More often than not, when you’re inthe mood for a romance movie, you’re most likely not looking to cry due to the ending being super sad. You might want to laugh,swoon, and maybe shed a few tears,but not have a full-on sobbing fest by the time the credits roll. Or maybe you are looking to release some much-needed tears with a sad ending rather than a happily ever after, so you seek out romance movies that achieve the big sad by killing off one of the main characters.
These deaths usually happen when there’s a terminal illness involved, a tragic accident, or some type of natural disaster that leaves the audience and romantic partner in shambles. Let’s take a look at ten romance movies where one of the main characters meets their demise by the end of the film, and yes, you’ll need tissues.
Me Before You (2016)
In this beautifully devastating romance/drama, Will Traynor was once a successful banker and a sportsman, but he becomes severely injured when he’s hit by a motorcycle while he’s out walking one day. Because of that accident, he’s forced to be in a wheelchair due to being paralyzed from the neck down, and he resents his immobility and seeks out assisted suicide in Sweden.
Before the appointment comes, Lou, a vibrant and sweet woman, starts to work with Will as his caretaker, and over the course of the film, the two begin to fall in love. As you watch them grow closer, you can only hope that Will’s outlook on life has changed but sadly, that’s not the case, and he goes through with traveling to Sweden. The ending is tragic, but beautiful as Lou and Will reconcile before he passes away, and you’ll be left devastated but content as the credits roll.
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Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal gave the performance of a lifetime withBrokeback Mountain, and many people often make memes out of this film, and it’s because they truly don’t get what this movie is about. Ennis and Jack are two ranch hands that work on the same mountain for the summer in 1963, and during those short months, they start to become romantically involved.
Throughout the next few years, they go back and forth with their love and angst, not knowing how to deal with their feelings and marrying other people. Jack’s deathat the end is tragic, and the way Ennis deals with it makes it even worse, as he has to keep their relationship to himself, but still takes the shirts Jack kept as a memento.
The Fault in our Stars (2014)
In 2014, the movie that just about every teen went to go see in the movies, ended on a sad note as Augustus Waters passed from the cancer he had, leaving Hazel Grace by herself. Based on the novel of the same name by John Green,The Fault in Our Starsfollows two teenagers who both have cancer and quickly fall in love with each other, despite the fact that they’re both slowly dying.
Their love is very pure and sad in its own way, both of them pushing the inevitable away as they travel to Amsterdam, and they even have a pre-funeral for Augustus in order for him to hear Hazel’s eulogy. When Gus dies and Hazel gets the call, it’s so real and raw as you watch her fold into herself and cry, and this movie is perfect if you need to release some heavy tears.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
What happens when the bad boy falls for the good girl who ends up being extremely sick and there’s no cure for her? Sadness and tears for what could have been, and for how this romance plays out on screen. Landon is the school’s known bad boy, and Jamie is known as the good girl and the minister’s daughter, who blends in and doesn’t do much to make herself known.
When Jamie starts to tutor Landon and help him with his lines for the school play, the two start to grow closer until Jamie admits to Landon that she has leukemia. From there, their relationship seems to be in fast-forward as the two get married, and only have that last summer to spend together.
Remember Me (2010)
In this whirlwind of a romance, Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin fall in love while their outside relationships crumble apart around them. The two meet in a slightly unsavory way, with Tyler (Pattinson) seeking out Ally (Ravin) initially to get back at his father, and not to establish a natural and pure relationship. Over time, though, the two grow closer and fall more in love as the surrounding relationships seem to be toxic and problematic.
The ending is shocking, and when the film first came out,the audience was thrown off-guardas Tyler died due to the 9/11 attacks. As the camera pans out, and you see that he’s in one of the twin towers, all you can really do is watch on in shock before he’s buried next to his brother, ending the movie on a devastating note.
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Amour (2012)
In this French film, the love the audience sees is something different when compared to the other movies on this list that focus on younger couples. Two elderly people who have loved each other for years, go through the next difficult stage of growing old as Anne has a stroke, leaving her impacted. Anne makes her husband Georges promise not to put her in a nursing home, and at first, Georges is able to take care of her without much struggle.
However, Anne suffers a second stroke, and it has a bigger and worse impact than the first one, leaving George to make a difficult decision as he doesn’t want to break his promise to Anne. It’s morbid and extremely sad, as Georges smothers Anne to put her out of her misery, before he gives her a home funeral with cut flowers and tapes her room shut.
Message in a Bottle (1999)
In this film based on the novel of the same name by Nicolas Sparks, Kevin Costner plays Garrett Blake, a widower who can’t seem to move on from his late wife until a woman named Theresa Osborne (Robin Wright) enters his life. Theresa was initially drawn to Garrett after finding the message in a bottle he sent out to Catherine, his late wife, and she wants to know more about him and his writing.
The two seem to hit it off until Garrett realizes that she’s had the letters all along, and he reveals that he’s still deeply in love with Catherine. Time passes before Garrett seems to be ready to pursue something deeper with Theresa, writing a letter to Catherine to ask for her blessing before he goes sailing on his boat. Tragically, Garrett dies that same day in a bad storm while on the boat and trying to rescue people who are also stranded. Garrett and Theresa never got to pursue what could have been a great relationship, but the audience finds contentment with Garrett finding peace.
The Notebook (2004)
Allie and Noah’s love story is one of themost memorable and noteworthy romanceswe have to this day, even though some of the points in their relationship aren’t that great. The two meet when they’re young and come from two different worlds: Allie comes from a substantial amount of wealth, and Noah is the exact opposite. Despite this, the two form an unbreakable bond until Noah is sent off to fight in the war and Allie moves on with a man named Lon, not knowing that they both haven’t stopped loving the other.
At the end of the film, the two elderly people, who are revealed to be Allie and Noah, have a moment of bliss as Allie regains her memory for a few minutes before they both lay down for bed. That same night, the two die in each other’s arms, and while it’s sad, it’s still a beautiful ending as they pass together.
Love Story (1970)
InLove Story, you’ll witness one of the most heart-wrenching romance stories that revolves around a terminal illness, and a couple desperate for more time together. Jenny and Oliver meet at Harvard, while Jenny attends Radcliffe, and the two quickly become close and in love despite their differences. Marriage is quickly brought up, and after Oliver’s family decides that they don’t like Jenny or support the relationship, the two get married anyway and come to learn that Jenny is suffering from a terminal illness.
She becomes very sick at a fast rate, and Oliver tries his best to make it work despite the fact that Jenny is on her deathbed. Even though they were together for what seemed to be a short time, the love between them was very real, and makes Jenny’s death even harder.
Titanic (1997)
Everyone knowsthe story of Jack and Roseand how Jack died because there wasn’t enough room on the door for the two of them to fit. There are plenty of conspiracies about whether Jack could have fit on the door or not, but in this film, Jack tragically freezes to death while trying to hold onto Rose. In 1912, dozens of people boarded the Titanic, not knowing that it was going to sink from hitting an iceberg and that several people would end up tragically dying in the freezing water. Jack and Rose meet, and the two quickly fall in love despite their differences in wealth and upbringing, and have a very rushed romance before Jack’s untimely demise.
