18 movies on Netflix to watch if you need a good cry (2024)

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"About Time" is a romantic comedy with a sobering time travel twist.

"About Time" opens as 21-year-old Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) learns that the men in his family can travel through time, with a catch — they can only travel back to moments in their own lives.

He resolves to get a girlfriend, and during his time travel adventures, Tim meets and falls in love with Mary (Rachel McAdams). However, once they start a family, he is unable to travel back in time to alter tragic events or see his late father for fear of erasing his children's existence.

What starts as a charming rom-com with a time travel twist grows into a bittersweet meditation on growing up and dealing with events out of your control that's worth a watch.

You can watch it here.

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"Moonlight" tells the powerful story of Chiron, a gay black man growing up in Miami.

You might remember "Moonlight" from the best picture fiasco at the 2017 Oscars (when "La La Land" was wrongfully announced as the best picture winner), but the movie itself is truly a must-see.

Director Barry Jenkins' movie tells the story of a young black gay man named Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes) growing up and trying to find his place in the world.

"Moonlight" manages to be both a universally empathetic look at the pain and beauty of falling in love and coming to terms with one's identity, and a brilliantly specific portrait of lives not often depicted on-screen.

You can watch it here.

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Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in the romantic drama "Blue Valentine."

One of the most heartbreaking parts of any separation is attempting to pinpoint where things went wrong. "Blue Valentine" does just that, putting the failing relationship between husband and wife Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) under a microscope to investigate how they went from a carefree young couple to adults on the brink of divorce.

By cross-cutting between different points in their life together, the movie shows that relationships are more than the sum of their best and worst moments (and will resonate with anyone who has been through a rocky breakup).

You can watch it here.

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Real-life father and son Will Smith and Jaden Smith appear in the biographical drama "The Pursuit of Happyness."

"The Pursuit of Happyness" tells the true story of entrepreneur Chris Gardner (Will), who struggles to raise his young son, Christopher Jr. (Jaden), when they become homeless soon after Chris lands an unpaid, high-profile internship at a brokerage firm.

Watching Chris and Christopher Jr.'s bond be tested to the limit is easily tear-inducing, especially since the two actors are actually father and son in real life.

You can watch it here.

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"Someone Great" is a poignant comedy that celebrates female friendship.

After breaking up with her long-term boyfriend (Lakeith Stanfield) right before a cross-country move, "Someone Great" follows Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) as she enjoys one last night in New York City with her best friends (Brittany Snow and DeWanda Wise).

Amidst the comedy of Jenny and her friends' raucous escapades is a moving tribute to female friendships, and how they can help you make it through a shattered relationship, navigate a turning point in your life, or simply make the best of a night out.

You can watch it here.

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"Her" uses sci-fi to explore issues of technology, loneliness, and romance.

"Her" takes place in a near-future Los Angeles, where writer Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is struggling to make human connections again because of his impending divorce from his childhood sweetheart (Rooney Mara). Theodore soon receives an operating system designed to meet his every need named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), and they develop an unlikely romantic relationship.

The movie is a poignant exploration of loneliness and the bonds that we form and maintain via technology.

You can watch it here.

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"First Match" is a searing sports drama.

"First Match" centers around Mo (Elvira Emanuelle), a Brooklyn teenager who joins an all-boys wrestling team in a last-ditch attempt to connect with her estranged father ("Watchmen" star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).

Elevated by an electric performance from Emanuelle, "First Match" doubles as an engaging coming-of-age sports drama and an incisive look at the struggle of walking away from a loved one, no matter how toxic they are.

You can watch it here.

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"One Day" is a slow burn romance about two friends who meet up on the same day each year.

Have you ever had a friendship that you wondered would ever turn into something more? If so, you'll probably relate to "One Day." The movie follows friends Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess), who reunite on the same day each year to catch up and talk about their dreams. As time passes, they continue their tradition while circling around their lingering feelings for one another.

If you're looking for a romance that's full of twists designed to tug at viewers' heartstrings, "One Day" is the movie for you.

You can watch it here.

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"Room" tells the moving story of the bond between a mother and her son.

"Room" is told from the perspective of 5-year-old Jack (Jacob Tremblay), whose mother (Brie Larson) was kidnapped and eventually gave birth to him in the small shed where they've lived his entire life. When the pair manage to escape, both mother and son must struggle to cope with life in the outside world.

The drama is definitely a harrowing watch, but it's also a tender exploration of surviving trauma, and the lengths that parents will go to for their children.

You can watch it here.

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"Marriage Story" tells the story of a marriage coming apart and a family struggling to stay together.

"Marriage Story" is titled rather ironically, since it centers on the divorce proceedings between theater director Charlie (Adam Driver) and actress Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), as they attempt to raise their young son (Azhy Robertson) in the meantime.

Unlike many other divorce-centric movies, director Noah Baumbach's film doesn't follow the couple's romantic relationship. Instead, it intimately traces the family's fight to stay together even as Charlie and Nicole's marriage crumbles.

Driver and Johansson give excellent, Oscar-nominated performances, and there's a good chance that a musical theater karaoke scene towards the end will make you cry.

You can watch it here.

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Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" is an emotional celebration of the women who raised him.

Based on director Alfonso Cuarón's memories of his own childhood, "Roma" revolves around Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a live-in domestic worker for an affluent family in 1970s Mexico City. As political unrest in the city grows, Cleo and her matriarchal employer Sofia's (Marina de Tavira) personal struggles become increasingly intertwined.

Boasting stunning visuals and a remarkable breakthrough performance by Aparicio, Cuarón's celebration of the women who raised him is also an emotional acknowledgment of the unsung, maligned figures that often hold families together.

You can watch it here.

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"The Theory of Everything" is a biographical romance about physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane.

"The Theory of Everything" tells the real-life love story of renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Jane (Felicity Jones). As Stephen does groundbreaking scientific work, he simultaneously becomes increasingly dependent on Jane after being diagnosed with a motor neuron disease, which eventually paralyzes him.

Part-biopic and part-romantic drama, "The Theory of Everything" is a powerful portrait of two extraordinary lives.

You can watch it here.

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The stirring documentary "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution" looks back on a groundbreaking 1970s camp for disabled teenagers.

The documentary follows the attendees of Camp Jened, a summertime destination where kids with disabilities could fully express themselves, long before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990. By tying the campers' experiences to the larger disability rights movement in the United States, "Crip Camp" serves as a feel-good, rousing tribute to the activists who worked to make life more accessible for all.

You can watch it here.

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"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a poignant teen movie featuring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" follows Charlie (Logan Lerman), a shy teenager who soon befriends an offbeat pair of older high schoolers (played by Ezra Miller and Emma Watson). As Charlie experiences classic high school rites of passage (like his first school dance and first party), he and his friends help one another come to terms with their rocky pasts.

Based on Stephen Chbosky's beloved book of the same name, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a poignant film that casts a compassionate, unflinching eye on issues of teen loneliness and mental health.

You can watch it here.

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"The Florida Project" is an imaginative and moving portrait of childhood in difficult circ*mstances.

"The Florida Project" follows 6-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), who lives with her young mother (Bria Vinaite) in a run-down pastel only a few miles from Walt Disney World. As they narrowly evade poverty, viewers follow the young girl's perspective, getting introduced to the motel's beleaguered manager (Willem Dafoe) who often cares for her, the ragtag group of kids she gets into mischief with, and what understanding she already has of her family's precarious day-to-day existence.

Because the movie is largely shown from her imaginative, innocent perspective, director Sean Baker is able to explore the difficulties that America's "hidden homeless" population often face (the last few scenes of "The Florida Project" are especially heart-wrenching), while still telling a vibrantly endearing story of childhood.

You can watch it here.

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The 2017 dramedy "Lady Bird" effortlessly captures the bittersweet experience of reaching adulthood.

Greta Gerwig's solo directorial debut follows brash teenager Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) through her senior year of high school, as she contends with her impending adult aspirations and complicated relationship with her equally strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf).

Anchored by warm, searing performances from Ronan and Metcalf, the quirky coming-of-age film captures the bittersweet transition from adolescence to adulthood and the new ways in which we see and appreciate our parents as we grow up.

You can watch it here.

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The 2020 Netflix film "Tigertail"is a poignant multi-generational drama following a Taiwanese-American man.

Much of "Tigertail" focuses on Pin-Jui (played by Hong-Chi Lee and Tzi Ma), a spirited young Taiwanese man who leaves his lover and home in search of a better life in America. But after years of working a monotonous job and enduring a loveless marriage, he finds himself lost and nearly estranged from his daughter (Christine Ko) on the verge of retirement. As the film unfolds, Pin-Jui is forced to reckon with his past in hopes of building the life he once dreamed of achieving.

Based loosely on director Alan Yang's own father's relocation, "Tigertail" tells a quietly heartwrenching yet tender story about the complexities of the first-generation American experience and the complicated realities of pursuing the American dream.

You can watch it here.

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Steven Spielberg's classic 1993 historical drama "Schindler's List" tells the true story of a man who saved 1,100 Jews from the Holocaust.

Spielberg's harrowing drama about a real-life German businessman (Liam Neeson) who spent his entire fortune to save thousands of Jewish people during the Holocaust is widely regarded not only as one of the finest American films about the events of World War II, but as one of the best movies of all time.

The director manages to apply his signature humanism to "Schindler's List," while still creating an epic, visually compelling war drama that in no way diminishes the horrors of this dark time in human history.

You can watch it here.