Timmargh.me

Films that have me reaching for the tissues  9

And you can all get your minds out of the gutter right now!

Most of use have done it: we’ve gotten so emotionally involved in a film that it’s lead to the hypothalamus telling the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic system to activate nicotinic and muscarinic receptors stimulating the lacrimal gland to produce a mixture of water, mucin, lipids, lysozyme, lactoferrin, lipocalin, lacritin, immunoglobulins, glucose, urea, sodium, and potassium. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

But why? Was it because little Johnny was tragically struck down with a near-fatal case of diarrhoea? Or because Gertrude opened the door at the wrong moment, saw Kurt kissing Ophelia and thought they were in love (without realising that Ophelia was, in fact, Kurt’s long, lost brother in drag)? Or was it just a shit film and your ass was numb?

Whatever the reason, I freely admit that I have cried at more than a couple of films. It’s nothing to be ashamed of — we’ve all got emotions (well, most of us) and after all it’s a sign of a good film that drags you in and makes you a part of it.

There will be some spoilers here, so if you haven’t yet seen a film mentioned here and you don’t want some bits ruined for you then you know what to do.

Who Will Love My Children?

The plot summary from IMDb says it all:

Based on a true story of Iowa farm wife Lucile Fray, Ann-Margret plays a dying mother of ten whose last wish is to find loving families for her children.

I saw this on TV at home with my mum, dad and two brothers and all five of us were in tears. When I was mulling over writing this entry, I asked my care nurse this morning “Have any films ever made you cry?” — this was the first one she mentioned.

Enough said.

The Shawshank Redemption

Still my favourite film and no matter how many times I watch it, it still chokes me up at the end. The combination of the smile on Red’s face, the music and the sight of Andy Dufresne’s character in wide open space, doing exactly what he’d told Red was his dream so many years before back in prison.

Nowadays I start welling up as soon as we see Red on the bus with his arm propped up in the open window.

Gladiator

Not your usually weepy type of film but I know of more than one of my friends who also blubbed at the ending, i.e. the scene when he’s just killed the bad guy and he’s imagining opening the door in the wall, hoping to see his wife and son on the other side. Strangely, though, earlier on in the film when he discovers their bodies at his home and he himself collapses into a pile of sobs and snot I was unmoved.

So, I get more upset when a muscle-bound man in a skirt is dying than when a beautiful woman and her child are nailed to the side of their own house? A psychologist could read something into that and I’m sure some of you have already jumped to your own conclusion …

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

My love of this film and its two younger siblings has been well documented and while the other two do have their sad moments — most notably Gandalf’s swan dive off of the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Boromir’s arrow catching trick that went tragically wrong (three times) and Haldir taking an orc axe to the back of the head — it’s this film that had me bleary eyed on more than one occasion. I was already emotionally charged because of it being the final story and therefore knowing that things were coming to an end, but the tears were for heroic and happy reasons mostly.

The first time I succumbed was when Aragorn had lead the men of the west to the Black Gate, assuming that: a) Frodo was almost certainly dead, and b) they themselves were about to get their asses kicked good and proper. Sauron’s army have surrounded the good guys, the good guys themselves are stood not knowing exactly what to do and then just when Aragorn himself looks like he’s just succumbed to Sauron’s will and is about to give up, he looks back at his comrades, quietly says “For Frodo.” and then runs full-tilt at the enemy. I don’t know why, but that choked me up.

Then, when all the hacking, slashing and destroying of rings is done, Frodo wakes up in a bed in Rivendell and the first thing he sees is Gandalf whom he assumed was dead because the last time he saw him was when he fell off the bridge in Moria. There’s a look of confusion, a soft “Gandalf?” and then a look of utter joy. And more tears from me.

And don’t get me started on Annie Lennox singing “Into The West” at the end …

300

“What?!? 300??!?”

Yep, that’s right: I cried at the end of this, too. Well, not right at the end but (as you’ve probably guessed) the scene when King Leonidas stands up, his men dead and dying around him, he looks to the sky and calls out to his queen, his wife, his love … the sun is blotted out by half a million arrows … you get the picture.

There are more

… but they don’t spring to mind right now, so I’ll end it here. By all means share your favourite sob inducing films in the comments, anonymously if you prefer!

Comments