Tearjerker movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant tearjerker movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out tear jerker, emotional, sad, inspirational, sentimental and heartbreaking films and TV shows about / with storytelling, mentor, bittersweet, sacrifice, destiny, catastrophe, love story, tragedy, death and survival plots mostly in Drama, Romance and Fantasy genres shot in USA, South Korea, UK and other countries.
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TOP 10 movies tagged as tearjerker: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Hope (2013), Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Titanic (1997), Farewell, Kuro (2003), The Pianist (2002), More than Blue: The Series (2021), Beaches (1988), Schindler's List (1993), City of Angels (1998).
Best films
List of tearjerker movies
Genre: Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott. Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother ...
Style:
sentimental, feel good, sad, sweet, inspirational ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, family friendly, teens, girls' night ...
Plot:
alien, friendship, childhood, children, coming of age, ufo, friendly alien, space and aliens, chase, boy, child protagonist, bicycle ...
Time:
20th century, 80s, year 1982, 90s, future
Place:
california, usa, persia, los angeles
Is relevant?
12K
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
After 8-year-old So-won narrowly survives a brutal sexual assault, her family labors to help her heal while coping with their own rage and grief.
Style:
disturbing, uplifting, heartbreaking, sad, suspenseful ...
Plot:
child abuse, sexual assault, trial, child, psychotherapist, hopes, rapist, recovery, sexualized violence, hospital, father daughter relationship, victim ...
Place:
east asia, korea, south korea
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Drama, War
Country: Japan
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
touching, depressing, anime, sad, heartbreaking ...
Audience:
kids, adult
Plot:
world war two, hunger, orphan, war, homelessness, survival, siblings relations, children, desperation, death of child, boy, anti war ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 1988, year 1945, post world war two
Place:
japan, east asia, asia, tokyo
Is relevant?
1.4M
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 194 min.
Story:
84 years later, a 101-year-old woman named Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story to her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert, Brock Lovett, Lewis Bodine, Bobby Buell and Anatoly Mikailavich on the Keldysh about her life set in April 10th 1912, on a ship called ...
Style:
romantic, emotional, touching, sentimental, dramatic ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night, girls' night, kids, family friendly ...
Plot:
titanic, love story, disaster, love, ship, tragedy, forbidden love, love and romance, ocean, fall in love, tragic love, survival ...
Time:
20th century, 1910s, year 1997, edwardian era, 90s ...
Place:
atlantic ocean, britain, iran, nova scotia, america ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Based on a true story set in Matsumoto city, Nagano, during 1960s. A stray dog wanders into a high school's grounds. The dog, named Kuro, stays at the school and becomes a special friend to everyone.
Style:
tear jerker, emotional, psychological, thrilling, captivating ...
Audience:
family friendly, teen drama
Plot:
dog, friend, school, friendship, high school, loss, grief, bittersweet, animal, human dog relationship, problem, compassion ...
Time:
60s
Place:
japan
Is relevant?
1.0M
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music, War
Country: France, Poland, Germany, UK, USA
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
The true story of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he ...
Style:
emotional, sad, harsh, reflective, bleak ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
holocaust, world war two, survival, genocide, nazi, classical music, wartime, war, nazism, anti semitism, hunger, nazi occupation ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 1939, 1930s, year 2002 ...
Place:
poland, germany, europe, eastern europe, central europe ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Taiwan
Duration: 50 min.
TV show
Story:
A man with a terminal illness seeks to help his beloved find a long-term partner.
Style:
tear jerker, melancholic, emotional, romantic drama, sincere ...
Plot:
terminal illness, tragic love, star crossed lovers, sacrifice, music industry, partner, love affair, love story, love interest, relationship problems, in love, love and romance ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
TV show
Story:
An ordinary middle-aged woman has devoted her life to her family. She is diagnosed with terminal cancer and must prepare her goodbye to her family.
Style:
tear jerker, poignant, emotional, psychological, captivating ...
Plot:
terminal illness, cancer, slice of life, grief, loss, bereavement, life & death, family drama, bittersweet, family life, family problems, illness ...
Place:
korea
Is relevant?
31K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A privileged rich debutante and a cynical struggling entertainer share a turbulent, but strong childhood friendship over the years.
Style:
sentimental, heartbreaking, tear jerker, sad, sweet ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick, kids, teens
Plot:
friendship, childhood friend, best friend, terminal illness, singer, female bonding, mother daughter relationship, female lawyer, death, life is a bitch, coming of age, dog ...
Time:
20th century, 60s, 70s, 80s, 1950s ...
Place:
new york, atlantic city new jersey, san francisco, manhattan new york city, los angeles ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 195 min.
Story:
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.
Style:
touching, emotional, heartbreaking, realistic, thought provoking ...
Audience:
date night, chick flick, adult
Plot:
holocaust, world war two, genocide, nazi, wartime, war, concentration camp, storytelling, holocaust survivor, anti semitism, nazism, against humanity ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, 90s, ancient times, year 1943 ...
Place:
poland, germany, iran, persia, europe ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
When guardian angel Seth -- who invisibly watches over the citizens of Los Angeles -- becomes captivated by Maggie, a strong-willed heart surgeon, he ponders trading in his pure, otherworldly existence for a mortal life with his beloved. The couple ...
Style:
romantic, sentimental, sincere, inspirational, tear jerker ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick, date night
Plot:
angel, afterlife, life & death, love, love and romance, love story, fall in love, heaven and hell, supernatural romance, death, medical, destiny ...
Time:
year 1998, 90s, 20th century
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, san francisco
Is relevant?
80K
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
Jackie is a divorced mother of two. Isabel is the career minded girlfriend of Jackie’s ex-husband Luke, forced into the role of unwelcome stepmother to their children. But when Jackie discovers she is ill, both women realise they must put aside ...
Style:
sentimental, inspirational, touching, sad, tear jerker ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, date night, teens, kids ...
Plot:
terminal illness, divorce, women, cancer, autumn, custody, remarry, step parent, friendship, parents and children, adoption, happy ending ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
new york, usa
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
153K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
John Quincy Archibald is a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it. Therefore, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage ...
Style:
sincere, tear jerker, tense, suspenseful, sentimental ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
hostage, hospital, injustice, twists and turns, organ donation, insurance, sick child, father son relationship, fighting the system, doctor, medical, parent child relationship ...
Time:
year 2002, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, chicago, illinois
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 134 min.
Story:
Two modern-day cowboys meet on a shepherding job in the summer of '63, the two share a raw and powerful summer together that turns into a lifelong relationship conflicting with the lives they are supposed to live.
Style:
emotional, touching, sexy, sad, melancholic ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, date night
Plot:
gay, homosexuality, gay romance, gay relationship, homosexual, forbidden love, love story, gays and lesbians, lgbt, first gay sexual experience, gay slur, gay love ...
Time:
80s, year 1963, 60s, year 2005, 20th century ...
Place:
wyoming, usa, texas, idaho, america ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 166 min.
Story:
Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
Style:
touching, philosophical, sentimental, dramatic, melancholic ...
Audience:
date night, chick flick, teens, girls' night, adult
Plot:
destiny, true love, life philosophy, life & death, aging, existentialism, love and romance, life changing, melancholy, magic realism, love, life lesson ...
Time:
50s, 1940s, 20th century, 1930s, year 2008 ...
Place:
southern usa, cambodia, usa, new orleans, russia ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Sara and Brian live an idyllic life with their young son and daughter. But their family is rocked by sudden, heartbreaking news that forces them to make a difficult and unorthodox choice in order to save their baby girl's life. The ...
Style:
touching, sad, sentimental, heartbreaking, tear jerker ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, teens, teen drama
Plot:
cancer, terminal illness, family drama, sisters, parenthood, lawyer, relationships, mother daughter relationship, sick child, life is a bitch, hospital, leukemia ...
Time:
year 2009, 21st century
Place:
rhode island, usa, los angeles, montana
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 75 min.
TV show
Story:
A poor, widowed woman desperate to support her 7-year-old daughter and a wealthy business executive with a sick mother enter into a contract marriage.
Style:
dorama, romantic, heartfelt, tear jerker, sincere ...
Plot:
single mother, forced marriage, marriage of convenience, organ donation, debt, terminal illness, brain tumor, love and romance, restaurant owner, widow, illness, mother child relationship ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
korea
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
A couple of teenagers have a son who suffers from progeria, a rare genetic disorder which makes one age exponentially faster than normal. 16 years later, the child has the body of an 80 year old in the final days of his life writing a book about his ...
Style:
tear jerker, emotional, sincere, captivating, medical drama ...
Plot:
aging, illness, rapid aging, love, mother son relationship, terminal illness, parenting, mortality, family bonds, relationships, male female relationship, teenage life ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
seoul
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
477K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Ireland, Canada, UK, USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Jack is a young boy of 5 years old who has lived all his life in one room. He believes everything within it are the only real things in the world. But what will happen when his Ma suddenly tells him that there are other things outside of Room?
Style:
sentimental, heartbreaking, emotional, sad, thought provoking ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, date night, adult
Plot:
kidnapping, isolation, kidnapped, captive, room, mother son relationship, child born of rape, female protagonist, child protagonist, rape, boy, childhood ...
Time:
year 2015, 2010s, near future, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
ireland, persia, canada
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Spain, Thailand, USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
In December 2004, close-knit family Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying roar rises from the depths of ...
Style:
suspense, inspirational, heartbreaking, emotional, motivational ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night
Plot:
disaster, natural disaster, survival, catastrophe, ocean, tsunami, courage, forces of nature, destruction, danger, family in danger, vacation ...
Time:
year 2004, year 2012, 2000s, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
thailand, southeast asia, asia
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Due to a genetic disorder, handsome librarian Henry DeTamble involuntarily zips through time, appearing at various moments in the life of his true love, the beautiful artist Clare Abshire.
Style:
romantic, touching, sentimental, sweet, sad ...
Audience:
date night, girls' night, chick flick, adult
Plot:
time travel, time, love story, love and romance, time traveler, time loop, love affair, true love, time paradox, couple relations, fall in love, impossible love ...
Time:
future, year 2009, 20th century, year 1995, 90s ...
Place:
chicago, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: New Zealand, USA
Duration: 201 min.
Story:
Aragorn is revealed as the heir to the ancient kings as he, Gandalf and the other members of the broken fellowship struggle to save Gondor from Sauron's forces. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam bring the ring closer to the heart of Mordor, the dark ...
Style:
epic, breathtaking, atmospheric, captivating, exciting ...
Audience:
teens, kids, family outing, manly, chick flick ...
Plot:
sword fight, magic, wizard, magical, battles, good versus evil, courage, monster, creature, friendship, sword and sorcery, ancient ...
Time:
year 2003, 2000s, prehistoric times, prehistory
Place:
iran, new zealand
Is relevant?
35K
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
Harassed by classmates who won't accept his shocking appearance, a shy young man known as "Powder" struggles to fit in. But the cruel taunts stop when Powder displays a mysterious power that allows him to do incredible things. This ...
Style:
spiritual, inspirational, sad, philosophical, touching ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
bullying, supernatural, paranormal phenomena, albino, christ allegory, disappearance, electricity, struck by lightning, psychic, hospital, death, bully ...
Time:
future
Place:
tibet
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, War
Country: Italy
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While ...
Style:
touching, inspirational, emotional, sentimental, poignant ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens, family friendly, kids, adult
Plot:
holocaust, world war two, nazi, concentration camp, human spirit, life & death, life philosophy, self sacrifice, nazism, life lesson, destiny, ss ...
Time:
1940s, year 1997, 20th century, 90s, 1930s ...
Place:
italy, poland, europe, tuscany
Is relevant?
684K
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 143 min.
Story:
Chuck, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia ditches at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and he washes up on a tiny ...
Style:
psychological, captivating, suspense, emotional, inspirational ...
Audience:
date night, family outing, teens, kids
Plot:
survival, loneliness, isolation, island, desert island, stranded on an island, courage, determination, solitude, lost at sea, air disaster, survivor ...
Time:
year 2000, 20th century, y2k, year 1999, 2000s ...
Place:
fictional island, moscow russia, persia, america, pacific ocean ...
Is relevant?
1.8M
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: USA, UK, Malta, Morocco
Duration: 155 min.
Story:
In the year 180, the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius throws the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus is one of the Roman army's most capable and trusted generals and a key advisor to the emperor. As Marcus' devious son Commodus ascends to ...
Style:
epic, captivating, breathtaking, period piece, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night, family friendly, teens, date night, manly ...
Plot:
revenge, ancient rome, roman empire, sword fight, vengeance, ancient history, gladiator, freedom, slavery, courage, warrior, ancient world ...
Time:
ancient times, 2000s, middle ages, y2k, year 2000 ...
Place:
rome italy, italy, ancient greece, greece, germany ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.
Style:
touching, inspirational, emotional, motivational, sentimental ...
Audience:
chick flick, kids, teens, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
teacher, childhood, single parent, life philosophy, death, boy, good deed, disfigurement, addiction, abusive husband, childhood trauma, teacher student relationship ...
Time:
year 2000, 20th century, 90s
Place:
tibet, usa, nevada, las vegas
Is relevant?
161K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
Sam has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. He has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving Sam to raise Lucy on his own. But as Lucy grows up, Sam's limitations start to become a problem and the ...
Style:
touching, inspirational, sad, emotional, sentimental ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, adult
Plot:
lawyer, mentally challenged, father daughter relationship, single father, child custody, social services, custody, custody battle, disability, parents and children, foster child, love ...
Time:
year 2001, 21st century
Place:
california, los angeles, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
Oversized African-American, Michael Oher, the teen from across the tracks and a broken home, has nowhere to sleep at age 16. Taken in by an affluent Memphis couple, Michael embarks on a remarkable rise to play for the NFL.
Style:
touching, inspirational, sentimental, emotional, motivational ...
Audience:
chick flick, family outing, teens, kids, family friendly ...
Plot:
american football, adoption, life, african american, football, christian, interracial relations, human spirit, family drama, rising to stardom, interracial adoption, strong female character ...
Time:
year 2009, 20th century, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, boston, tennessee, america, mississippi ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
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 ...
Style:
touching, emotional, sentimental, romantic, teen ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, date night, teen drama
Plot:
cancer, terminal illness, teenager, fall in love, teenage love, love story, youth, teenage life, first love, dealing with death, illness, adolescence ...
Time:
year 2014, 21st century
Place:
amsterdam, usa, pittsburgh, ethiopia, indiana ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
