The 10 Most Heart-breaking Movie Scenes Of All Time
There are movies that are sad, and then there are these movies. Films that can make you weep like a baby just by thinking of that one scene that reduced you to a crumbling mess the first time you saw it. Films that you can't quite shake, even after having weeks to process your emotions. These are the movies that take full advantage of the intrinsic ability of cinema to make us feel something in an incredibly intense way.
All the movies on this list have one thing in common; they have at least one scene that was so heartbreakingly sad, you'll never be able to forget it. You forbid your friends from even mentioning it, because the idea of reliving the emotions you went through when you first watched are almost too much to handle.
In any case, these ten scenes will at least bring a hint of a tear to even the manliest of men..so grab your box of tissues and get ready to go through these scenes with me!
#1. The Notebook
"That scene in The Notebook when Allie remembers who Noah is and they sit there and talk about their lives. Then all of a sudden she forgets again and starts screaming. He starts crying, and I start bawling every single time."
#2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
In this movie, a troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape Earth and return to his home-world.
"When he gets back on the ship they were a part of each other!"
It's heart-breakingly sad, yet phenomenally uplifting at the same time.
#3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) made the audience emotional with its heartbreaking scenes.
Terminator insists to John and Sarah that he must leave, and after comforting the two, begins his descent into the molten metal below, giving a thumbs up before finally disappearing.
#4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
In what is widely regarded as the greatest Trek film ever, Kirk and his crew face off against Khan's captured ship in the Mutara Nebula. A blind showdown, it ultimately ends with the damaged Enterprise coming out on top. However, when Khan decides to use the Genesis device to kill them all, Spock sacrifices himself to save the day.
#5. The Elephant Man 1980
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity.
The Elephant Man is about a man who is alone for pretty much his entire life, ridiculed, scorned, physically abused and mentally tormented, rejected and alienated and dehumanized.
#6. Rocky Balboa (2006)
The Rocky movies have gifted us a surprising amount of heartfelt moments of inspiration and heartbreak. Depending on your preference, you can choose any moment. In this movie, Rocky and Paulie are saddened by Adrian's passing. Paulie has a breakdown over losing his job of 31 years.
#7. Up (2009)
Up managed to have most people in floods of tears before they had even settled into their seats.
"My grandfather had to say goodbye to my grandmother in the exact same way after 58 years of marriage. Every time I see that portion of the movie, or even just a still of it, it's like a kick in the gut."
#8. The Lion King (1994)
"THAT scene. Where Mufasa dies. ‘Dad? Dad, come on. You gotta get up.'"
It is impossible to hold back the tears as Simba tries desperately to wake up his father, before nestling himself under his paw.
#9. The Iron Giant
I know not many people have seen The Iron Giant, but those of you who have will have to admit that at the end when he sacrifices himself to save the town, and thinks of himself as Superman moments before detonation, it's an expectedly incredibly touching sequence. Yeah, alright so the movie cops out and he actually lives, but at the time, crazy sadness.
#10. The Toy Story 2010
Watching the gang struggling to escape the incinerator is hard enough, but the moment when they all come to the realisation that they're going to die and decide to hold hands so that they can face their fate together is basically torture.
