8 of the MOST TOUCHING SCENES. You’ll need tissues

Manchester by the Sea - Randi and Lee talk

A chance meeting of former spouses on the street resulted in one of the most touching and heartrending scenes in the history of cinema. Grief and despair burst forth in full force in Michelle Williams’ performance. Viewers cry with her, realizing the tragedy of the situation that led to the separation of the characters – broken and deprived of the joy of life.

Life is Beautiful - Guido going to execution

There are many touching scenes in this Italian film about World War II, but one of the most touching is the last one. Guido (Roberto Benigni), staying with his son in the concentration camp, hides the nightmarish reality from the child, explaining to him that everything is really a game. When Allied forces enter the camp, Guido tells his son to hide and runs to find his wife. Unfortunately, he is caught by a German soldier who leads him to execution. Guido plays a funny spectacle in front of his son who is watching him from hiding. The awareness that the main character is going to die, but guided by parental love, he fights to keep appearances in front of his child until the very end, which makes this scene look like a lump in the throat.

Lost in Translation - Bob and Charlotte's farewell

Longing for love, intimacy, understanding, or simply for something inexpressible that will never be given to the protagonist, sadness and silent reconciliation with the situation are one of my favorite types of film emotions. Such feelings accompany Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) in the final, brilliant scene in Lost in Translation. Lost in life, the heroes, lonely in a city full of people, who have established a thread of understanding, must part. Bob whispers words in Charlotte’s ear that the viewers cannot hear and leaves.

Cast Away - Losing Wilson

Trapped on a deserted island, Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) decides to get out of it. His only companion is Wilson – a ball with a painted face, replacing his contact with people. After a long time of observing the weather, the hero constructs a wooden raft and sets out on it to the restless waters of the ocean. After a collision with a large wave, from which the raft and Chuck emerge unscathed, Wilson is killed. The distraught hero spots a ball on the horizon and jumps into the water to retrieve it. Unfortunately, rescuing Wilson involves the risk of losing the raft. After a few tries, Chuck gives up… Who hasn’t shed a tear on this scene, cast the first stone.

Captain Phillips - Captain rescued

It’s actually interesting that there have been so many great and touching scenes with Tom Hanks in the history of cinema. In addition to Cast Away, the actor’s touching scenes will be seen in Terminal, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Philadelphia. He’s probably one of the few male actors who is allowed to cry on screen. In Captain Phillips, a movie about a container ship hijacked by Somali pirates, Hanks plays one touching scene. When the ship is finally rescued and the titular captain (Tom Hanks) is tended to by the rescue team, the tension leaves the hero and emotions take over – he is jittery, speaks incoherently, and finally bursts into tears.

The Lion King - Mufasa dies

Animated films can move you just as much as live-action films, regardless of whether you are 7 or 37. Among the most touching scenes in animated films are those from Dumbo (the mother of a small elephant locked in a cage), Bambi (the death of a fawn’s mother from the hands of a poacher) or the excruciating, tragic Japanese anime – Grave of the Fireflies. The competition for the most touching scene in an animated film is definitely won by The Lion King and the famous scene in which Mufasa, Simba’s father, dies.

Steel Magnolias - M'Lynn's monologue

Steel Magnolias is a comedy-drama about female friendship, but above all a moving portrait of the relationship between mother and daughter. Shelby (Julia Roberts) is struggling with a difficult kidney transplant operation – the organ donated to her by her mother did not work. The family and community feel inconsolable grief, it is difficult for them to accept the death of a young, full of life girl who orphaned her little son. Of the many touching scenes in this film, the most impressive is the monologue of Shelby’s mother, M’Lynn (Sally Field) in the cemetery, after her daughter’s funeral – full of grief, despair, anger and disagreement with what happened.

Marley and me - Putting the dog to sleep

Animals can move me more on the screen than people – horses dying in the war or dogs shot in the Chernobyl series shake me more than human death. Marley and Me is a touching and funny tearjerker about a family that adopts a Labrador puppy. A dog named Marley turns out to be the most disobedient animal in the world. However, it becomes an inseparable member of the family, causing chaos in the lives of its owners, but at the same time giving them a lot of joy. Unfortunately, as in life, after many years the inevitable comes and the aging, sick pet has to be put to sleep. In his last moments, he is accompanied by his owner, John (Owen Wilson), and his touching monologue.

Michalina Peruga

Film scholar, art historian and lover of contemporary horror cinema and classic Hollywood cinema, especially film noir and the work of Alfred Hitchcock. In cinema, she loves mixing genres, breaking patterns and looking closely at characters.

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