A Glean movie guide
The Ultimate Cry-Fest
Movies that won't leave a dry eye.
Grab the tissues for these emotionally charged stories of love, loss, and the human spirit.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Manchester by the Sea
A raw, unflinching look at a man navigating the weight of an unthinkable family tragedy.
After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised.
- 02
Grave of the Fireflies
A devastatingly beautiful animation about two siblings struggling to survive the final days of World War II.
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
- 03
Hachi: A Dog's Tale
A heart-wrenching true story of a dog’s unwavering loyalty to his owner that spans a lifetime.
Professor Wilson discovers a lost Akita puppy on his way home. Despite objections from his wife, Hachi endears himself to the family and grows to be Parker's loyal companion. As their bond grows deeper, a beautiful relationship unfolds.
- 04
The Fault in Our Stars
A poignant romance following two teenagers who find life-changing love while facing terminal illness.
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a patient named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
- 05
Blue Valentine
An intimate and painful portrait of a marriage as it slowly unravels across two different timelines.
Dean and Cindy live a quiet life in a modest neighborhood. They appear to have the world at their feet at the outset of the relationship. However, his lack of ambition and her retreat into self-absorption cause potentially irreversible cracks in their marriage.
- 06
The Notebook
A sweeping, decades-long romance that explores the enduring power of love in the face of memory loss.
An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.
- 07
Coco
A vibrant and deeply moving journey through the Land of the Dead that celebrates the bonds of family.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.
- 08
Brokeback Mountain
A beautifully shot, tragic story of forbidden love and the lifelong cost of societal repression.
In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.
- 09
Lion
An incredible true story of a lost boy’s relentless search for his home and the family he left behind.
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
- 10
Bridge to Terabithia
A deceptive and powerful coming-of-age story that tackles the sudden, sharp pain of childhood grief.
Jesse Aarons trained all summer to become the fastest runner in school. So he's very upset when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns him and everyone else. Despite this and other differences including that she's rich, he's poor, she's a city girl, and he's a country boy the two become fast friends. Together they create Terabithia, a land of monsters, trolls, ogres, and giants where they rule as king and queen.
- 11
Schindler's List
A monumental historical drama that finds profound humanity and sacrifice amidst the horrors of the Holocaust.
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
- 12
Marriage Story
A sharp and deeply empathetic look at the messy, exhausting reality of a family going through a divorce.
A stage director and an actress struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal extremes.