Top 5 Movies: Who’s Cutting Onions? Edition

There are movies that make you laugh so hard you nearly choke on your popcorn, and then there are the ones that sneak up on you like emotional ninjas—ready to karate-chop your tear ducts. You sit down thinking, “It’s just a film, I’ll be fine,” and suddenly you’re crying harder than when you realized your favorite snack got discontinued.

The best part? We volunteer for this. We willingly press play, knowing full well we’ll end up ugly crying in front of strangers or, worse, that one stoic friend who “never cries at movies.” Usually, I am that friend. But these are the stories that finally broke me.

Aftersun (2022)

This film feels like a lost memory being pieced together for the first time before your eyes. Charlotte Wells does a brilliant job making the narrative feel like a fading recollection, partially captured, slightly blurred, leaving you uncomfortable at certain moments without quite understanding why.

Leads Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal completely sell the father-daughter dynamic. The cinematography and editing place you directly in Sophie’s shoes as she reflects on the past; at times, you feel like a confused child sensing that something is "off" without having the full context. While the pacing is a bit slow for my liking at points, that final sequence...oh man. Between the emotional payoff and that needle drop of Under Pressure, it is absolute cinema. I have quite literally never cried like that in my entire life.

Hamnet (2025)

Surprise, surprise! You’ve probably seen the reels: people filming themselves before the movie, then cutting to the aftermath where they are crying their eyes out. Well, it’s all true.

Hamnet is beautifully poignant, a story about love, ambition, and the different ways people navigate grief. Ina way, it’s a sad movie about how sadness inspires great art. This is amplified by Łukasz Żal’s cinematography, which feels like a moving painting, and Max Richter’s haunting score. They did "cheat" at the end by using On the Nature of Daylight—a song so effective it could make you weep while watching a Formula 1 race. Paul Mescal delivers another powerful performance, but this is Jessie Buckley’s show through and through. It’s an Oscar-winning performance that earned every bit of that gold.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

This is not just a movie; it’s a devastating emotional experience. Visually beautiful and narratively crushing, it is almost impossible to watch without tears. For me, this is the definitive anti-war film. I won’t say much more because words aren’t enough to praise this Studio Ghibli classic. Just go watch it and cry your heart out.

Logan (2017) / Avengers: Endgame (2019)

We were just discussing indie darlings and anime, but now we’re talking superheroes. "Perfectly balanced, like all things should be."

I’m tying these two together because their emotional payoffs share a common DNA. Both are epic conclusions to characters we spent years developing a bond with. Endgame pulled off the impossible by providing a satisfying closure to a 22-movie saga. Logan, meanwhile, was disruptive, acting as an interrogation of the genre itself. It uses notes from the western genre to mirror the myth of the superhero. It was ahead of its time, arguably paving the way for the grittier directions we see now in The Boys or Invincible.

Normal People (2020)

“Ithought we were talking about movies.” Well, life doesn't alwaysgo as planned. I wanted to go to that Andrea Bocelli concertand couldn’t get a ticket, life goes on.

This limited series makes you want to reach through the screen and give the leads a hug. It is a masterclass in subtle storytelling, thriving on quiet moments, awkward silences, and the nuances of body language. This wouldn’t work without Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, who give their absolute best. The show highlights family trauma, emotional suppression, and class divides, all through a love story that stands the test of time. It’s an amazing watch—go check it out.