Throughout the decades, hundreds of films allow fans to experience emotions like happiness, anger, and fear. But which are the top 10 that will allow for audiences to shed a tear? What films have reached the maximum sobbing potential?

Warning: spoilers ahead!

10. Coco (2017)

Disney Pixar’s 2017 hit film Coco is a wonderful story about the journey of family heritage. Miguel, a young boy who travels to the Land of the Dead, discovers his family history and that they have a ban on music, all while receiving help from his great-great grandfather to return him to the Land of the Living. Disney uses the reprise of the song “Remember Me” to bring audiences to tears. The first time that “Remember Me” is performed in the film is by Ernesto de la Cruz, who is a famous singer and a key character in the story of Coco. The first version that is performed is a romantic up-tempo song. The second time is a flashback between a young Coco, who is Miguel’s great grandmother, and Hector, Coco’s father and Miguel’s great-great grandfather. Hector sings “Remember Me” as a lullaby that was written by him to his daughter. This reveals that the song was written by Hector but that Ernesto was upset that his friend Hector had a plan to abandon his career to spend his life with his family. Ernesto then poisoned Hector and stole his songs to launch his career. At the end of the film, the song is played again after Miguel returns to the living and reminds Coco of her father. The scene is so heartwarming that it’s enough to bring tears to the audience’s eyes, as she does not remember him until Miguel sings Hector’s song. The tear-jerking moment reminds audiences how precious family and loving memories of them are important. 

9. The Notebook (2004)

The movie based on the Nicolas Sparks novel of the same name is one of the most beloved romantic movies and amazing to cry to. The film follows an elderly man (James Garner)  who is living in a nursing home with a woman (Gena Rowlands), who has dementia. He reads aloud from a notebook, which causes the film to flash back to 1940s South Carolina. Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling), a lumber mill worker, falls in love with Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), a rich girl whose parents are trying to get them apart. Allie’s parents disapprove of the relationship, so they move her to New York. When she moves to New York, Noah writes to her until he enlists in the army, to which Allie meets Lon as she is working as a nurse during the war. Allie has to decide if she wants to be with Lon or go back to Noah. The tearful moment is at the end of the film, when it returns to the present and an elderly Allie remembers the story being about her and moves to Noah’s room, where they die peacefully by each other’s side. 

8. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

The Fault in Our Stars is a 2014 film based on the book of the same name written by John Green. The coming-of-age romance movie tells the story of two teens who have cancer and will have viewers sobbing. The sixteen-year-old main character, Hazel (Shailene Woodley), who has lung cancer, falls in love with another cancer patient named Augustus “Gus” (Ansel Elgort) who she meets at a support group. The two agree to read each other’s favorite books and bond over hobbies. The two then go on a trip to Amsterdam after Gus tracks down Hazel’s favorite author. The devastation sets in this tragic love story when Gus reveals his cancer has returned and is now terminal. This scene is enough for the tears to start streaming. After the couple go back home, Gus eventually dies soon after they return from Amsterdam. He leaves behind a tear-jerking letter for Hazel in which he tells her he loves her. This film is truly one of the best sad coming-of-age stories.

7. The Fox and The Hound (1981)

The 1981 classic Disney film The Fox and the Hound is a film to bawl to. The film tells the story of the friendship between a red fox, Tod, and a hound, Cooper. When the two characters were young, they hung out every day, even when Cooper should not have been because Tod was an animal he would prey upon one day. He would attempt to howl in the night with Tod as well. The saddest part of the film is after society pulls the friends apart, when Cooper becomes a hunting dog. Cooper’s owner threatens the life of Tod, so he is left in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road by his owner. Cooper overcomes the barrel of his owner’s gun to save his best friend, but in the end, they still have to go their separate ways. The tears will keep streaming as the credits roll due to the sadness and sweetness of the film.  

6. Room (2015)

The 2015 film Room is one for the books in emotional performance. The film is about a young mom, Joy (Brie Larson), who has been held captive for several years with her five-year-old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who was born in captivity. The two live in a small shed in what they call the “Room.” This film shows the devastating truth to being held captive, as Joy was abducted seven years before the start of the film by a man that the mom and son call Old Nick. Jack is the abductor’s biological son. Old Nick assaults Joy even at night while Jack is asleep. Joy is afraid that Old Nick will hurt Jack like he hurts her, so she hides the little boy in the closet. There are few feel-good moments in the film due to its depressing and sad nature. The film brings tears to viewers’ eyes as they watch the mother and son being held captive and try to escape.