By Megan Ruge
Managing editor of content
School has started and we are finally back and ready to start another year of torturous study sessions, practicum hours and capstone requirements. It’s enough to bring you to tears that stress you out and cause you more bad than good, but some argue that crying cleanses the soul of negative energy.
Whoever said that wasn’t taking Calculus as a major requirement, so for my first movie compilation of the year, I have decided to recommend films that will make you cry cleansing tears and not the kind that leave you wondering if you’re going to make it to the end of the year.
The first tearjerker on the list is “A Walk to Remember.” This film stars Mandy Moore in her early days as a young religious girl whose run-in with a bad boy leaves her a bit shaken and a lot stirred. The unlikely pair fall for each other and it is then revealed that she has a chronic illness and doesn’t have much life left to live. Knowing this, he does everything he can to make the most of his days with her: what he does in the end will have you scraping your heart off of the floor.
This film is one of many inspired by a Nicholas Sparks novel, which are often known to have sad and unexpected endings. The best thing this film does is show the way life can be altered in the blink of an eye. Something you don’t necessarily expect to happen can knock you off your feet. Cinematically, the film is also excellent. Unlike most films of its kind, “A Walk to Remember” presents a tired storyline and gives it life again. This is unique because we don’t really get this kind of chronic illness story very often, where you see a normal girl living a normal life but she happens to also be dying. This is an absolutely beautiful storytelling: for this film, you will need two tissue boxes.
The next film that is sure to bring you to tears is an absolute classic. “The Fox and the Hound” is an 80s Disney movie about how the innocence of children can reveal the corruptness of even the oldest feuds. Copper, a hunting dog pup, and Tod, a young fox, should be natural enemies but become the best of friends in youth. When they are all grown up, they realize how nature intended them to hate each other. The themes of friendship and innocence are super prevalent in this story and they really play on the emotions of the viewer. Disney has always been so good at playing on our emotions, especially on movies with animal characters representing the aspects of ourselves we are afraid to face. This is a one tissue box film: if you want another film like this one, see “Bambi.”
“My Girl” is another film that brings the audience to the point of tears and sadness. The movie brings adolescence to the forefront and has us confront all of the uncomfortable coming-of-age things that really make childhood. In the film, a young girl named Vada experiences trauma, confronting the moments we hope no child will ever have to experience, but most do. “My Girl” will bring you face to face with the world of tragedy, loss and heartbreak through a child’s eyes, but the film never falls short of outstanding. This a three tissue box film: if you want more like this film, see “Gifted” starring Chris Evans.
Our final tearjerker is a heart-wrenching one. The film “Schindler’s List” is a historical flick about a man whose business employed and harbored many Jews during the Holocaust. Expect to feel from moment one, but pay close attention, because it is important to understand what you’re watching. This isn’t the kind of film that you instantly feel nostalgic about, but instead it makes you hurt for the people who couldn’t do anything but accept their fate. This film is not for the faint of heart. It is, in fact, very heartbreaking and very troubling. This is definitely a three tissue box movie. If you are looking for a film like this one, see “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.”
