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We go to the movies for all kinds of reasons.
To laugh, to scream, to cheer.
But sometimes, there comes a film that leaves us crying like babies.
Some of the most unforgettable movies have equally unforgettable moments that break our hearts in two.
But what might be the most heartbreaking movie moments of all time?
At the end of the movie, Cait returns to her uncaring biological parents.
Lady Bird doesn’t end on a decisively happy note, but it is an optimistic one.
After a lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) falls for his sophisticated A.I.
The genius of Jonze’s direction is having Phoenix stand still in a busy subway staircase.
Most people going into About Time probably expected a typical rom-com.
Allie’s Last Dance, in The Notebook
Year:2004Director:Nick Cassavettes
“What happened to me?”
“You just went away for a little while.”
Bambi, The Land Before Time, Finding Nemo.
But among thebest Disney moviesof all time, few are as effective and memorable as The Lion King.
Reality, in (500) Days of Summer
Year:2009Director:Marc Webb
We’ve all been there before.
We should know by now that it rarely does.
And, sure, Leo’s frozen fate is quite sad.
(Hence the choice in hymn.)
To say nothing of the musicians, who meet death with just their God-given talents.
(He reportedly did not watch it until 2007.)
But the movie has become an American classic, an unfortunately timeless warning about the consequences of hatred.
Life is simply too short to be hateful all the time.
The Ending, in The Mist
Year:2007Director:Frank Darabont
Patience, truly, is a virtue.
As military tanks roll past him, David cries out in defeat.
Lesson learned theextremelyhard way: Never give up.
Baby Mine, in Dumbo
Year:1941Director:Ben Sharpsteen
Mercifully, Dumbo is not anotherDisneymovie with dead parents.
This leads Mrs. Jumbo to be locked up, depriving her of caring for her vulnerable son.
While the song “Baby Mine” is sweet and sentimental, we still feel Mrs. Jumbo’s rage.
No one should live like this, not even in the circus.
The Train Station, in The Elephant Man
Year:1980Director:David Lynch
“I am not an animal!”
Cornered, he cries out in his own defense: “I am a human being!
I am a man!”
“Is This Heaven?
The result is a heart-wrenching moment that is almost too much to bear.
Being Superman, in The Iron Giant
Year:1999Director:Brad Bird
Who are we?
What is our purpose?
What are we made for?
(Truly, what other scenehas its own Wikipedia page?)
But meme status doesn’t diminish how effective it remains.
from Walt Whitman’s poem for Abraham Lincoln’s death.
That’s the real tragedy here.
It’s the ones who deserve violence the least who get caught up in its storm the most.
But a few humble Hobbits did, and for saving Middle-earth, they are rewarded with reverence.
Hobbits really are amazing creatures.
Even after a hundred years, they can still surprise you.
But soon, the inevitable happens.
The kids grow up.
They put down their favorite toys and never pick them up again.
Despite his innocence of a heinous crime, John’s sentencing is carried through.
At his execution, John tearfully asks not to be shrouded with a hood.
“I’s afraid of the dark,” he whimpers.
But Life Is Beautiful is not a careless film.
Instead, it’s a multi-layered work that reveals the lengths we go to protect the ones we love.
As audiences, we’re all laughing, however uncomfortably, until suddenly there’s nothing to laugh at.
Late in the movie after Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist is dead or killed?
Ledger’s Ennis visits Jack’s childhood home.
Whether you relate to gay cowboys or not, we all keep something precious in our closets.
And with that, Miguel is crying.
His grandmother is crying.
The family is crying.
For once in 2017, Pixar recaptured a magic almost forgotten.
If you don’t know the origins of it though, buckle up.
Pray you never have to make such a choice yourself.
As they linger, it quickly becomes clear: This is goodbye.
While they are smitten with each other, their pursuits take them on divergent paths.
But would they be happy people?
The question lingers as Gosling and Stone’s characters share one long, final glance across a crowded room.
They’re people living out their wildest dreams, and it only cost them each other.
