When you are going through a tough time, the last thing you want is to be bombarded by Christmas cheer. While it is hard to avoid at this time of year with so many Christmas movies streaming (on Netflix and Prime), if you want to watch some sad movies to match your sad energy, there are options available.
Maybe start with this list of sad romantic movies currently available to stream on Hulu.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
This movie made a big splash when it came out with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal playing two cowboys who find themselves drawn together as lovers. But their love, while beautiful, is doomed due to prejudice and preconceptions that they have about themselves and who they should be.
Set over a period of 20 years, the movie doesn’t only focus on the struggles of the two men, but also the challenges that it represented to the women in their lives and their feelings of betrayal.
Columbus (2017)
Written, directed, edited, and otherwise created by Kogonada, a South-Korean born American filmmaker, it also represents his first feature film.
John Cho plays an architecture scholar that finds himself stranded in Columbus, Indiana, where he strikes up a friendship with a young woman who is also an architecture enthusiast. As they develop deep feelings for one another, they find that the other responsibilities that they have in their lives drive them apart.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in this time-bending love story written by Charlie Kaufman. It follows a couple that has used new technology to erase one another from their memories. It jumps between the story of how they met and the events that led them to take this drastic step, and the new relationship that is developing.
It is both a psychological thriller and a hopeless love story, as the love they are trying to create has already run its course.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Based on the 1974 novel by James Baldwin which tells the story of a young couple that is driven apart when the man is falsely convicted of a crime.. With the support of her family, she struggles to prove his innocence and secure his freedom before the birth of their child.
The movie features a fantastic ensemble cast including KiKi Layne, Stephen James, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Dave Franco, and Diego Luna.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
This Darren Afrinsky film stars Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans as four drug addicts who find their perception of reality severely warped.
It makes the struggles that exist between them and the emotions that they feel reach a new level, which ultimately results in heartbreak and tragedy for everyone involved.
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
This classic Jane Austen story does have the typical happy ending, but there are a lot of tears to be shed before getting there.
It focuses on two sisters, one determined to follow her heart and everything, and the other who denies herself due to a sense of responsibility. Both have their hearts broken and must work hard to repair themselves.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
A definitive tear-jerker, Mandy Moore stars as a high school girl who marches to the beat of her own drum and as a result is not very popular. She catches the attention of a popular boy who is determined to help her come out of her shell.
But what he doesn’t know is that she is hiding a dark secret which means that their love is doomed from the very beginning.
What To Watch Next
If you need a bit of a pick me up after crying your eyes out over these films, but you still fancy a bit of romance, why not check out our list of the best teen romances on Netflix, and the best chick flicks on Netflix.