Everyone needs a good cry occasionally, and doing so with an emotionally charged film is often a good indicator of its overall quality. Prime Video will make you cry, but almost always in a good way. With the numerous films available in Prime Video’s library, there are ample opportunities to let the waterworks flow for an hour or two. Again, in a good way.
Overcoming intense tribulations, making the best of a bad situation, or simply trying to get by are what Prime Video’s saddest movies are all about. Whether you’re looking for a story you won’t soon forget or you simply have some extra tissues you could do without, these are some of the saddest movies currently streaming on Prime Video.
‘You Were Never Really Here’ (2018)
You Were Never Really Here follows troubled veteran Joe (Joaquin Phoenix in one of his best performances), who harbors a bit of bloodlust. But it’s conditional bloodlust because his job (really, his life’s purpose) is to rescue kidnapped young women and return them to their families. Once he takes a job that’s more complicated than it appears, his violent nature gets put to good use.
Phoenix’s Joe elicits empathy from the audience from the first frame. He’s an altruist, just a complicated one with an even more complicated past. He’s aware of this, and one gets the feeling he’s seeking a sort of personal redemption, and it won’t be easy. It will require more violence, which he’s both comfortable with and repulsed by. Toss in a narrative focusing on human trafficking, and it’s a heartbreaker.
‘Women Talking’ (2022)
Under Sarah Polley’s refreshing gaze, Women Talking cements itself as one of the most important, feminist, compassionate, and character-driven films. Shedding light on American Mennonite women, the film centers around the conversations of a community reeling from a series of vicious and unspeakable acts. The film is heavy on dialogue, which mostly conveys the women’s feelings of vindication instead of vengeance. As mothers, sisters, and daughters, they want what is best for one another and their children.
Based on a novel written by Miriam Toews, who was also born as a Mennonite, the film shows these women finally finding unity and courage amid religion’s capacity for compassion. It’s an incisive, intelligent work that sheds light on a community not often seen in the film industry.
‘The Big Sick’ (2017)
A sad film doesn’t necessarily need to be about losing loved ones or going through traumatic experiences. It can also be a beautiful story about the sacrifices made for family and traditional values. The Big Sick, nominated for an Oscar for best screenplay in 2018, dwells on the life of a Pakistan-born stand-up comedian, Kumail Nanjiani, who falls in love with a girl named Emily (Zoe Kazan) despite their cultural differences.
However, when Emily winds up in a medically induced coma, Kumail’s life takes a drastic turn. Now he must navigate his life to thrive as a comedian while also dealing with his family’s desire to fix him up with a spouse. This heartbreaking story is based on Kumail’s real-life love story, told in a pure cinematic fashion, and it is a must-see for those looking for a blend of hilarity and sadness.
‘Beautiful Boy’ (2018)
Beautiful Boy is a biographical drama film based on the memoirs Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff and Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff. In every sense, the film is a heart-wrenching experience that sheds light on drug addiction and how it can impact the life of a teenager if they are not careful. The narrative follows Steve Carell’s David Sheff, who splits up with his first wife and then struggles with his teenage son’s condition, who begins to use drugs to cope with loneliness and eventually becomes addicted.
Whether it’s the authentic depiction of a true story or the emotional dynamic between father and son, the film passes with flying colors. This is especially true thanks to the powerful performances from Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet. The viewers are taken on a heartbreaking and inspiring journey as a father desperately tries to save his son from relapsing.
‘Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father’ (2008)
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a harrowing documentary that is made in ‘real-time,’ as events unfolded while the film was being shot. While it isn’t your typical documentary that relies on historical facts, the subject is compelling enough to keep you hooked. Just note that the facts are harsh and difficult to digest.
The documentary, set in 2011, tells the tragic story of Andrew Bagby, who is murdered shortly after breaking up with his girlfriend, but it turns out she’s pregnant. One of Andrew’s close friends, Kurt Kuenne, learns of her situation and creates a film in remembrance of Andrew and as a gift to the child. With Andrew’s parents still in mourning, they pay a visit to their son’s ex-girlfriend in hopes of gaining custody of the child, perhaps to fill the void left by their innocent son.
‘Life Itself’ (2018)
Life Itself‘s story centers on Abby (Olivia Wilde) and Will (Oscar Isaac), college sweethearts who fall in love after numerous interactions and eventually marry. Although their journey from romance to marriage has been uneventful, unexpected twists take form when they plan to conceive their first child, plunging the couple into a tragic life path. While we could provide a few more particulars on its plot, doing so would only ruin your experience.
Life is all about being knocked down by a series of tragedies, but what matters is how often you get back up. While that certainly describes many people’s lives, Life Itself takes a realistic, beautiful approach that makes you question how often you are truly living a content existence. Having said that, the film underlines how every tragedy can result in something beautiful, making it worth watching even if you are not moved by its premise.
‘Apocalypto’ (2006)
Apocalypto furthers Mel Gibson’s ferocious appetite for violence and gore, but does so with careful consideration, telling its tale with clarity and force. A taut, muscular film firmly rooted in our primal instinct for violence, Apocalypto’s world-building is fantastic, transporting viewers to a Mesoamerican rainforest in 1502, where a captured man is given the chance to run for his life and save his family.
Focusing on tribal politics and survival, Gibson’s film serves as a case study of the dark, deep nature of violence and its deep-rooted influence on humanity. By no means an easy watch, Gibson’s portrayal of tribal survival serves as a glaring reminder of who we were and where we’ve come from. Yet, despite the more action-heavy, bloody elements, the movie’s sadness comes from the incredible escape one man makes to return to his family, only to be underscored by the film’s conclusion.
‘Manchester by the Sea’ (2016)
Manchester by the Sea sees Casey Affleck (Interstellar, Good Will Hunting) return to his childhood home after the sudden death of his older brother. But as he tries to care for his teenage nephew, a traumatic past will rear its head once more as new connections are formed, old ties flame out, and grief buried long ago is suddenly exhumed.
A bittersweet ending lies in wait if you watch Manchester by the Sea. It’s an intimate movie that examines depression at its core, and how its encompassing nature can’t necessarily be resolved with a big, pretty bow. Still, our protagonist does the best he can, and fans will find themselves rooting for him through glassy eyes after its contemplative ending. Considered to be one of the best films of 2016, and of the 2010s for that matter, Manchester by the Sea is a tragic drama worth seeing.
‘Honey Boy’ (2019)
Honey Boy is particularly compelling for a variety of reasons. Written by and featuring Shia LaBeouf (Transformers, Fury), Honey Boy is supposedly based on LaBeouf’s real-life experiences, though there has been doubt cast on this idea. Lucas Hedges plays Otis Lort, a former child actor forced into rehab after a drunken accident. Faced with a potential prison sentence, a series of exposure therapy sessions unveil a childhood scorched by an alcoholic father, the pressures of acting, and escapism through substance abuse.
Honey Boy is a story about trauma. It showcases how trauma is passed down from generation to generation, whether intentionally or not, and how that trauma is practically inescapable for most during their developmental years. LeBeouf even opted to play the role of his father in the film itself, though he admitted that some creative liberties were taken in his performance.
‘Where the Red Fern Grows’ (1974)
A childhood staple next to Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, Where the Red Fern Grows is a quintessential coming-of-age story about hunting, companionship, and tragedy. In the Ozark Mountains, a young Billy Coleman (Stewart Petersen) finds himself in the company of two hunting hounds, Old Dan, and Little Ann, in a tale as old as time. What starts as an ambitious venture turns into a profitable path for Coleman and his family.
If you were lucky, you didn’t have to hear this glum tale read out during grade school. But if you want to relive this classic story of love and loss, Where the Red Fern Grows is an ultimately positive film that will leave you misty-eyed. Good times never last, and Coleman will have to learn how to cope with the circle of life and death.
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