7 Romantic Dramas Ranked By How Long You’ll Cry Afterwards
I am sorry to admit that romantic dramas are my least favorite genre of film. I love romance and I love drama, but I do not like the two together.
When they join forces, they seem tailor-made to make me cry, and that’s pretty rude! I prefer the gentle, ironic embrace of rom-coms or the slightly more stabby embrace of horror. I do not enjoy feeling like someone has just punched me in the belly and that my eyelids, puffy from crying, will never return to their original size without surgery. That said, a good rom-dram (yes, those exist) can induce a sobbing episode that will clear out your sinuses, reboot your digestive symptom, and open each of your chakras for at least a week. To that end, here are the 7 best romantic dramas that you can watch if you want to weep helplessly in bed and ignore all your texts for the next five hours. I’ve also ranked them by sadness for extra sadism!
Your Name (2016)
This anime sci-fi romance will make you cry, but they will probably be happy tears. You’ll just need to commit to the high-concept story first. This movie is not meant for casual viewers! There’s body swapping, metaphysical distortion, and a natural disaster straight out of a sci-fi flick. That said, the central romance is elevated and augmented by the extraordinary events surrounding it. The inevitable yet unpredictable conclusion feels earned, wistful, and cathartic. It’s giving Lost “The Constant,” it’s giving Eternal Sunshine, it’s giving Arrival. But the tears never feel devastating. Rating: 1 out of 7 obliterated hankies.
Past Lives (2023)
This movie is a slow-burn tragedy that never overwhelms you with the characters’ pain. Though the final shot will leave you shattered, it will make you reflect more than cry. This dreamy film, about two childhood lovers who reconnect too late, is more a meditation on life unlived than love unrequited. Rating: 2 out of 7 obliterated hankies.
La La Land (2016)
I’ll never get over this movie’s ending. Despite having the structure and tone of a gritty Hollywood fairy tale, this musical fantasia pulls a bait and switch right at the end. Rather than allow its starry-eyed characters to be together, as it has telegraphed, it instead tears them apart, leaving only frustrated memories and watery-eyed viewers. On top of that, the presence of Ryan Gosling and his doofus-y dancing makes everything feel . Rating: 3 out of 7 obliterated hankies.
A Star is Born (2018)
Even if you already know Jackson’s fate, it doesn’t make the scene in the alcoholic country star’s garage any less crushing. Watching his lover and protégée (Lady Gaga) deal with the fallout is dispiriting enough, but it’s Jackson’s utter desperation and resignation leading up to it that makes you ugly-cry. How Bradley Cooper lost this Oscar to Rami Malek is beyond me. If Bradley Cooper is whatever type of star the sun is, then Rami Malek is a white dwarf at best. Rating: 4 out of 7 obliterated hankies.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
This is another movie where the pain falls between the lines – both metaphorically and literally, if you count the wrinkles on Anne Hathaway’s face at the end. Speaking of Anne Hathaway, she anchors the movie’s most explicitly tragic scene. But you’ll be crying long before that, thanks to this movie’s tortured central romance between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist (or Jack Nasty if you’re twisty). Why can’t men just be happy? Must they always subjugate their feelings while fishing and staring meaningfully into the mid-distance? This movie may look like a period piece but it’s really about all men in 2025. Rating: 5 out of 7 obliterated hankies.
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
This movie plays its saddest card at the most heartbreaking moment possible. The effect is nothing short of funereal, leaving you wondering if you’re even able to breathe or eat solid foods afterwards. I mean, I guess you know what you’re getting into if you voluntarily watch a teen romance about cancer patients, but still. This movie could give a perfectly healthy person clinical depression. Rating: 6 out of 7 obliterated hankies.
Titanic (1997)
Requires no explanation. I’ve seen this movie ten times, and each time made me need five more years of therapy. Rating: 7 out of 7 obliterated hankies that have also been torn to pieces and set on fire.
