. When she removes the sheet, both she and the painter realize its contents may have the power to change everything.
Drawing Closer
This Japanese romance tells the story of Akito (Ren Nagase) and Haruna (Natsuki Deguchi), two teenagers who fall in love and refuse to fall into despair, despite terminal illness diagnoses that give them both less than a year to live. After a chance meeting on the rooftop of the hospital where they’re being treated, the two strike up an immediate friendship over colored pencils. Akito was contemplating suicide, but Haruna’s candidness and hope in the face of her impending death moves him. Still, he keeps his own fate a secret from her at first. Eventually, it’s their shared appreciation of art — specifically drawing (hence the film’s title) — and each other that helps them find purpose and beauty in the time they have left.
First Match
Monique “Mo” (Elvire Emanuelle), a teenager from Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, has bounced from one foster home to the next her whole life. Now that her father, Darrel (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), is out of prison, Mo hopes to move in with him. When Darrel says no, Mo decides she’ll change his mind by joining the boys’ wrestling team, knowing Darrel was a medal-winning champ back in his day. Part inspirational sports movie, part raw family drama, this poignant story will have you in all your feels.
Good Grief
Dan Levy makes his feature directorial debut with this insightful dramedy about the complications of love and loss. In the aftermath of his husband Oliver (Luke Evans)’s death, Marc (Levy) discovers some uncomfortable truths about the love of his life — including the existence of a flat in Paris that Oliver bought but never disclosed. In search of he-doesn’t-know-what, Marc heads to France with his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), not knowing they each have their own relationships and grief to sort out. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. And given the stunning Parisian setting, you’ll probably be pricing out flights on your phone as you watch.
Kodachrome
Inspired by a 2010 New York Times article, Kodachrome is the ultimate reconciliation story, in which a picture’s worth a thousand weeps. As a famous photographer with terminal liver cancer, Ben Ryder’s (Ed Harris) dying wish is for his estranged son, Matt (Jason Sudeikis), to drive him to Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas — the last place in the world that processes Ben’s preferred medium, Kodachrome film. Matt, a record label exec in danger of losing his job, agrees only after a promise from Ben’s manager to set up a meeting between Matt and the band that could save his career. With four rolls of film and Ben’s nurse/personal assistant, Zooey (Elizabeth Olsen), in tow, they set off on a road trip adventure with a few meaningful stops along the way.
Marriage Story
Prepare for tears to well from the very first scene, in which Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) read lists of what they love about each other ... right before we realize they’re getting a divorce. Now the pair are struggling to stay civil as things get messy and custody issues arise concerning their young son, Henry (Azhy Robertson). But by the end of Noah Baumbach’s film, the lesson seems to be that a marriage doesn’t have to last to be successful. With a bittersweet but rewarding story arc and pitch-perfect performances (including Laura Dern’s Oscar-winning turn as Nicole’s lawyer), Marriage Story will punch you in the gut just like Charlie punched that wall (IYKYK).
Passing
Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel, is about the intertwined lives of two light-skinned Black women who can “pass” as Caucasian — a plot underscored by the film's black-and-white cinematography. In 1920s New York City, Irene (Tessa Thompson) runs into her childhood friend, Clare (Ruth Negga), in a hotel dining room. Irene discovers that not only has Clare been “passing” as a white woman, but she’s also married a racist white banker named John (Alexander Skarsgård). John has no idea about Clare’s racial identity, but Clare is willing to risk him finding out the truth in order to spend time with Irene, her husband Brian (André Holland), and the Black community she’s missed so much.
Pieces of a Woman
Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are expecting their first child, but when it comes time to deliver, their midwife is unavailable and sends another, Eva (Molly Parker), in her place. During the home birth, the unspeakable happens and the baby dies of cardiac arrest. In the traumatic fallout, the grief overwhelms the couple and extends to Martha’s mother, Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn). Now the family must figure out how to move forward — with or without each other.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Sad and happy tears abound in this sentimental tale of a widow, Tova (Sally Field), who forms a friendship with a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina). Marcellus watches and ponders as Tova cleans the aquarium each night, noting the long-held grief she’s carried since the death of her teenage son. Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a wayward young man searching for his absent father, forms an unlikely friendship with Tova. What they don’t hear are Marcellus’s wry internal observations and the mystery he’s begun to piece together — and it could change all their lives.
ROMA
The first Mexican feature to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this black-and-white drama from writer-director Alfonso Cuarón garnered an additional 10 Oscar nominations and wins for Best Director and Best Cinematography. Named for Mexico City’s Colonia Roma district, it’s here, during a time of domestic and political turmoil in the early 1970s, that a housekeeper named Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) works as a live-in maid for an upper-middle-class family. The father, Antonio (Fernando Grediaga), is constantly away for “business,” prompting the mother, Sofía (Marina de Tavira), to suspect he’s having an affair. Meanwhile, Cleo has suspicions of her own — that she’s pregnant. But when she tells her boyfriend, Fermín, he leaves her.
Voicemails for Isabelle
While ultimately a romance, this movie will have tears streaming down your face as you sing along with Zoey Deutch to Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own.” Deutch plays Jill, a chef in San Francisco who’s fumbling her way through the dating world and detailing her every experience to her sister Isabelle, whose illness prevents her from leaving home. When she no longer has Isabelle to confide in, Jill copes by leaving her hilarious, raw voicemails. But what Jill doesn’t know is that Isabelle’s phone number has been reassigned to real estate agent Wes (Nick Robinson). Wes hears the messages and falls for Jill — he’s determined to meet her even if the truth of how he knows her might break her heart.
Worth
Imagine having to assign a dollar amount to a person’s life. Then imagine having to do it thousands of times. This 2020 biopic stars Michael Keaton as Kenneth Feinberg — the attorney put in charge of handling the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. It follows the two-year process that Feinberg, his partner, Camille Biross (Amy Ryan), and their team went through to define the fund's parameters and get the victims' families to sign on. Filled with real-life stories about 9/11 victims and survivors, Worth is an emotional experience from start to finish and an important reminder that a person's value can’t be determined by income or algorithms.
Additional reporting by Ananda Dillon.
Shop
Discover More What To Watch
Stream Sex and the City, Blindspot, the Fifty Shades trilogy, and more before the month ends.
We can’t choose our family, but we can choose what to watch.
Watch these when you want to go for the (streaming) gold.
Smiles, chuckles, giggles, and full-on LOLs ahead.
The retired Superstar co-stars with Eric André in the new comedy Little Brother.
The Golden Globe winner stars in Season 2 of the anthology series.
Why should fall have all the fun?
Get ready to fall hard.
Discover More Drama
A father unleashes his secret skills when his daughter goes missing.
Plus Louis C.K.: Ridiculous, Survival of the Thickest, Heroes, Ali, and more.
Matthew Goode is back as DCI Carl Morck, with his band of misfit detectives.
Matthew Goode’s Detective Carl Morck is back for another cold case.
As you wait for the Gaang’s return, check out all the Season 2 news.
A professor fosters an unusual mentorship with a student in this limited series.
Related Videos
Deutch, Robinson, Nick Offerman, and Lukas Gage can’t keep a straight face.
Pick up the phone on June 19.
Sally Field and Lewis Pullman star in the film based on the bestselling novel.
Dern shares what it was like working with George Clooney and Adam Sandler.
Dive into the queue with stars from 'One Piece,' 'Cobra Kai,' and more.
From Marriage Story to NYAD, this films are worthy of a watch.
Coming-of-age stories you won’t want to miss.
Small films with major power.
