What are your feelings about sad movies? I’ve realized you can’t always be happy at the cinema. Sometimes, you need to let out a good cry. It’s healthy, or at least that’s what I told myself after shedding some tears during Hamnet. I’m OK with movies that make me cry, but I struggle with depressing stories. Those are the movies that I don’t want to revisit.
There is a special group of movies that I’ll only watch once. For me, the movies that deal with family and heartbreak are the ones that crush my spirits. My pick for the most devastating movie of all time is an Oscar-winning film that features one of the greatest acting performances of the last 15 years. However, the movie broke me to a point where I couldn’t rewatch it. Other top selections include an unfathomable tragedy involving a wrestling family and a disturbing view of addiction. You can stream all of these selections in the U.S.
There will be light spoilers.
6
Million Dollar Baby
Boxing turns into tragedy
If this list featured the saddest movies that I don’t like, Million Dollar Baby might be at the top of the list. I hate the ending; it is not my cup of tea. Clint Eastwood, who also directed the movie, starred as Frankie Dunn, a disgruntled boxing trainer and gym owner. One day, aspiring boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) walks into the gym and asks Frank to train her. Despite his reluctance to coach a woman, Frankie eventually agrees, and Maggie fights her way into a title match.
Once tragedy strikes, I’m turned off by the rest of the movie. It’s almost criminal how depressing the ending gets. No, thank you. The joke’s on me, though, as Million Dollar Baby won four Oscars, including Best Picture.
5
Marley & Me
A dog will break your heart
I recently wrote about how dog movies have such a high approval rating. There’s something special about watching a dog form a loving bond with a family. I’m not sure if it takes people back to childhood or if it reminds them about the goodness in animals. Whatever the reason, dogs — especially cinematic canines — make people happy.
Well, all that joy for dogs might have disappeared with the ending of Marley & Me. The first 85% of Marley & Me is a heartwarming tale about how a Labrador retriever named Marley positively impacts John (Owen Wilson) and Jenny Grogan (Jennifer Aniston) as they go from newlyweds to parents. Then, the final 15% will absolutely rip your heart out of your chest. I know it completes the circle of life, but I have no intention of watching Marley meet her demise.
Marley and Me
- Release Date
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December 25, 2008
- Runtime
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115 Minutes
- Director
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David Frankel
4
Blue Valentine
They say that breaking up is hard to do
I can’t in good faith recommend Blue Valentine to anyone in a relationship. If you have a strong connection with your significant other, then you can try and give this movie a shot to enjoy the performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. If you, by any chance, think your partnership is on the rocks, then don’t risk it.
Blue Valentine chronicles the courtship and downfall of the relationship between Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams). It’s very sweet to witness young love between Dean and Cindy. The film also drops the hammer on the audience by depicting the dissolution of their marriage. Things get ugly, to say the least. Even though I appreciate the acting, Blue Valentine leaves me with a sense of despair.
3
Requiem for a Dream
Addiction in its scariest form
Requiem for a Dream — yeesh. There’s disturbing, and then there’s Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drama that made me look away multiple times. Based on a 1978 novel of the same name, Requiem for a Dream follows how various forms of drug addiction affect people at different stages of their lives.
Witnessing the four central characters — Sara (Ellen Burstyn), Harry (Jared Leto), and Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) — succumb to their addictions is as tough of a watch as it gets. Burstyn even received an Academy Award nomination for her work. This movie is not for everyone; it’s grim and intense. I respect what Aronofsky did even though I have no interest in returning to it.
2
The Iron Claw
Wrestling’s forgotten family
I’m an avid wrestling fan, so I knew about the story of the Von Erich family heading into The Iron Claw. For a brief history lesson, the Von Erichs were a Texas wrestling family led by retired wrestler Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany). Fritz raised his sons — Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and Mike (Stanley Simons) — to be wrestlers in hopes of bringing a world championship into the family.
The word “unfathomable” might be too weak to describe what happened to this family. It’s so crazy that the film makes the polarizing decision not to mention one of the real-life sons. Death and the family curse destroy the Von Erichs. Efron is truly incredible as the lead. The emotional weight put on his shoulders would be difficult for any actor to carry, but he turns in the performance of his career. The ending had me in a pool of tears when Kevin started talking about his brothers. I’m in awe of The Iron Claw, but I’ll probably never muster up the courage to watch it again.
1
Manchester by the Sea
Recovering from an unspeakable tragedy
“Magnificent” is the word that comes to mind when describing Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan’s extraordinary examination of grief and depression. Casey Affleck stars as Lee Chandler, an antisocial janitor who returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea after the death of his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler). Much to his surprise, Lee is named the guardian of Patrick (Lucas Hedges), Joe’s teenage son. Years earlier, Lee left the town after an indescribable tragedy rocked his world.
Now, he must reckon with the past upon his return. I was short of breath watching this movie for the first time. There’s a scene in the movie where Lee tells Patrick that “he can’t beat it,” a reference to his trauma. I can rewatch certain scenes to appreciate this Oscar-winning movie, but I can’t stomach the thought of reliving Lee’s tragedy from start to finish. I can’t beat it.
More movies to stream
You might not want to stream these six movies again. However, you’ll probably give some of these new movies a shot, including Lurker on HBO Max and The Crash on Netflix. Plus, movies like La La Land and Knives Out have perfect endings, making them such joys to watch.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
