30 Movies With Extremely Upsetting Endings That You Probably Don’t Want To Watch With Your Kids

To learn more about some of these surprisingly sad films, we reached out to John Barker, Managing Director at All The Right Movies. He was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss some films that would certainly fit on this list.

"Some of the most memorable films ever made have downbeat endings: Casablanca, where Rick sacrifices his chance at happiness with Ilsa is timeless," John shared. "A more modern (and equally devastating) one is Million Dollar Baby, where Frankie turns off Maggie's life-support system."

"Maybe the saddest for me, though, is Chinatown, where Evelyn is shot, and her daughter is left alone with her abusive father," the cinephile says. "Truly tragic and highlights the theme of the film, the futility of fighting corruption."

On the other hand, we wanted to know if there were any upsetting films that John wouldn't ever want to watch again.

"Requiem for a Dream is one; a film about addiction that ends with all characters in varying states of ruin," he shared. "A finale far too bleak for more than one viewing - for me, anyway."

"The Boy In The Striped Pajamas: Set during the H*******t, the ending involves the death of the main characters," he continued. "Something we've seen before, but the way in which it happens (no spoilers) is pretty shattering, and unexpected."

"The one that stayed with me the longest was probably Grave of the Fireflies," John added. "It's an animation, but there's not much you can call fun about it. Set during World War II and following the tale of two orphans, describing the end would reveal too much. It's superb, but you'll probably not want to watch it again."

Finally, we wanted to know if John believes viewers should go into a film knowing that there will be a sad ending or if the element of surprise can make these endings more powerful.

"Knowing a film has a sad ending allows the viewer to prepare themselves, meaning they can focus on how the story is crafted, or on what the message of the film is - this is probably a benefit for more artistic filmmakers," he noted. "On the other hand, the act of unfolding a story can be an artform in itself. A sad ending can be a more powerful and memorable way to climax your story, and the user not knowing what is coming allows a filmmaker to build narrative tension - a key part of many films."

"It can depend on genre too," John continued. "Going into a war or horror film, a viewer has certain expectations and is probably more prepared for a potential sad ending than they might be if watching another genre. This is one of the reasons Grave of the Fireflies hits so hard."

"As with many things in movies, to say which 'works better' is totally subjective," the cinephile added. "Most viewers probably want to have expectations subverted. There are some, though, who might find a shock, sad ending genuinely upsetting. Cinema is all about storytelling so it is - or should be - the filmmaker's call on how the story is told. If they think the tale works best with a sad ending - surprise or not - they are the ones to make that creative decision."