16 Films That Left a Deep Mark on the Hearts of People Around the World

There are movies (actually, many movies) that leave practically no impression on us. You easily forget the story, the title, and everything else. But it’s likely that everyone has seen a film that made them feel a burst of different emotions, and these are the ones that are impossible to forget.

People shared their emotions and named movie masterpieces that shook them to their very core. And we at Bright Side totally agree with their choices.

1. About Time

• I watched it during a pretty rough time in my life, thinking it would just be a silly rom-com. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried like a baby. That movie hits hard, man. © yrnst / Reddit
• The girlfriend and I decided to watch it, thinking it was just another fun rom-com. When that happened, I was crushed. The ping pong scene had us both in a puddle. Well, I’m even crying now thinking about it. © GlassEyeMV / Reddit

2. My Girl

• I watched this when I was around 7 or 8 because I saw Macaulay Culkin and knew I liked him in Home Alone. I wasn’t ready for that ending. © blurryhumanoidish / Reddit
• My Girl has me sobbing every single time! My 17-year-old used to laugh at me for crying over the movie so one day I made him watch it with me. He was a sobbing mess by the end of it too. © 1exhaustedmumma / Reddit

3. Wild

• This movie and book changed my life. I’ll watch it at different points in my life and never with anyone, just by myself. © FunMathematician9622 / Reddit
• It’s one of the few movies I can watch over and over. © jimmington2008 / Reddit

4. Stand By Me

• This movie is the reason why I value the friendships I have with my middle school friends. We still talk on a daily basis and I’ll always treasure those moments. © CJ-TheGolden / Reddit
• Yeah, there’s never been another movie that reminded me so much of me and my friends when we were kids. Haven’t spoken to those guys in almost 30 years, and at the time, I thought we’d be friends forever. © C2D2 / Reddit

5. Good Will Hunting

• Honestly, not many movies hit me emotionally, but this one absolutely does. It hits a lot of nails on the head for me and the movie is extremely well done. I go back to it every so often just to experience it again. © playmike5 / Reddit
• This is the one that really cemented Robin Williams as one of the greats. © DigitalPriest / Reddit

6. Whiplash

• I loved the movie so much as a drummer. The ending is, at first glance, a triumph for Andrew, but it’s not. It’s a victory for the abusive teacher. He proved that his abuse created a phenomenal musician, and that was his life goal. It’s his win. © NagsUkulele / Reddit
• I thought my school’s conductor was bad... Then I watched this movie. I nearly had an anxiety attack watching it. Incredible movie but super stressful. © Conduit666 / Reddit

7. Short Term 12

• A small indie flick that I didn’t think I’d be into much, but it ended up being one of the best movies I’ll ever see. © SiimL / Reddit
• I’m so glad this is near the top! This is such a beautiful film. I tell people about this movie whenever I can. It should have been nominated for an Oscar. But I don’t think it was released in the required amount of theaters. © anonymous_chaos_ / Reddit

8. Million Dollar Baby

• Stuck on a plane in Philadelphia for 6 hours. They wouldn’t let us off the plane, the kid behind me just kept kicking my chair. This movie was obviously the one they chose to play. I cry very easily at anything on TV, even commercials. I was a complete and total mess at the end of this movie and I hate crying in places where people can see me. Thankfully, the large bearded man next to me was also tearful and offered me his spare handkerchief. © driftwood-and-waves / Reddit

• As a martial artist that had to quit due to injury (a shattered ankle and a busted knee) while pursuing getting in the US fight team, I connected deeply with the characters and their struggles. My sensei was a lot like Eastwood’s character. He was much taller and built like a Viking, but he drove me to heights I never knew I had in me. © pharuan / Reddit

9. What Dreams May Come

• My mom rented it when I was a preteen as a family movie because she only saw Robin Williams in comedic roles. She, my 2 younger siblings, and I just were kind of shocked but totally engrossed in the film. We wound up buying it. © maxtacos / Reddit

• My husband and I watched this movie in theaters just after we got engaged. We both ugly cried, clinging to each other in the theater. I continued to ugly cry for the rest of the night. It’s now “our movie.” We own it, along with the book, have been married 19 years, and I think we’ve only watched it one other time. It’s beautiful and heart-wrenching. I love it so much. © rose_tyger / Reddit

10. The Pursuit of Happyness

• I’m a single mom trying so hard to be something and be successful for my kids, and this movie both motivates me and makes me cry like a baby. He nailed it. © gamora_quill_ / Reddit

• I saw this one for the first time with my dad. I’d never heard of the movie and had no idea what it was about. Definitely made me think about everything he’s done for me over the years and how much I still owe him. © kbuck30 / Reddit

11. Steel Magnolias

• The movie has a special place in my heart. My then-boyfriend, now-husband won me over because I told him when we were watching it together in my dorm that I’d love to have a copy of the soundtrack but that it was out of print. I’m nearly 40 so this was in the days before Amazon and eBay, and Napster was just getting going. He tracked that album down for me for Christmas.© strawcat / Reddit
• My dad is a 29-year army vet. He was a Ranger. He had a heart attack and drove himself to the doctor the NEXT MORNING. He fell 20 ft off a ladder once, hit his head on a concrete paver, and just had a cut on his forehead. He’s 70 this year, and I’m still too scared of a man to fight him. He’s a certified hard a**. He cries like a little girl with a skinned knee when he watches Steel Magnolias. It’s literally the only time I’ve seen the man cry. © vehicularmcs / Reddit

12. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

• I luckily watched it at home. Cried, went to bed, and sobbed. A movie hadn’t made me sob before that documentary. © watermelonwellington / Reddit
• No. Don’t look for spoilers, or trailers, or synopses, just watch it. Seriously, trust me. © notawarmonger / Reddit

13. SLC Punk!

• I cannot watch THAT scene without losing it myself. The very first time I watched it was with a group at a house party. I was ugly crying under the blanket in the dark... And then I realized everyone was ugly crying. © JetInVegas / Reddit
• Matthew Lillard is so underrated. This was a phenomenal movie, fantastic acting on his part. © fallingfree12 / Reddit

14. Big Fish

• So we went to see Big Fish in theaters — picture it in 2003 in a dark theater. We get to the end where goodbyes are said and stories are told, and my dad is holding my hand and I suddenly feel him shaking. My dad is sobbing and shaking because of the heartfelt goodbye that the son gives to his father. Why, you may ask? 7 years prior in 1996 my dad found my grandfather after he died. My dad never got to say goodbye or tell him how much he loved him. Hold your loved ones close and check on those you know who need it. © Bookwyrmgirl91 / Reddit

• Watched that movie at least once a year till 2013. Then my dad died. We were never really close, but I just couldn’t get myself to watch that movie again. © Mcmenger / Reddit

15. Blue Valentine

• I saw this on a first date. Oddly enough, I ended up dating that person for 2 years, but it ended up similar to that film. Won’t ever watch it again. Still think it was a sign. © loredon / Reddit
• It’s a deep, emotional, and beautiful film that is shot and acted in such a realistic manner that it makes you want to cry. One of the most emotional films I’ve ever seen. This is why independent films need to exist. Life as it is. © Romania / Kinopoisk

16. Beautiful Boy

• I thought it was a great movie, and I thought the acting was phenomenal. I think it really showed how an addiction like that can destroy more than one life. © Rigatoni_Carl / Reddit
• I liked it, but I remember just feeling incredibly sad after watching it. Father-son movies always hit me in the feels. © _vitameatavegamin_ / Reddit

What film made a huge impression on you and didn’t leave you for a long time after you watched it?