Sad Girls, Assemble! These 23 Tragic Love Films Will Make an Ugly Crier Out of You
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Happy endings in romance movies are great but, let's be honest, they're not always reflective of how romance goes in real life. I’m not sorry to say it—the happily ever after Disney promised us when were 12 years old does not exist. If it did, I wouldn’t be scrolling on Hinge for the umpteenth time. Watching romantic tragedies is just more appealing to my cold, dead, broken heart. Cause why would I want to watch a happy love story and be reminded of my non-existent love life when I can watch the suffering of others?
Sometimes, I just need to ugly cry and reminded myself: At least my first love didn’t die from some incurable cancer like Augustus in The Fault In Our Stars and at least I'm not going through a divorce like the people in Marriage Story. And, sure, the dating pool is the depths of Tartarus, but being single doesn’t look too bad rn.
Enough with the jokes, because you’re not here to laugh about my singlehood. I’m here to share my best sad romantic movie list, perfect for my hopeless romantics, dating pessimists, and all others in between. These flicks have gotten me through countless situationships and the one (or two) that got away. There’s nothing these flicks can’t do for you. Bring tissues, wine, and chocolates cause bb, you’re in for an emotional ride.
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
You can’t start a sad romantic roundup without including John Green’s tearjerker novel-turned-film. Teenager Hazel Green Lancaster was fine with living her days alone battling thyroid cancer, but of course, Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer survivor, has to go and fall in love with her. And like, they were so cute together. But remember, they’re two cancer kids in love, and the f*cked-up thing about cancer is how it doesn’t discriminate when it comes to happiness. Not everyone will get their happy-every-after.
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The Vow (2012)
I remembered when my mom brought the bootleg DVD home, and I rewatched it like a hundred times. Idk if it was the soundtrack, zaddy Channing Tatum, or the plot, but this film had me in a chokehold! Basically, the married couple (played by Tatum and Rachel McAdams) get into a really bad car accident and Rachel’s character loses her memories. And the two have to fall back in love with one another. It’s a true story, too. Omg, the feels. I can’t.
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Moonlight (2016)
So, I saw this film last year at a rooftop movie night in Brooklyn and because ya girl is a crier, I was the only one sobbing mid-way through the film. Was it embarrassing? Of course. Did I stop? I wish. It’s a no-brainer why this film won an Oscar. Aside from the beautiful cinematography, the story of Chiron, a young queer Black man struggling to navigate his sexuality and masculinity, is empowering yet saddening. So hauntingly beautiful and relatable. There are not really any words to describe this movie, so I’ll just say this: please, please go watch it.
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A Star is Born (2018)
I saw this film one time, and it's incredible, but I will never see it again. N-E-V-E-R. The chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga was unforgettable, like sparks were flying. But the love between them two is what makes this movie such a heart-breaker. Because you see how much their love can’t stop the inevitable. Ugh, I’m getting teared up just thinking about it.
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Ghost (1990)
Raise your hand if you’ve ever fantasized about your partner teaching you pottery, their arms around your waist, hands intertwined, their eyes peering into yours. Then *bam* cue the smutty sex. If you’ve never had this sexual fantasy, it’s cause you haven’t seen Ghost. Starring a young, fine-as-f*ck Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, couple Sam and Molly are in love but their relationship is cut short when Sam is murdered (boo). Instead of going to wherever the hell spirits go, he roams the earth, protecting Molly, and making amends.
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Remember Me (2010)
The directors are evil! The writers are evil! Everyone who made this film is evil! Remember Me is a coming-of-age story about two young broken people who fall in love, despite their respective baggage. But then the directors had to go and eff up everything, and the twist at the end of this movie is famously controversial. No rainbows and rays of sunshine. Though, you do have a yummy mid-2010s Robert Pattinson to look at so that kinda offsets the ending imo.
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The Notebook (2004)
Hot take: The couple in this flick is toxic and should have never been together. Like, Ryan Gosling climbs on top of a Ferris wheel to “prove” to Rachel McAdams that they should go on a date together. Excuse me? Someone call the cops bc this man is weird. Bye.
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Up (2009)
Up is a sad romance film, and I will forever die on this hill (!!). Sure, the romance is a subplot in the grander scheme of the film, but it? like? idk?? Just go watch it and holla at me later.
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If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Like A Star Is Born, I will never see this film again, because it's so good but so sad. Based on James Baldwin’s novel of the same name, If Beale Street Could Talk is a poignant love story about two childhood best friends in 1970s Harlem whose love perseveres through every obstacle. It’s a sad tale of how love, as beautiful as it might be, cannot save others, especially young Black men (and Black people) from the shackles of racism and bigotry.
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A Walk to Remember (2002)
Nicholas Sparks had us in our feelings in the early aughts. The precursor to The Fault in Our Stars, this 2002 flick follows unlikely couple jock Landon and nerd Jamie in their journey to live life to the fullest before Jamie passes from leukemia. I beg of you to Stop! Making! Sad! Cancer! Love! Stories!
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Marriage Story (2019)
This one hits deep! The acting is phenomenal for one, and two, the story is just so intimate and relatable that you can’t help but feel sympathy for our two protagonists. Not-so-subtly based on the director's real life, Marriage Story shares the often ignored perspective of divorce and what happens to a once-happy family when it breaks.
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Call Me by Your Name (2017)
This is the film that made everyone obsessed with heartthrob Timothée Chalamet, and for good reason. Set in a small idyllic village in Northern Italy, a young teen unexpectedly falls in love with his father’s grad student. The pining. The angst. The secret looks. Like, I can’t.
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Brokeback Mountain (2005)
If you want to see two young men fall in love but you've already seen CMBYN, might I suggest Brokeback Mountain? It stars Heath Ledger (RIP) as Ennis and Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack, two cowboys who spend a summer together in rural Wyoming and accidentally fall in love. For the next decade or so, the two engage in a secret love affair until things—life, really—comes calling.
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Personally, I wouldn’t classify this early aughts film as a sad romance but I understand why some do. We have Clementine and Joel, two people who undergo a medical procedure to erase their memories of each other following their breakup. But here’s where things get odd: the movie spends the majority of the time looking into Joel’s memories—the highs and lows of his relationship with Clementine. And by the end, you’ll want the pair to reconcile. Too bad the two don’t remember each other.
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Atonement(2007)
Atonement is *the* sad romance film. Look up the phrase “sad romance film” in the dictionary and you’ll find the word Atonement next to it. It’s just that tragic. Forbbiden lovers Cecilia and Robbie are from different worlds, but that doesn’t stop their love from blooming. Just when you think their relationship has a chance, Cecilia’s younger sister has to go ruin it all.
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Romeo + Juliet (1996)
You’ve read the play and watched dozens of reenactments. You know how this one ends.
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Carol (2015)
Cate Blanchett stars in this queer romance as Carol, a closeted woman, who falls for an aspiring photographer, Therese. Only this is the 1950s when homosexuality is forbidden and outlawed. But do Carol and Therese give a f*ck? They sure don’t, cause they engage in a secret love affair, regardless of the consequences.
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If I Stay (2014)
I remember when this highly-anticipated film came out and everyone was dismayed by the acting and plot. But I thought it was good, so it deserves a special spot on this list. The story is simple: Chloë Grace Moretz’s character Mia Hall and her family get into a car accident. She has the choice to either, um, die with her family or return to the living world where her ex-boyfriend Adam is waiting for her. The fact that Mia is even pondering these choices is wild af. Like, girl. Adam’s game can’t be that good for you to not choose your family. I swear.
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Five Feet Apart (2019)
Enough 👏with 👏 the 👏 cancer 👏 films. For the love of all that’s holy, can we get a sad romance story that’s NOT about two young kids with cancer who die??? I don’t think that’s a big ask. As for why I’m putting this 2019 film on this list…well, Cole Sprouse stars. No explanation needed.
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Me Before You (2016)
Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke star in this emotional rollercoaster. Billionaire Will Traynor is living a cynical life after he is paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident. His outlook changes once he meets his new caregiver, Louisa Clark. The couple venture across the globe on different adventures to bring back the spark in each other, optimism in Will and spontaneity in Louisa.
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Malcolm & Marie (2021)
When this Netflix film dropped, few appreciated the masterpiece that it was, partly because Euphoria creator Sam Levinson created it. And while I’m not a Sam Levinson fan by any means, I can appreciate the art that is Malcolm & Marie. But just so we’re clear, the art is Zendaya.
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The Bodyguard (1992)
The film that gave us the iconic “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Mother-freaking Houston. Houston stars as a singer who begins a relationship with her bodyguard, Kevin Costner. Kevin is cool and all in the film, but I only watch to see my good sis Whitney and hear her amazingly perfect vocals as she belts out my sad girl anthem.
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Revolutionary Road (2008)
The chemistry between Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio was so good that they had to star in another tragic rom-com together, lmao. Only instead of forbidden lovers, the two are a couple whose marriage is slowly falling apart as both partners struggle to achieve their version of the American dream.
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