Sometimes it is best to cry out to purge the deepest of emotions. Often one of the saddest movies can heal a broken heart. These are the movies best enjoyed in solitude. The seemingly infinite repository of Netflix has got you covered when all you need is a good cry. We all have the best list of movies on Netflix when you are feeling depressed.
And while there are plenty of worthy mentions, some stand out sharper than others. So here is a list of the saddest movies currently available on Netflix.
1. The Impossible (2012)
- Director: J. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánche
- Writer: Sergio G. Sánchez
- Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland.
- IMDb Ratings: 7.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
It is always hard to sit through movies that deal with massive natural disasters. The Impossible tests the resolve of its viewers even further. The story of a family stuck in Thailand when a tsunami hits the country is earth-shattering. Witnessing the loss of human life on such a scale is borderline depressing.
2. All the Bright Places (2020)
- Director: Brett Haley
- Writer: Jennifer Niven and Liz Hannah
- Cast: Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp, Kelli O’Hara
- IMDb Ratings: 6.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 64%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Directors often find it hard to do justice to mental health issues. One film that does not fall into this pitfall is All the Bright Places. Telling the stories of two teens, the movie leads to a catharsis that is achieved through intense pain. The two find in each other hope and the ability to get over the traumas of their past.
3. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
- Director: Ang Lee
- Writer: Larry McMurtry
- Cast: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway
- IMDb Ratings: 7.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The 2005 movie should be high on the list of everybody’s must-watch. Ang Lee beautifully captures the nuances of love in the relationship between two cowboys. However, the honesty in their emotions falls blank in front of the hard social structure they live in. With brilliant acting performances, the movie touches the deepest of chords.
4. Gran Torino (2008)
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- Writer: Nick Schenk
- Cast: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang
- IMDb Ratings: 8.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
A fair warning: the movie is a tough watch. Not because of the acting or the script because they are both top-notch but for the film, asking pointed questions about racism and aggression. Most importantly, it is a story about human growth and is a remarkable chapter in Clint Eastwood’s glorious career.
5. Into the Wild (2007)
- Director: Sean Penn
- Writer: Sean Penn
- Cast: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, Jena Malone
- IMDb Ratings: 8.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Into the Wild is not the massive tearjerker you might be looking for. However, the film succeeds in penetrating your heart and convincing the film’s genius in articulating emotions. The experiences of McCandless are equal parts inspirational and heartwrenching.
6. The Florida Project (2017)
- Director: Sean Bake
- Writer: Sean Bake, ChrisBergoch
- Cast: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite
- IMDb Ratings: 7.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
It is not difficult to identify what makes the movie so special. The face of poverty has rarely been explored to the degree that The Florida Project does. Complementing the brilliant screenplay is the sensational performances of William Defoe and Brooklynn Prince.
7. Fruitvale Station (2013)
- Director: Ryan Coogler
- Writer: Ryan Coogler
- Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
America witnessed the death of Oscar Grant at the hands of a BART officer in 2009. Four years later Ryan Coogler, made the nation relive that horror in his brutally honest biopic. The film highlights the cracks in society and the pain of loss with his unique style.
8. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
- Director: John Lee Hancock
- Writer: Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith
- Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Saving Mr. Banks is one of those films that breaks your heart while filling it with joy at the same time. The story runs on two levels, but somewhere they meet, creating a heartfelt union of gain through loss. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson steal the show with their acting performances, but they are only a small part of what makes the film so good.
9. Mudbound (2017)
- Director: Dee Rees
- Writer: Dee Rees, Virgil Williams
- Cast: Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Like so many films on this list, Mudbound stands out because of the complexities it deals with. While telling the story of “The Greatest Generation,” the movie speaks out against the PTSD and racism the veterans faced in society. The truth in its depiction might be too hard to stomach for some, which is exactly why it needs to be watched.
10. Holding the Man (2015)
- Director: Neil Armfield
- Writer: Tommy Murphy
- Cast: Ryan Corr, Craig Stott, Guy Pearce
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The story challenges the social taboos of human relations. Despite facing damnation, Tim and Ryan stick it out, riding the tides together. It is not smooth sailing for them, but they discover the true meaning of love in their bickerings and smiles.
11. First They Killed My Father (2017)
- Director: Angelina Jolie
- Writer: Angelina Jolie, Loung Ung
- Cast: SreymochSareum, KompheakPhoeung
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
It will be a serious mistake to give this film a skip. Based on Loung Ung’s memoirs, the film shows the realities of life in Cambodia during the Khmer regime. Human exploitation, forced labor, and violence are only a few themes that the film explores. The wide palette of human experiences of this era is bound to leave audiences scarred.
12. Moonlight (2016)
- Director: Barry Jenkins
- Writer: Barry Jenkins
- Cast: Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Moonlight is a story of learning and self-discovery. The Academy Award-winning movie chronicles three stages of the life of its protagonist- Chiron. Moonlight explores the question of sexuality and selfhood in a torn environment in a way like never before.
Chiron understands the world he lives in through his experiences in his communities and takes the audience on that journey.
13. The Pianist (2002)
- Director: Roman Polanski
- Writer: Ronald Harwood
- Cast: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The film that won Adrien Brody, his Oscar, is chilling to the bone. The movie, with vivid details, traces the hardships faced by Jews in Warsaw during the Nazi regime. While the suffering is hard to gulp down, the film is also a beacon of hope. Even in the worst moments of human history, humanity never ceases to exist.
14. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Writer: Robert Rodat
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The film hosts some of the realistic battle scenes during the D-Day. At the same time, the film’s ending is one of the most gut-wrenching you are ever likely to witness. The film shows the brutality of war in lucid terms and makes one grateful for the sacrifices of millions of soldiers on the field of war.
15. To the Bone (2017)
- Director: Marti Noxon
- Writer: Marti Noxon
- Cast: Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves, Carrie Preston
- IMDb Ratings: 6.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The path towards self-acceptance is often the most difficult to walk on. Ellen discovers that herself through a series of setbacks on this road. Through her doctor’s help, she battles her inner demons and wins in this moving and earnest tale.
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16. Brain On Fire (2016)
- Director: Gerard Barrett
- Writer: Gerard Barrett (screenplay), Susannah Cahalan (memoir)
- Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Thomas Mann, Richard Armitage, Carrie-Anne Moss
- IMDb: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 16% (Tomatometer), 50% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: It was released on Netflix.
Susannah Cahalan, an up-and-coming journalist at the New York Post becomes plagued by voices in her head and seizures. As weeks progress and Susannah quickly moves deeper into insanity, her behaviors shift from violence to catatonia.
After a series of tantrums, misdiagnoses, and a lengthy hospital stay, a doctor’s last-minute intervention enables him to give her a diagnosis and a chance to rebuild her life.
17. Stutz (2022)
- Director: Johna Hill
- Writer: Johna Hill
- Cast: Johna Hill, Phill stutz
- IMDb:7.8/10
- Rotten tomatoes: 96%
- Streaming platform: Netflix
Stutz, a documentary film, was the most recent mental health film to be released on Netflix. The documentary was directed by Jonah Hill and followed his therapist, Dr. Phil Stutz, throughout his life and career.
The film is structured as a series of talks in which the characters talk about their personal histories and the subject of mental health. Stutz also discusses how he approaches therapy and how he interacts with his patients.
18. Take Your Pills: Xanax (2022)
- Director: Blair Foster
- Writer: Blair Foster
- Cast: Tracy Dennis-Tiwary · Phoebe Gavin · Jeff Gold · Julie Holland · John ·
- IMDb:6.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes:62%
- Streaming platform: Netflix
Take Your Pills: Xanax is a documentary that is directed by Blair Foster about the drug’s rise in use over the years. One of the newer mental health movies on Netflix is a continuation of a 2018 Netflix documentary called Take Your Pills, which looked at medications like Adderall and Ritalin.
But this documentary isn’t taking sides when it comes to the use of Xanax, as it looks at both the pros and cons of the medication and its implications on mental health in America. The doc features interviews with medical experts and professionals, as well as academics and Xanax users, about the overall effects of the medication.
19. Strange Voices (1987)
- Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman
- Writer: Donna Powers Wayne Powers
- Cast: Nancy McKeon Valerie Harper
- IMDb: 6.1/10
- Rotten tomatoes: 92%
- Streaming platform: Netflix
Strange Voices is a mental health movie on Netflix about a young woman with schizophrenia. The film was one of the highest-rated TV movies in 1987 when released, at a time when discussions about mental health were not where they should have been.
The New York Times called it “too much, too late,” but the film touches on the difficulties many faced in the ’80s receiving health care for mental illness, and what happened when they didn’t get treatment. It also depicts the learning process of the family of a person with schizophrenia. From denial to acceptance, viewers watch the young woman and her family navigate her illness.
20. The Fundamentals Of Caring (2016)
- Director: Rob Burnett
- Writer: Rob Burnett (screenplay), Jonathan Evison (novel)
- Cast: Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Ehle
- IMDb: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (Tomatometer), 73% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: The movie is available on Netflix.
Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez star in this comedy-drama film about a recent divorcee suffering from depression, and his unlikely friendship with a disabled teenager for whom he is the caregiver.
Although The Fundamentals of Caring is primarily about this relationship and the things Trevor deals with as a man who uses a wheelchair, the film does a wonderful job highlighting the mental health difficulties that each of the characters faces.
Paul Rudd’s character deals with severe depression after the loss of his daughter and subsequent divorce, and Trevor battles anxiety associated with his disability.
21. Horse Girl (2020)
- Director: Jeff Baena
- Writers: Jeff Baena, Alison Brie
- Cast: Alison Brie, Debby Ryan, John Reynolds, Molly Shannon
- IMDb: 5.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 68% (Tomatometer), 33% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: The movie is available on Netflix.
This was one of the mental health movies on Netflix released in 2020, following Sarah as she tries to find support. Horse Girl takes a unique look at mental illness, and the film requires more than one viewing to fully understand. Its storyline reflects the real-life experience that actress Alison Brie has with depression and schizophrenia in her family.
Sarah has difficulty understanding social cues and her real symptoms of mental illness are brushed off as quirkiness by those closest to her. This is a reality for many who live with mental illness, and it is nice to see highlighted in mainstream media.
22. I’m Thinking Of Ending Things (2020)
- Director: Charlie Kaufman
- Writer: Charlie Kaufman (screenplay), Iain Reid (novel)
- Cast: Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, David Thewlis
- IMDb: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 82% (Tomatometer), 49% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: The movie is available on Netflix.
It takes a deeper look to fully understand the mental illnesses that the main character, Jake, lives with throughout the timeline of the film. Writer and director Charlie Kaufman uses abstract and metaphoric storytelling to dive into the mind of the mentally ill main character in one of the best mental health movies on Netflix.
The film ends with a riddle, and viewers still question whether it is about childhood trauma, suicidal ideation, or schizophrenia.
23. Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
- Director: Ron Howard
- Writer: Vanessa Taylor (screenplay), J.D. Vance (memoir)
- Cast: Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett
- IMDb: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 26% (Tomatometer), 80% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: The movie is available on Netflix.
Of the mental health movies on Netflix, Hillbilly Elegy received mixed reviews for its portrayal of mental health and a woman with addiction who is disconnected from her family. It isn’t clear what Bev’s, played by Amy Adams, mental illness is exactly, and it’s certainly undiagnosed, but the film highlights the issues a family faces when one of its members goes through this experience, especially when it manifests via addiction.
The characterization is a little over-the-top and because of this, the film feels inauthentic, but at its basis, it highlights the ways untreated mental illness can create tumultuous relationships.
24. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
- Director: David O. Russell
- Writer: David O. Russell (screenplay), Matthew Quick (novel)
- Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver
- IMDb: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (Tomatometer), 84% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platforms: Netflix
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are electric in David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook. Cooper plays Pat, a man who is released from a psychiatric hospital following his treatment for bipolar disorder. To win his wife back, he enlists the help of his young, widowed neighbor Tiffany (Lawrence).
In exchange, Pat must enter a couple’s dance competition with Tiffany. As the two spend more time together, they grow closer and help each other heal. This brilliant film is filled with genuinely touching moments and breakthroughs. It’s a must-watch.
25. The Perfection (2018)
- Director: Richard Shepard
- Writers: Eric C. Charmelo, Richard Shepard, Nicole Snyder
- Cast: Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber, Alaina Huffman
- IMDb: 6.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 72% (Tomatometer), 59% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: The movie is available on Netflix.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers such as Whiplash and Black Swan, The Perfection will be up your alley. Allison Williams, known for her exceptional horror work in Get Out, brings her A-game as Charlotte Willmore, a prodigious cellist who must leave Bachoff music school to care for her terminally ill mother.
When she returns years later, she meets her replacement, Lizzie (Logan Browning), and plots her revenge. Charlotte drugs Lizzie, convincing her to cut off her hand. At first, Charlotte is accused of jealousy as her motivation, but things are much more complicated than that. This movie has maddening twists you’ll never see coming.
26. As Good As It Gets (1997)
- Director: James L. Brooks
- Writers: Mark Andrus (screenplay), James L. Brooks (screenplay)
- Cast: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr.
- IMDb: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (Tomatometer), 86% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platforms: Netflix
Meet Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), a misanthrope and victim of obsessive-compulsive disorder. You’d never guess by that description that he’s also a best-selling romance novelist. Melvin spends every day eating at the same diner and interacting with the same waitress named Carol (Helen Hunt) who has an acutely asthmatic son.
When Melvin’s neighbor is nearly killed in a robbery, he must take care of his dog Verdell. Taking care of Verdell opens Melvin up to a whole new realm of experiences, and eventually leads him to pursue Carol more directly. This movie shows how someone can ultimately bounce back from a mental illness and lead a full life with support from others.
27. Fractured (2019)
- Director: Brad Anderson
- Writer: Alan B. McElroy
- Cast: Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Adjoa Andoh
- IMDb: 6.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 63% (Tomatometer), 47% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: The movie is available on Netflix.
Sam Worthington stars in this psychological thriller about a man who loses his grip on reality in the face of an incredibly traumatizing event. After their daughter Peri has a freak accident falling into a pit, Ray (Worthington) and his wife Joanne (Lily Rabe) rush to the hospital to get her medical care.
Joanne and Peri disappear into the hospital room, and Ray falls asleep in the waiting area. When he wakes up, things get weird. The hospital tells Ray they have no record of his family staying there, and Ray stops at nothing to get the truth. But everything is not what it seems, and the twist at the end will send shivers up your spine.
28. Clinical (2017)
- Director: Alistair Legrand
- Writers: Alistair Legrand, Luke Harvis
- Cast: Vinessa Shaw, Kevin Rahm, India Eisley, Aaron Stanford
- IMDb: 5.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 33% (Tomatometer), 16% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: The movie is available on Netflix.
The strain of mental illness is just as real for doctors as it is for their patients. Clinical is the tale of Dr. Jane Mathis (Vinessa Shaw), a psychiatrist who deals with high-risk patients. After one patient attempts to attack her and then commit suicide in her home, Dr. Mathis begins to suffer from PTSD and sleep paralysis.
She continues to practice psychiatry against the doctor’s orders. When she takes on a mysterious new patient named Alex (Kevin Rahm), things get progressively more dangerous. Soon, Dr. Mathis finds herself as mentally compromised as her patients.
29. You Get Me (2017)
- Director: Brent Bonacorso
- Writer: Ben Epstein
- Cast: Bella Thorne, Halston Sage, Taylor John Smith, Nash Grier
- IMDb: 4.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 29% (Tomatometer), 36% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: The movie is available on Netflix.
You Get Me has some Crazy Ex-Girlfriend-meets-Fatal Attraction vibes. After spending a romantic weekend together, Holly (Bella Thorne) conveniently transfers to the object of her desire’s high school, much to his and his girlfriend’s chagrin. Although their brief fling was nothing but a one-time thing, Holly is convinced she and Tyler (Taylor John Smith) are meant to be.
As she grows closer to his inner circle, everyone begins to notice something isn’t quite right with Holly. Soon after, they discover the dark truth about her past, but it might just be too late.
30. God Knows Where I Am (2016)
- Directors: Todd Wider, Jedd Wider
- Writers: Todd Wider, Jedd Wider
- IMDb: 7.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (Tomatometer), 88% (Audience Score)
- Streaming platform: Netflix
This gripping documentary is about Linda Bishop, a New Hampshire mother with severe bipolar disorder with psychosis. A series of hardships leave her homeless, starving, and eventually dead. But Bishop left behind a journal that recorded her grueling relationship with mental illness, documenting it in a surprisingly poignant way.
God Knows Where I Am not only tells Bishop’s heartbreaking story but urges the importance of getting those with mental illnesses the help they need to survive.
Netflix can always be relied upon never to disappoint its subscribers. The streaming giants have got you covered for all your moods. And the above list will give you a plentiful idea about the kind of movie you wish to see. All of these movies are great watches and probably will do a great job.
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