A Glean movie guide
The Ultimate Cry List
Prepare for a total emotional release.
Grab the tissues for these emotionally devastating cinematic masterpieces.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Grave of the Fireflies
An uncompromisingly tragic and beautiful look at two siblings' struggle for survival in wartime Japan.
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.
- 02
Manchester by the Sea
A raw, grounded exploration of permanent grief and the difficulty of moving forward after a life-altering 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.
- 03
Hachi: A Dog's Tale
A devastatingly simple story of a dog’s unwavering loyalty to his owner that is guaranteed to break your heart.
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
Coco
A vibrant journey through the Land of the Dead that builds to a profoundly moving climax about family and memory.
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.
- 05
Aftersun
A quiet, melancholic reflection on a father-daughter vacation that builds a sense of profound, lingering sadness.
Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories fill the gaps between camcorder footages as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the troubled man she didn't.
- 06
The Green Mile
A supernatural prison drama that tackles themes of injustice and the loss of innocence with high emotional stakes.
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
- 07
The Fault in Our Stars
A poignant romantic tragedy that finds beauty and heartbreak in the lives of two terminally ill teenagers.
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.
- 08
Lion
The incredible true story of a man’s cross-continental journey to find the family he lost as a child.
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.
- 09
Brokeback Mountain
A somber and beautifully acted drama about the lifelong pain of repressed love and societal pressure.
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.
- 10
Bridge to Terabithia
A deceptive coming-of-age story that deals with sudden loss and the healing power of imagination.
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
Steel Magnolias
A classic ensemble drama that balances sharp Southern wit with a truly heart-wrenching final act.
A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold.
- 12
Schindler's List
A powerful historical epic that captures the immense weight of tragedy and the light of individual sacrifice.
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.