Last Night, about the last few hours before the end of the world. In one scene, the main character casually tells his friend (something like) “Well, see you later,” but his friend corrects him, “No you won’t.” And what an ending. Sad, sad, sad, beautiful.
More sadness: Jean de Florette (part one) and Manon des Sources (part two) – a two-movie sequence containing a devastating ending.
I can’t believe I’m the first to mention Old Yeller. It’s tough being a man, isn’t it, Travis?
Miracle Mile.
Most people who’ve never seen it before stare at the screen in silence for about 5 minutes after the ending and then say very little for the next few hours.
The end of “Miller’s Crossing” is very sad. There is a profound sense of loss but you’re not quite sure what has been lost.
Leo asks Tom to come and work for him again but goes too far, “forgiving” him for his affair with Verna. Tom gives him a very final “goodbye” but the last shot, of Tom watching Leo walk away, is strangely melancholy. But maybe it’s just that damn music. It kills me how sad that music is.
I’d second “The Royal Tenanbaums.” I did not at all expect the film to be so moving at the end, if not truly sad.
“It’s been a tough year, dad.” just broke my heart.
“Parenthood” also has a really hard scene for me to watch.
The whole sequence where Jason Robards offers a deal to his son (Tom Hulce) to get him out of trouble, only to get a “counter-proposal” totally in line with Hulce’s character. You can see Robards’ character kind of die a little. And then, his simple speech to Cool is a beautiful scene.
But I think the prize goes to “Magnolia” as just generally a very sad film where even unlikeable characters still manage to earn my sympathy.
There’s always Requiem For A Dream.
I found The Iron Giant to be very sad too.
I nominate The Color Purple > I bawl every time I see it.
Boys Don’t Cry was pretty depressing.
Haven’t seen it and probably won’t since I don’t want to listen to my daughter griping about how that kid was a “ringer” allowing his school to beat hers in Odyssey of the Mind competions. “Oooh! It’s the kid from Simon Birch! Isn’t he noble and long-suffering?” She found him to be a jerk taking advantage of people’s sympathy but she was HEAVILY prejudiced.
This is a useful thread. I hate sad movies so I’ll be able to avoid them easier now.
Dancer in the Dark is a true wrist-slasher.
Sophie’s Choice…oh my gawd. That movie kills me.
Boys On The Side. 'Nuff said.
There are many more, but I can’t think of them off hand.
The “Iron Giant”, In my opinion, is sad, but hopeful…
I agree, “The Pianist” was very depressing…quite an ordeal to watch.
My daughter and I always cry at the end of “My Dog Skip”.
Oh—and I think the end of “Forrest Gump” is sad.
Equus was pretty depressing, especially in the end.
I can’t believe this thread has gone on for about 30 posts and no one has nominated “Life is Beautiful”. I had to be helped out of the theatre at the end of the movie, I was crying so hard. My girlfriend at the time was nonplussed and amused at me bawling, but I couldn’t help it; it was just such a sad ending.
–greenphan
I knew that with as many posts as have been made already, several people would have already mentioned Grave of the Fireflies, and I was right. This movie left me in tears for several minutes after the closing credits, and I still get weepy just thinking about it – and I saw it before I had kids, too!
Grave of the Fireflies is pretty sad, agreed. But the movie that’s made me cry the longest and the hardest at the end was Brazil. “Happy ending” and all.
I got sad watching “Brief Encounter” but it doesn’t really measure up to the tragic nature of the movies listed here. I own Grave of the Fireflies but I can never decide when to watch it.
“Somewhere in Time”, with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.
“Somersby”, with Richard Gere and Jodie Foster
Any film where the dog dies. 
“Life is Beautiful” I can’t watch that movie because every time I do, I just start crying.
I forgot all about “Grave of the Fireflies” and “The Iron Giant”. Sad, sad, sad.
“Raise the Red Lantern” was another one, but I can’t believe no one’s mentioned “Schindler’s List”.
Did anybody ever see that one called “The Cure”?
It’s about two boyhood friends, both around 11 years old and one of them has AIDS. They attempt to find a cure for the AIDS by setting off to Lousiana to see a Dr. they saw advertised in a newspaper who said he could cure AIDS. Being without his meds for so long makes the one boy so sick that he dies at the end of the movie.
IDBB