Movies have a way of getting us to fall in love with characters. Oftentimes, these characters have a hopeful or joyful ending to their tales. However, at other times, all that awaits them (and the expectant audience) is their tragic deaths. Grab some tissues, and join us as we revisit 18 of the saddest movie deaths ever.
Jack Dawson – Titanic (1997)
You’d have to be heartless to not be slightly moved by the final scene of Titanic. For many viewers, it was hard to keep it together watching Jack slowly lose his grasp on life even as he held on to Rose till the very end.
Bruno & Shmuel – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
Seeing The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for the first time was a heart-wrenching experience. Set in the Holocaust era, Bruno, a German child, befriends Shmuel, a Jewish boy. The boys form an unlikely friendship, and it ultimately leads to their death.
Gwen Stacy – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Gwen and Peter were a truly amazing on-screen couple, and remain one of my favorites to date. This is why Gwen’s fall to death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was all the more painful to watch. Even more frustrating was watching Peter desperately try to save her, but failing.
Rue – The Hunger Games (2012)
Rue from The Hunger Games is a charming character—a sweet, innocent girl who quickly befriends Katniss in the arena. However, in a brutal and cold twist, Rue is unexpectedly hit with a fatal blow and dies as a result.
Brooks – The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Brooks was an inmate who was released after 50 years. While this was already tragic enough, Brooks’s life after prison wasn’t much better. He struggled with everyday activities, getting a job, and loneliness. Everything about Brooks’s life was sad, and his death was just the last straw.
T-800 – Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Terminator 2 made us fall in love with robots and machines. This made it difficult to not be heartbroken as T-800 (Terminator) sacrificed himself for the good of humanity, doing its signature thumbs up as it let itself be pulled apart.
Bubba – Forrest Gump (1994)
Bubba’s death in Forrest Gump certainly got a lot of people in their feelings. With the last words, “I want to go home,” Bubba died fighting alongside his “best good friend” in the Vietnam War. To honor Bubba’s memory, Forrest Gump becomes a shrimp boat captain.
Leslie Burke – Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
In Bridge to Terabithia, a fun-loving Leslie befriends the introverted and troubled Jesse. They share an imaginary kingdom with mythical tree creatures, which can only be accessed by swinging a rope over a river. One day, the rope snaps, and Leslie drowns in the river, bringing a sudden end to what had been a heartwarming friendship.
John Coffey – The Green Mile (1999)
Even the white executioners of John Coffey shed tears at his execution. The Green Mile tells the story of a Black man who was falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit. The heartbreaking thing about this death is how sweet and gentlemanly John is.
Johnny Cade – The Outsiders (1983)
Johnny Cade and his friends saved a group of children from a burning church, and it led him to sustain bad injuries. It was obvious he wasn’t going to survive, but his actions afterward made the “stay gold” hero’s death tragic.
Boromir – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Despite being a character with mixed morals, Boromir got audiences emotional with his heroic sacrifice at Amon Hen in The Fellowship of the Ring. In his touching final moments, Boromir dies in Aragorn’s arms, someone he greatly admired.
Jamie Sullivan – A Walk to Remember (2002)
Mandy Moore and Shane West star in this movie as polar opposites who somehow fall in love. Jamie Sullivan reveals that she has leukemia, and when it worsens, Landon asks her to marry him. They spend the entire summer together before she finally dies.
Guido Orefice – Life Is Beautiful (1997)
To protect his son from the harsh realities in a Nazi concentration camp, Guido pretends that it’s all a game. While he does achieve his goal of sparing his son the brutal reality, Guido is unfortunately executed. It’s a scene that will always break the hearts of viewers, as we see Guido make one more fatherly sacrifice for his child.
Brandon Teena – Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
This 1999 movie is based on the true life story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man living in Nebraska. What makes this movie so emotional to watch is how it depicts the injustices against trans people, with Brandon being fatally shot at the end.
Maggie – Million Dollar Baby (2004)
This movie begins with hope, which turns to despair very quickly. Maggie, a former waitress, reaches new heights in boxing, but she unfortunately suffers paralysis from an injury. In the end, she asks her trainer, Frankie, to help her end her life with a fatal dose of adrenaline.
Irwin Wade – Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Wade, the medic in Saving Private Ryan, was one of the first to die in the movie. Despite his medical skills, he couldn’t save himself. It was definitely hard to watch Wade transform from a brave soldier to a vulnerable figure as he approached his death.
Selma Ježková – Dancer in the Dark (2000)
The death of Selma in Dancer in the Dark remains one of the saddest movie deaths I’ve experienced. The movie tells the story of struggling Czech immigrant Selma, who moves to the U.S. with her son, Gene. In the end, Selma is sentenced to death for murder.
Bambi’s Mother – Bambi (1942)
In the heartbreaking Bambi scene, Bambi’s mother gets shot by a hunter, leaving the young deer alone in the forest. Even though the actual shooting isn’t shown on screen, the sound of the shot makes it a deeply emotional moment for the audience.
