5 Scenes That Will Make You Weep

I’m not really one that is the first to break down and cry during a touching scene...that still doesn’t mean I’m dead inside!!! >.>  It just takes a special moment in film to make me uncontrollably weep like a baby.  We’ve all had it, that moment when you’re sitting there in the theater or the comfort of your own couch when you get that lump in the back of your throat.  It’s when you realize, “Crap, is this movie really going to make me cry?!...really???...it’s just that scene where the bees are attacking his face and he’s all like ‘NO NOT THE BEES!!!’...it’s powerful stuff”...seriously though, grab a box of tissue guys, these are just five scenes (there are plenty of others) that will make you weep, and if they don’t...I’ll go ahead and say that maybe you have no soul.

Field of Dreams

“Ease his pain”

What is it about old school Kevin Cosner films?  They’re awesome that’s what.  Baseball isn’t my favorite sport to watch but this film still resonates with me because I grew up watching it with my Dad, and I will forever equate it with that.  Even if you don’t like baseball, Field of Dreams is still a great film and it’s the ending scene where Ray (Kevin Costner) is talking to the ghost of his father Karin Kinsella (Gaby Hoffmann) that gets me:

Karin: "For me, it's like a dream come true...Is this heaven?"
Ray:  "It's Iowa"
Karin: "Iowa? I could have sworn it was heaven"
Ray: "Is there a heaven?"
Karin: "Oh yeah, it's the place dreams come true"
Ray: "Maybe this is heaven" -----"Hey, Dad? Wanna have a catch?"
Karin: "I'd like that"
Ending with the long shot of the two playing catch together on the ball diamond with the lights turned on, and an overhead shot of a stream of car headlights approaching from the distance.
Yep...makes me cry every time...damn you Kevin (circa 1980’s) Costner!!!!

Moulin Rouge

“Tell our story Christian..”

Alright, this is the only “chick flick” of this list so back off ladies...they’re typically not the type of movie I see...unless it’s directed by Baz Luhrmann then it’s a different story.  Moulin Rouge, the movie that can be argued as the reason musical film came back into our lives.  Again, thank you Mr. Luhrman.  The film is of course brilliant, and it’s again the closing scene that left me with my heart wrenched.
Satine is dying in Christian’s arms as the curtain opens for curtain bows:

Satine: You've got to go on, Christian.
Christian: I can't go on without you.                  
Satine: You've got so much to give.  Tell our story, Christian...Promise me.  Promise me.  That way...   
...I'll always be with you.
It’s not so much the dialogue in this scene, it’s more Ewan McGregor’s beautiful acting.  He lets out such painful, ugly, yet somehow still gorgeous crying over top of Nicole Kidman that it will break any one's heart.

The Lion King

“So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.”

The picture alone makes me want to cry and the scene where Mufasa dies in The Lion King has made me cry since the first time I saw it back in 1994.  The Lion King is my number one all time favorite Disney animated film (it’s got big kitties!!! :3) and in my opinion this scene is one of the best to ever come out of Disney.  There’s not much dialogue, it’s just simply Simba’s begging for his father to wake up, him nuzzling under his lifeless leg and just lying there.  Couple that with the incredible score by Hans Zimmer and you’ve got a scene that will make a grown man cry...and that’s the magic of Disney.  As a side note, they’re re-releasing The Lion King in 3D on September 13th for two weeks only.  I’ve seen it in 3D before and it’s pretty spectacular...so come, join me in September and we can cry together.

Awakenings

“It has been explained to me that I've been away for quite some time.I'm back.”

There’s no denying that Robert De Niro is one of the all time greatest actors, but it was Awakenings that made me sit up and take notice.  Released in 1990 and directed by Penny Marshall, it’s a film about Leonard Lowe (De Niro) a catatonic patient who is given a new drug, L-Dopa, that wakes him from his decades long “sleep”.  Robin Williams, in one of his best roles, plays Malcolm Sayer the neurologist who discovers the effects of the drug.  The film as a whole is overwhelmingly touching and it makes you realize how precious a healthy body can be.  It’s the scenes within the film in which Leonard Lowe is relapsing back into his catatonic state after being awakened though.  The sadness is absolutely crushing watching him slip away.  If you haven’t scene this film I highly recommend it because it’s one of De Niro’s greatest roles.

Grave of the Fireflies

“Why must fireflies die so young?”

Holy crap...if you don’t like crying never watch this movie.  This Studio Ghibli film, released in 1988, is semi-autobiographical anti-war story about Seita and Setsuko (brother and sister) trying to survive WWII.  The novel Grave of the Fireflies is based off of, by Akiyuki Nosaka, is intended as a personal apology to his own sister.  After I learned that, it makes this film that much more powerful.  It’s an incredible story that’s profound, ruthless, unyielding and the fact that it’s an animated film shouldn’t sway you in the least.  I would compare this film to Schindler’s List, The Pianist, and Saving Private Ryan...it’s just as strong.  I sniffled through most of the film but it wasn’t until  the end (and this really isn’t a spoiler b/c they tell you in the beginning) when Setsuko dies from starvation.  All Seita can do is hold a hopeless lonely vigil over his sister’s small and extremely malnourished body.  The rest I viewed through blurred eyes so I can’t really recall the full ending.  Trust me, it’s a film that I will never forget and it’s one that shouldn’t go unwatched.

So there you have it, five films that have touched me emotionally.  Some people like to only watch movies that are shallow and fluff filled.  Which I suppose is fine, there are those who look at going to the movies as a complete escape and they don’t want to see pain or feel intense emotions during them.  I’m quite the opposite, I search for films that will make me think about subjects that may not normally come up in my life and possibly pull at the heart strings.

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