Movies and TV shows have had the power and capability to transport audiences into different worlds, realms, and universes for over a hundred years. Be it a journey to a new planet or an alternate dimension, the magical world of big screen entertainment continues to effortlessly grasp our attention and emotions and keep a firm grip. Whether it's a superhero adventure, a hilarious comedy, or a heartbreaking drama that leaves you reeling for hours after, movies have no trouble putting us through the wringer of emotional damage.
While every genre of movie has the ability to grip your heartstrings, dramas, biopics, historical depictions, and many animations are among those that can truly bring a new level of emotional turmoil to a viewer. From the cripplingly cruel 1999 fantasy drama, The Green Mile to a hidden yet heartbreaking 1981 gem from Disney's Dark Age titled The Fox And The Hound, there are many movies that you may find just too upsetting to rewatch. For your emotional stability, once is enough with these features.
'The Fox And The Hound' (1981)
While most Disney movies have somewhat of a happy ending, their Dark Age addition of the bittersweet The Fox And The Hound (1981) is a different story. The animation follows the unlikely friendship of Todd, an orphaned red fox cub, and Copper, a hound puppy bought by a farmer for hunting. The two youngsters form an unlikely friendship, but by the end of the movie, we're left reeling from the realities of watching these two drift apart.
As the story progresses, Todd and Copper are forced apart by a mixture of differences, and we can do nothing but sit and watch as their wildly different lives tear them apart. Aside from a heartstring-tugging scene where Copper protects Todd from being shot, they get no happy ending and no rekindling and long-lasting friendship. And we can only accept the acknowledgment that their different lives will never allow them to be friends.
'Marley And Me' (2008)
Any movie with an animal has more than enough potential to bring on the waterworks in viewers. But when the film you're watching follows a dog throughout his whole life, from puppyhood to adulthood, takes you through the highs and lows, and subjects you to witnessing the loss of a beloved pet, you know you're in for an emotional ride.
The 2008 comedy/drama, Marley And Me, based on the memoir of the same name, follows the lives of Josh and Jennifer Groban (played by Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) after they get married and bring home their adorable yellow Labrador retriever puppy, Marley. It starts out as a family adventure but has a devastating culmination as Marley grows old, weak, and, eventually, dies. Seeing Marley's gradual health decline immediately twinges the heart, but the thought of the final scene between him and Josh is downright crushing to even think about, let alone watch more than once.
'Brokeback Mountain' (2005)
"I wish I knew how to quit you." That line became etched in the minds of every film buff, cowboy fan, and romance enthusiast as soon as those raw emotion-filled words left Jake Gyllenhaal's mouth back in 2005. Brokeback Mountain saw the complex and emotional relationship between two cowboys in the American West from 1963 to 1983 and the challenges they faced in the difficulties of that time.
To say the idea of homosexuality was frowned upon during that period would be a major understatement. The treatment of gay men was horrendous. And seeing Jack and Ennis's (Health Ledger) struggle with the inability to be themselves over the decades shined a light on the real struggles many in the LGBT+ community still face today. On top of the undeniable heartache throughout the film, that scene of Ennis holding Jack's jacket to his chest after he'd died and picturing his death as a result of being beaten for being gay is a final soul-crushing blow.
'Manchester By The Sea' (2016)
The 2016 psychological drama, Manchester by the Sea stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, and Lucas Hedges. The movie deals with and heavily focuses on hard-hitting topics that millions suffer from worldwide, including grief, depression, guilt, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more, taking viewers on one hell of an emotional watch.
It follows asocial Lee Chandler (Affleck) as he deals with his grief, guilt, and depression over the accidental deaths of his three children. When his brother dies suddenly from a cardiac arrest, he is thrust into the world of parenthood once more and must care for his nephew. The film is a heartbreaking tale of family, loss, and the different pains many of us experience. It is considered one of the best films of 2016 and won close to seventy awards, including Best Actor for Affleck at the Academy Awards. While its many accolades prove its greatness, it's undoubtedly a sad watch, so make sure you bring the tissues.
'Philadelphia' (1993)
Tom Hanks is no stranger to bringing audiences to the brink of devastation with his varying roles over the last forty-five years. And legal drama, Philadelphia (1993), is just one of his incredible performances that will undoubtedly sting those heartstrings of yours.
Hanks portrays a man by the name of Andrew Beckett, a lawyer who finds himself wrongfully dismissed when his colleagues discover AIDS diagnosis. Throughout the movie, we see many real-life struggles that people experienced back when little was known about the debilitating disease. Andrew's health dramatically deteriorates throughout, and between this, the real-world effect it had on people, and that final scene with his family, Philadelphia is a must-see. Just bring plenty of tissues if you plan on watching it again.
'Hotel Rwanda' (2004)
2004s multi-award nominated Hotel Rwanda stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo as they tell the story of Paul Rusesabagina and his wife, Tatiana. They embarked on saving the lives of their family and over a thousand Hutu and Tutsi refugees during the Rwandan civil war in 1994.
With the movie based on real-life events, it's difficult to watch it without shedding many a tear when your mind crosses to the real people it so negatively affected. And it remains even harder to fathom that the portrayals of such violence occurred over such a short period of time. One hundred days is all it took for 500,000 to 800,000 Tutsi people to lose their lives.
'The Green Mile' (1999)
The Green Mile is a 1999 fantasy drama movie starring Tom Hanks and the late Michael Clarke Duncan. It follows the devastating story of a gentle giant named John Coffey (Duncan), who finds himself accused and convicted of the brutal murder of two young girls and sent to death row.
Upon meeting Coffey, you quickly realize that he's not the callous and cold-blooded monster everyone believes him to be. Instead, he is a kind and caring man with the incredible ability to heal those with any ailment. The movie has some downright hard-to-watch scenes that'll have you struggling to see the screen through your tears. From heartbreaking dialogue to that final scene between Coffey and the guards, this is one film that'll leave you reeling long after the movie ends.
'Twelve Years A Slave' (2013)
Films based on true events throughout history, whether they happened to a single person or millions, are bound to rank a little higher on someone's list of movies they'd find too challenging to endure again. The 2013 period drama from Steve McQueen is no exception on that front.
Based on the 1853 memoir of the same name, Twelve Years A Slave tells the chilling story of Solomon Northup, a man who was sold into the slave trade and suffered endless torture under his captors. With hard-hitting topics of slavery and extended scenes of torture, verbal and physical abuse, McQueen's period drama is one many people had a tough time getting through once, let alone a second time.
'The Boy In The Striped Pajamas' (2008)
There have countless films that follow the horrors of the Holocaust. But unlike many movies covering the devastating World War II genocide, this one is told through the eyes of two young eight-year-old boys, Bruno, a German, and Shmuel, a Jew. A forbidden friendship with a cruel ending amidst the terrors of WW2 and the reign of Hitler.
With some gut-wrenching and downright tough-to-watch scenes, 2008s historical drama film, The Boy In The Striped Pajamas is one you might find hard to sit through. It's a haunting story, and its final cruel gut punch of a twist ending will surely leave you reeling for a long time after the credits roll.
'Schindler's List' (1993)
The 1993 war drama, Schindler's List, follows the story of Oskar Schindler (played by Liam Neeson), an inspiring man who was a German industrialist and was responsible for saving the lives of over a thousand Jewish people during the horrors of the Holocaust. The film is chock-full of harrowing images and is one of the most heartbreaking depictions of the Holocaust in cinema.
It has outstanding cinematography, is fantastically written, acted, and produced, and is a testament to Stephen Speilberg's second-to-none capability to bring haunting depictions of war and history to life on the big screen. While it is a fantastic movie and the winner of seven Academy Awards, it is undoubtedly difficult to watch in places. But it's well worth it.