33 Sad Movies on Netflix to Watch When You Just Need a Good Cry
From sad romantic films to emotional dramas based on true stories, these definitely require tissues.
We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.
When it comes time to put on a movie, I'm someone who loves to watch different genres based on my mood. Sometimes, I find myself wanting to see a romantic movie and experience a cinematic kind of love. Other times, I need a good horror movie that'll get my heart racing with all the jump scares. But every once in a while, I feel the need to get in touch with some deep-rooted emotions, ones that won't come out unless I cry. That's when I turn to Netflix so I can watch the best sad movies the streamer has to offer.
Netflix comes in clutch with finding options that'll open the floodgates. Of course, the site has a ton of heartbreaking romantic films. But there are also historical dramas, depicting a life in an era we may know little about, movies about families that anyone can relate to and plenty of teen-focused flicks, which manage to evoke nostalgic emotions no one planned on revisiting, but here we are ...
No matter what type of sad movie you're looking for on Netflix, the popular streamer is here to give you a chance to let it all out. So excuse me as I grab a blanket and a tissue box so I can get myself ready for all the waterworks.
The Notebook (2004)
Based on the hit novel by Nicholas Sparks, the romantic drama follows two young lovers who come from different walks of life. As they struggle with finding happiness in their love, the two find themselves torn apart by family strife and life after World War II. And if that doesn't cause some tears to flow, just wait until you're overcome with emotion after a heartfelt confession of love from Ryan Gosling himself.
RELATED: The Most Romantic Movies of All Time
Good Grief (2024)
When an artist finds himself having to grieve the death of his famous writer husband, he embarks on a European adventure to Paris with his best friends. As he unpacks all the feelings that come with loss, Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy's directorial debut is a film full of love, friendship and the ins and outs of a romance that leaves lasting effects on life.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
When a young waitress decides she wants to become a professional boxer, she decides to seek out a trainer to help her achieve her dream. As for who she finds, well, she becomes the protégé of a veteran trainer, who isn't too keen on helping her out. What comes of their relationship, though, will certainly have you bawling by the end of the movie.
Kodachrome (2018)
Ed Harris and Jason Sudeikis star as an estranged father and son who haven't been in contact in years. But when one of the two gets diagnosed with terminal cancer, it leads to a cross-country road trip with the idea of checking things off a thought-out bucket list. It's definitely a movie to watch if you hope to gain some appreciation for your loved ones,
Beyond the Universe (2022)
This English-dubbed Brazilian film explores the story of a young pianist and the connection she forms with a doctor. But there's one very important element to their budding relationship: he is the medical professional taking care of her as she waits to get a life-changing kidney transplant.
Canvas (2020)
After an older man suffers the heartbreaking loss of his wife, he struggles to regain his passion for painting. This leads his granddaughter to go on a quest to help him rediscover what art originally meant to him, leading to a bond that strengthens the power of family.
Irreplaceable You (2018)
When Abbie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) learns she is suffering from a terminal cancer diagnosis, she decides to take on the challenge of finding a partner for her childhood sweetheart and fiancé Sam (Michiel Huisman). This leads her on a journey that teaches her how to make the most of the life she has now while she still has time left.
A Man Called Otto (2022)
Based on Fredrik Backman’s 2012 novel A Man Called Ove, Tom Hanks stars as a curmudgeonly older man who lost his wife from cancer. When a new family moves next door, they decide to bring Otto into their world and out of the isolation he put himself in. As he realizes there’s more to the world after losing a great love, he starts to soften in ways he never expected.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Chadwick Boseman's final film is based on the August Wilson play of the same name, and was inspired by a real-life blues singer Ma Rainey. The fictionalized story follows the musician's band as they brace for a recording session amid rising racial tensions in 1920's Chicago. The film will certainly pull on your heartstrings, for many reasons other than seeing the late actor onscreen for the last time.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, the war drama follows a barely-legal adult named Paul as he joins the Western front in World War I. While he initially is thrilled to be drafted, he soon discovers that there are many horrors that come with fighting a war ... all while living in trenches that bring more harm.
The Boys in the Band (2020)
Based on the 1968 play of the same name, Jim Parsons and Matt Bomer star in a film that follows a group of gay friends who attend a birthday party in 1960s New York City. As the men get together to play a drunken game with an unexpected guest, everyone learns unseen truths and hidden feelings that may lead to a breakthrough none of them saw coming.
Lady Chatterley's Lover (2022)
On the outset, this may look like just a steamy romance, but once you consider the thwarted lives of the characters, the sadness really comes through. It starts when Sir Clifford Chatterley returns from World War I unable to walk, causing him to move his family out to the country where he can get full-time care. His wife, the Lady Chatterley (born Constance Reid) then falls for the gamekeeper, which breaks all sorts of societal norms.
Pieces of a Woman (2021)
Director Kornél Mundruczó and writer Kata Wéber based this movie on their own experiences with infant loss, so it's intensely personal as well as powerful. In the film, Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf play a couple who figure out if it's possible to move on after their baby does not survive childbirth.
A Jazzman's Blues (2022)
![solea pfeiffer as leanne and joshua boone as bayou in a scene from 'a jazzman's blues a good housekeeping pick for best movies 2022](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/best-movies-2022-jazzmans-blues-1660320214.jpg?crop=0.668xw:1.00xh;0.228xw,0&resize=980:* "solea pfeiffer as leanne and joshua boone as bayou in a scene from 'a jazzman's blues," a Good Housekeeping pick for best movies 2022")
Pick any movie in Tyler Perry's catalog, and there's bound to be a range of emotions in it; he really knows how to swing the dial from humor to melancholy to melodrama. A Jazzman's Blues is heavy on the latter two, focusing on a 40-year-old murder and the secret love that may have incited it.
tick, tick...BOOM! (2021)
This movie is sad for what happens off-screen as well as on. It's based on a play by Rent scribe Jonathan Larson, and it's about his struggles to find success on and off the stage. In that way, it also serves as a moving portrait of an artist who died before he could see his biggest hit go to Broadway. The movie was directed by another Broadway hit-maker: Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Purple Hearts (2022)
This movie follows Cassie (Sofia Carson), an uninsured musician in need of insulin, and Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), a soldier about to be deployed to Iraq. They decide to enter into a marriage of convenience — her for the insurance, him for the spousal benefits he needs to pay off debts — which seems like it'll solve all their problems. But, of course, the best plans never go smoothly, and Cassie and Luke have plenty of tearjerking drama ahead of them.
Fatherhood (2021)
Kevin Hart is known for being a comedian, but Fatherhood is a movie that strives to give audiences all the feels. It's based on the book Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Matthew Logelin, a man who, after his wife dies soon after childbirth, has to learn how to raise his daughter alone.
Passing (2021)
Rebecca Hall directs this story, based on a novel from 1929 by Nella Larsen. It follows Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga), childhood friends who reunite in adulthood. Only something is different: Clare has been "passing" for white, and is married to a man who despises African Americans. Leading a double life — one with Clare, one with her husband — is never without its consequences.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
This movie begins as humans are evacuating Earth as the result of a global catastrophe, so there's a lot of end-of-the-world sadness right off the bat. George Clooney plays a scientist who is one of the few who stays behind, and he forges an emotional bond with the crew of a spaceship as he tries to warn them not to return to the planet.
RELATED: Best End-Of-The-World Movies for When You're Feeling a Wild Ride
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
This movie is ostensibly a break-up film, but since it's from director Charlie Kaufman — who also wrote Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — it's anything but straightforward. It's sad, confusing, cerebral, disturbing and surreal, all at the same time.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
How to Watch 'Jurassic World Rebirth' at Home
'Hamilton' Fans React to Surprise Movie News
36 Best Kids' Movies of 2025
How to Watch and Stream 'The Naked Gun'
