Saddest Scenes in movies/shows

[Argonath Diver]

Probably not as heart-wrenching as the dramas listed above, but the final moments of Planes Trains and Automobiles when Steve Martin realizes how sad John Candy is, then invites him into his house, had me both-eye crying the last time I rewatched it. Two brilliantly funny people made a corny scene with other actors into something special. I suppose that's more of a heartwarming scene in the end though.

The suicide scene in Rules of Attraction, a film I've always cherished for its mix of humor and darkness. 

From Toy Story to Up and Inside Out, Disney/Pixar films often explore real sadness in between their lighter moments. I went to see Up, by myself in a crowded theater full of kids, and I'll never forget the nice mom next to me who handed a grown man her tissues while I was heave-crying during the opening scene.

Lee Pace making that sweet little girl cry in The Fall comes to mind as I browse my mostly genre or comedy film collection.

[Myshkin]

Halt and Catch Fire - I think the saddest a TV show has ever made me was the final scene of the episode Who Needs a Guy.

[Zorral]

Most of the scenes in War Horse, Black Beauty (1994), Lassie Come Home, Legend, when dog dies.

[dog-days]

I've never been able to watch films where animals suffer. (Except Watership Down, but the bunnies were very anthropomorphized, and also animated, so don't count). Once saw War Horse live in Manchester, and embarrassingly ran out of tissues. 

For an older, thoughtful, but very deep kind of sadness, I nominate the end of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. "Well, here is the lake — and still I haven't changed." 

 

[Tyria]

I'm sure I can think of more, but the first one that popped into my head and now won't go away is the Futurama episode Jurassic Bark. We've easily watched every other episode about 20 times, but not that one. I watched it when it originally aired and I lost it. I was living with my bf at the time and another guy roomate. They didn't know what to do with me, because I'm usually a giggly goof. My poor pup back then. I squeezed him so hard. I would skip it on re-watches, but I gave it a second try after they tried to redeem what they had done in a later season, and nope. Mr Tyr jokes that he's only ever seen it once, because I skip it, then backs away when I scream JUST WATCH IT WITHOUT ME FFS!!11!1!2 Now that we have a pup together, which is his first, he gets it. Fuck that episode. 

And a later episode with Fry's mom. That was super sad, but in a different way. I'll watch that one and tear up. Not the other one though. Nope. Not that one. *sniffs* *shakes fist* *sniffs*

[Mark Antony]

G Baby in Hardball

[DMC]

17 minutes ago, Tyria said:

I'm sure I can think of more, but the first one that popped into my head and now won't go away is the Futurama episode Jurassic Bark. We've easily watched every other episode about 20 times, but not that one.

Yeah I've seen that episode probably around a dozen times and the final scene makes me cry every time.

The first scene that sprung to mind for me when thinking about TV saddest scenes is Mad Men - The Carousel:

 

[Ramsay B.]

Another good one from The Leftovers. When Nora goes to see Holy Wayne and asks if she’ll forget them, before hugging him and “giving away” her pain. Both actors nailed that scene, unsurprisingly.

A Star Is Born- Jack telling his brother(Sam Elliot), while his voice is cracking, that it was him that he idolized not their dad. Elliot’s face as he pulls away.

[DMC]

Mike's "I broke my boy" speech in Better Call Saul.

[WarGalley]

The end of Life is Beautiful. 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

4 hours ago, Argonath Diver said:

Probably not as heart-wrenching as the dramas listed above, but the final moments of Planes Trains and Automobiles when Steve Martin realizes how sad John Candy is, then invites him into his house, had me both-eye crying the last time I rewatched it. Two brilliantly funny people made a corny scene with other actors into something special. I suppose that's more of a heartwarming scene in the end though.

The suicide scene in Rules of Attraction, a film I've always cherished for its mix of humor and darkness. 

From Toy Story to Up and Inside Out, Disney/Pixar films often explore real sadness in between their lighter moments. I went to see Up, by myself in a crowded theater full of kids, and I'll never forget the nice mom next to me who handed a grown man her tissues while I was heave-crying during the opening scene.

Lee Pace making that sweet little girl cry in The Fall comes to mind as I browse my mostly genre or comedy film collection.

All good choices. The Fall is criminally underrated 

3 hours ago, dog-days said:

I've never been able to watch films where animals suffer. (Except Watership Down, but the bunnies were very anthropomorphized, and also animated, so don't count). Once saw War Horse live in Manchester, and embarrassingly ran out of tissues. 

From the same director adapted from a book by the same author.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plague_Dogs_(film)

-

Never Let Me go was kind of a tear jerker. 

[SeanF]

The murder of Adriana La Cerva, in The Sopranos.  Absolutely harrowing.  You realise, just a few seconds before she does, that she’s doomed.

[polishgenius]

Grave of the Fireflies is the right answer, especially when you know the story of the author of the book (spoilers mostly for emotional devastation) 

Spoiler

where the scene where he gets the food to his sister but she dies anyway, in real life he found the food but was so hungry he ate it on the way home and she starved when he didn't, and this story, in which he (1) does get the food to her and (2) ultimately joins her in death are wish fulfilment for him. Finding that out kinda broke me.

Anyway another scene that nearly got me sobbing, though very different and not, you know, that brutal, is the ending of The Florida Project. 'I'm trying to say it but I can't say it!'. 

[DMC]

41 minutes ago, SeanF said:

The murder of Adriana La Cerva, in The Sopranos.  Absolutely harrowing.  You realise, just a few seconds before she does, that she’s doomed.

Always thought it was interesting they cut out the scene where Christopher tells Tony (which they show in the next season) to maintain the suspense.  In retrospect it's like of course you don't show that scene yet.

[WarGalley]

13 minutes ago, DMC said:

Always thought it was interesting they cut out the scene where Christopher tells Tony (which they show in the next season) to maintain the suspense.  In retrospect it's like of course you don't show that scene yet.

Definitely makes more sense because you (the audience) are getting the Adriana experience leading up to that moment.. including being connived in the most evil way by Tony.

[john]

I’m pretty easy to get in schmaltzy scenes that don’t really deserve it. That bit in Super 8 where Elle Fanning has to cry in their homemade movie, then she cries for real cause the other kid’s mum is dead.

Actually, now I come to think of it, kids films are a big culprit. Other things that come to mind -

Inside Out, already mentioned but that is my go to answer. Absolute gut punch. Of course Pixar made a film about depression. Ah, Bing Bong. 
A.I, the mum abandons her son who is programmed to love her, to just wander about until he rusts I guess.
My Girl, also a film for children, fucking hell.

Also tv shows, Buffy’s mum dying, Will Smith’s dad finding him and then abandoning him again, Jen dying on Dawson’s Creek and her Gram whispering to her that she’ll see her soon. Apparently this stuff you watch as a kid really stays with you.

And one I watched as an adult, Bojack Horseman, I mean there’s several moments from this show, but the bit where he’s having a revelation in the planetarium about how he should live his life, and that it doesn’t matter what anybody thinks of him, and he finds Sarah Lynn has died in the seat beside him, and of course he immediately lies about what happened.
 

[DMC]

34 minutes ago, john said:

My Girl, also a film for children, fucking hell.

Oh, that's a good one.  Don't think I've seen it since I was a kid but definitely remember it getting to me.

[john]

9 minutes ago, DMC said:

Oh, that's a good one.  Don't think I've seen it since I was a kid but definitely remember it getting to me.

Yeah same, I recall being affected by how sad it was but also a sort of incredulity, like this isn’t supposed to happen in films.

[Nictarion]

3 hours ago, SeanF said:

The murder of Adriana La Cerva, in The Sopranos.  Absolutely harrowing.  You realise, just a few seconds before she does, that she’s doomed.

I almost mentioned this one. The scene of Tony sitting in the woods thinking about what they did always gets me. Great song choice there, too. 

Another tv one I just thought of was The Entire History of You - episode of Black Mirror. The final scene of him taking the implant out is so heartbreaking. 

[ljkeane]

8 hours ago, john said:

Jen dying on Dawson’s Creek and her Gram whispering to her that she’ll see her soon. Apparently this stuff you watch as a kid really stays with you.

Wait, Jen dies in Dawson’s Creek? I’d obviously stopped watching by that point.

I think the answer to this thread is basically anything Michelle Williams is in. She seems to have made a career out of finding the most brutally depressing roles possible.