An efficient way to feel all the feels without actually having to put yourself out there in this cold, cold world: watching a sad romance movie. The butterflies in your stomach from being around your crush, the nervous excitement around a first kiss, the stress of not knowing how to define your relationship, the heartbreak of losing your first love—you can experience all of those emotions from the safety of your couch with these must-watch movies. The sad love stories on this list fit the definitions of “bittersweet” and tearjerker to a T. They feature all the swoon-worthy elements of a classic romance film that will sweep you off your feet and then leave you to dry your tears with emotional drama. While these movies all have some element of romance, they also range far and wide in terms of subject matter, from divorce and complicated love triangles to the coming-of-age experience of going through your first heartbreak. So pop some popcorn, stream one of these movies, and be prepared to choke back sobs! Below, find the saddest romantic films on Netflix right now that are perfect for when you need a good cry.
'6 Years' (2015)
This indie drama follows the rapid breakdown of a young couple's six-year relationship. Melanie (Taissa Farmiga) and Daniel (Ben Rosenfield) are 20somethings in Texas who have been in love for years when their relationship takes a turn and devolves into violence and infidelity, forcing them to reevaluate their future together.WATCH IT
'All the Bright Places' (2020)
inBased on the YA novel of the same name, All the Bright Places chronicles the romance between high school students Violet (Elle Fanning) and Finch (Justice Smith), who fall for each other while working on a school project. Violet's friends warn her against dating Finch, who has a reputation for being an "uncontrollable freak," but she doesn't believe the rumors until she witnesses Finch lose control herself. Although Violet attempts to continue the relationship and support Finch, the relationship ends in tragedy.WATCH IT
'A Beautiful Life' (2011)
A cocktail-fueled night out leads glamorous businesswoman Li (Shu Qi) to puke accidentally on a lonely policeman named Fang (Ye Liu). After their awkward meeting, the two keep bumping into one another and thus begins a love story (with many setbacks) for the ages. WATCH IT
'Blue Jay' (2016)
High school sweethearts Jim (Mark Duplass) and Amanda (Sarah Paulson) have been out of touch for 20 years when they run into each other by chance in their hometown. The pair reconnects and reminisces, and things flow so easily, it's hard to see why they broke up. As the day unfolds, however, the devastating reason they broke up—and will never work—is revealed.WATCH IT
'Dreamy Eyes' (2019)
Country boy Ngan (Tran Nghia) fell in love at first sight with Hà Lan (Truc Anh) when he was 6-years-old, and spent his childhood pining for his eventual best friend. When Hà Lan moves to the big city to study at the university, Ngan remains devoted, even as she falls for his playboy cousin Dung (Tran Phong). As time passes, this Vietnamese romance asks: Can unrequited love survive three decades? And when will Hà Lan realize what's been in front of her all along?WATCH IT
'Drawing Closer' (2024)
This Japanese film follows the abridged love story of two 17-year-olds facing terminal illnesses. Akito (Ren Nagase) is a teen boy with just one year left to live, who is keeping his diagnosis secret from his friends to avoid being a burden. He meets and becomes fascinated by Haruna (Natsuki Deguchi), who has calmly accepted her fate, though she only has six months left. It's impossible to keep the tears back as the pair slowly falls in love.WATCH IT
'Good Grief' (2023)
Dan Levy directs and stars in this film about dealing with grief following an unexpected tragedy. Marc (Levy) is still reeling from the death of his husband, Oliver (Luke Evans), when he takes a trip to Paris with his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel). If being recently widowed in the City of Lights isn't enough, Marc also has to grapple with some uncovered truths about his late spouse.WATCH IT
'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' (2018)
Lily James stars in this period piece as Juliet, a writer who starts corresponding with the residents of Guernsey Island who formed a book club during Germany's WWII occupation. She soon grows close to one of the book club's members and questions what she thought she wanted for her life. While this drama is lighthearted, the glimpses of the war are particularly emotional. WATCH IT
'The Half of It' (2020)
Filmmaker Alice Wu made a splash and cemented herself as an expert romance storyteller when she debuted with 2004’s queer rom-com Saving Face. She returned with this festival favorite inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac, about a quiet high schooler named Ellie (Leah Lewis) who makes money writing her classmates’s essays, and is tapped by her football-player neighbor (Daniel Diemer) to write love letters to his crush (Alexxis Lemire). The only problem? Ellie has a crush on her, too. With pining and a complicated journey toward self-acceptance at its center, it’s a tender film far more than a picture-perfect love story. WATCH IT
'Irreplaceable You' (2018)
Soulmates Abbi (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Sam (Michiel Huisman) have been together since they were kids, and they're planning a bright future together, starting with a visit to the doctor to see if a baby is in the cards for them. But it's not a baby that shows up in Abbi's ultrasound; it's stomach cancer, and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon. Obsessed with setting her husband up with a proper life after she's gone, Abbi comes up with a plan to hook Sam up with someone new, but her fixation on the future threatens to destroy her present.WATCH IT
'The Last Letter From Your Lover' (2021)
If you've already read and binged (and sobbed over) Me Before You, may we recommend this time-jumping tearjerker from author Jojo Moyes. In 1965 London, socialite Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley) has an affair with journalist Anthony O’Hare (Callum Turner), behind her controlling husband's (Joe Alwyn) back. In the present day, journalist Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones) discovers a long-lost love letter between Jennifer and Anthony and sets out to learn how their romance ended. If the 1960s love triangle isn't enough, Ellie also finds love with the newspaper's archivist, played by Nabhaan Rizwan. WATCH IT
'Letters to Juliet' (2010)
This sweet film was inspired by the 2006 nonfiction book of the same name about the phenomenon of people writing letters to the famed fictional Shakespeare character Juliet, asking for romantic advice. In the film, Amanda Seyfried plays a fact checker named Sophie who travels to Verona with her fiancé (Gael García Bernal) and meets the group known as the Secretaries of Juliet, who respond to letters left outside “her balcony.” When a decades-old unanswered letter catches her eye, she sets out on a journey in hopes of reuniting the unrequited lovers…and finds herself caught in her own trying love triangle. WATCH IT
'My Oxford Year' (2025)
My Oxford Year hits on just about every tenet of a sad romance movie: A beautiful setting, a seemingly fated connection, unresolved trauma, and terminal illness. Based on Julia Whelan’s romance novel of the same name, the film follows an American expat, Anna (Sofia Carson), who’s studying poetry abroad at Oxford, where she forms a connection with one of her professors, Jamie (Corey Mylchreest). Their relationship waivers between hot-and-cold, which all but makes sense when Anna learns the truth behind why Jamie is pulling back. It’s melodramatic, but if you’re trying to bring on the tears, it’ll surely do the trick—especially the ugly sobs. WATCH IT
'Obvious Child' (2014)
Part coming-of-age movie, part impeccable modern rom-com, Gillian Robespierre’s Obvious Child follows a young comedienne (Jenny Slate) who has a one-night stand, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy, and decides to have an abortion. The early A24 film is witty and sweet, especially as the drunk hookup reconnects and tries to rekindle their undeniable chemistry, but above all, it’s honest about the realities of unplanned pregnancies. WATCH IT
'Our Souls at Night' (2017)
Hollywood heavyweights Robert Redford and Jane Fonda (who previously starred opposite one another in multiple '70s classics) lead this beautiful drama. The two icons play a widower and a widow who have long been neighbors, but never much engaged, until one connection changes that. Together, they face their grief and loneliness by platonically sharing a bed every night until they inevitably develop feelings and also face allowing themselves to let in new love, too. You can count on the star power and the moving material to tell a nuanced story about finding love late in life. WATCH IT
'Priscilla' (2023)
Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla is not necessarily a romance; the biographical drama examines Priscilla Presley’s life, including her relationship with Elvis, through a feminist lens. Inspired by the icon’s memoir, Elvis and Me, Coppola reframes her narrative as one about a young girl plucked into a teenage fantasia when the rock star of her dreams falls for her, then becomes a young woman trapped in an unhealthy marriage, which just so happens to be within the confines of Graceland. Exploring how young women find strength in the demure, thoughtful way that only Coppola can execute (including but not limited to the exquisite soundtrack and costuming), as well as the nuanced performance by Cailee Spaeny, it’s a compelling story about backing away from love when it proves to be flawed, even if the love still exists. Prepare yourself for the “I Will Always Love You” needle drop. WATCH IT
'Romeo and Juliet' (2013)
You know how this one goes: Two star-crossed lovers in fair Verona, and a whirlwind romance that ends in tragedy. While you may have seen Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 take on the Shakespeare tale dozens of times, this rendition feels more like a period romance, being true to the Renaissance setting. However, unlike Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 classic, this 2010s version only uses some of the play’s original text, but don’t worry: Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth’s fresh-faced yearning is enough to make you swoon (and break your heart by the end).WATCH IT
'Sleeping With Other People' (2015)
Leslye Headland’s Sleeping With Other People is firmly a rom-com—and an underrated, very funny one at that—but there are a few scenes with confessional monologues that will definitely bring on the sniffles. The delightful Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis star as two people who had sex for the first time with a one-night stand years ago and reconnect in group therapy for sex addicts. If you feel as if you’ve seen every rom-com under the sun, and are looking for one with a little bit of bite in its two messy leads, watch it. WATCH IT
'The Threesome' (2025)
The title of this indie dramedy is a bit of a misnomer—not because a ménage à trois doesn’t play out, but because it’s hardly a comedic sex romp and more of an unconventional rom-com with a rather somber tone. Longtime friends Olivia (Zoey Deutch) and Connor (Jonah Hauer-King) have always had a will-they-won’t-they vibe to their relationship, which is finally consummated when they meet a young woman named Jenny (Ruby Cruz) and their night takes a wild turn. When the fallout of their tryst is much more than “So what are we?” they’re all left with a sobering reality and hard questions about the future. WATCH IT
'Titanic' (1997)
If there ever were a pinnacle of sad romance movies, it would be Titanic. Nearly three decades later, fans are still debating whether Rose (Kate Winslet) had more room on the raft for her lover, Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), and struggle to hold back the tears as soon as the notes to “My Heart Will Go On” play. You could make like a ‘90s kid and just watch the first VHS tape (a.k.a. the first half of the 3-hour and 15-minute epic), but then you wouldn’t get the full grandiose, passionate, and tragic experience that makes it the classic Hollywood blockbuster that it is. WATCH IT
