Cinetopia

Hollywood is able to activate movie goers tear ducts with heart wrenching movies and there are movies from the past that can still bring out emotions. These movies continue to tug at the heart.

Steel Magnolias is a movie filled with characters. The love that is shared among a group of friends is still relevant today. Sally Field’s character M’Lynn loses her beloved daughter to an organ rejection and there is a moment in the cemetery when M’Lynn is expressing her grief causing everyone including audience members to weep. Her friend Clairee uses another one of their friends, a particularly grumpy one, named Ouiser for a comical moment resulting in laughter through the tears.

The movie Titanic still makes audiences tear up. Director James Cameron created a movie with the perfect balance of researchers discovering the great ship in modern times and recreating life on the ship for the people involved, making it feel real. The drama of actually watching people tumble into arctic waters with no rescue in sight is heartbreaking. Cameron introduces the audience to Rose and Jack, a young couple that fall in love on board. Jack dies and Rose has to release him into the water, and at that moment movie goers were able to put themselves onto the ship. It’s almost more heartbreaking at the end when Rose dies of old age and is back on board with those she loves.

Terms of Endearment must be mentioned in this grouping and this movie brought the sadness of cancer to audience members. The storyline is about a relationship between a mother and a daughter. The daughter is diagnosed with terminal cancer and dies while her own children are still very young with only her mother at her side.

Heart wrenching movies can bring out sentiments and serve as a reminder of what is important in life.