As I have gotten older, I am not afraid of having a good old-fashioned ugly cry in the cinemas when the time calls for it, and hell, I probably got emotional just writing this list (Spoiler: I did). Sometimes, they are tears of grief or tears of joy, and even still, sometimes, they are tears of anger.
Emotion is a core part of the cinema experience. If you can’t get us to respond emotionally to your characters and/or the situation, I am sorry you failed to make a great film.
Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: A Quiet Place: Day One, The Beekeeper, How to Make Gravy, Robot Dreams, Thelma & Turtles All the Way Down
Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Agatha All Along, Earth Abides, The Penguin, Shōgun & Star Trek: Prodigy
So, without further ado, these are the works of 2024 that emotionally wrecked us. Be warned that there will be significant spoilers ahead.
The Nominees Are –
Civil War
What Civil War excels in is bringing you into a conflict through a different perspective than we usually see, which heightens every moment that follows in a profound way.
The Holdovers
The Holdovers has this veneer of this fun fish-out-of-water film where our two protagonists but heads all winter. But then pulls the rug out from underneath you to show the caring, heartfelt work hiding in plane sight.
The Mountain
The Mountain is as subtle as a slap to the face at times, and I think that is what we need sometimes.
Shrinking
The second season of Shrinking shows what happens when you take a good premise and then pull away those facades to reveal what is really going on under the surface. 2024’s seminal laugh-cry work.
Touch
Touch is a stunningly beautiful portrait of a man’s life that feels both deeply personal and universal at the same time. It is profoundly moving and full of narrative grace that could have been all melancholy but is instead full of heart and joy.
The Wild Robot
If I were to explain the type of emotion I experienced while watching The Wild Robot, I would say they were live waves at the seaside as I stood up to my knees, watching them roll in one after another.
X-Men ’97
I thought that X-Men ’97 would just be all nostalgia filler, but then they grabbed me by the heart, spoke some Cajun, and then crushed it in a matter of seconds.
And the Winner is!!!!! – The Mountain
Directed by – Rachel House
Written by – Rachel House & Tom Furniss
This might have been the most competitive category in 2024 as many vied for the top stop However, there was a reason The Mountain snuck out on top. All I knew about The Mountain before walking in was that it was Rachel House’s directorial debut, and since she works exceptionally well with children who make up the main leads of this film, that would be interesting to watch. What I was not expecting was that I would be crying one and a half minutes into the movie when they perfectly set up the drive for the main character to climb the titular Mountain.
Every character is on a journey of self-discovery, connecting with their past, connecting with their land, and finding just who they are. Each of the three lead cast has a powerful arc across the film that is filled with as much joy as sorrow. It is an emotional roller coaster that can have you laughing, crying, and uplifting all in the space of 30 seconds. The Mountain is one of those films that will stay in my heart for years to come. What are your favourite cinematic emotional moments from 2024? Let us know in the comments below.
By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.
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Credits – All images used were created by the respective studios and artist of each films
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This needs a follow-up article with “Hardest All-Time Crying from a TV/Movie” – my contenders would be Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, season 2 finale of Young Justice, the final episode of The Big C, Chasing Life season 2 & The Fault in Our Stars.
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