10 Heartbreaking Movie Moments That Came Out Of Nowhere
These moments were all made worse by the fact nobody saw them coming.
It may sound like a cliché but it is as true now as it has ever been: movies really are magic. They can evoke just about any emotional response from an audience, whether they're meant to inspire you, scare you, make you smile, or even make you cry.
It takes a lot of storytelling skill to establish a genuine connection with people over such a small amount of time, and yet people will cry like babies over fictional characters, in many cases that they have only known for a matter of hours or even minutes.
Often such emotional moments can be made even more so by having them come out of absolutely nowhere. Creating such a misdirection so the audience is completely blindsided by a character's death or a heartbreaking discovery can be incredibly difficult, but when done well and when it truly isn't seen coming, it can make a sad scene so much harder to take.
Characters have died, secrets have been revealed, and tough heart-to-heart talks have been had, all when they were least expected. Cue the uncontrollable tears and ugly crying.
10. Karen Opens The Joni Mitchell CD - Love Actually
Generally speaking, whatever adversity the characters in a Christmas movie go through, there's usually a heartwarming and uplifting ending - it is Christmas after all - however, there are exceptions to the rule. The majority of Love Actually's intertwining stories have this kind of happy conclusion, but not all of them.
Chiwetel Ejiofor's Peter has his wife and best friend fall in love behind his back, while Emma Thompson's Karen finds out that her husband (Alan Rickman) has been cheating on her. It is the latter that is the worst of these, as the movie shows the exact moment she finds out the truth.
Earlier, when Karen finds the expensive gold necklace Harry brought in his pocket, she naturally believes it's her Christmas present. When the big day comes and she opens her gift, though, he has given her a Joni Mitchell CD. The incredibly expensive necklace obviously went to somebody else.
As heartbreaking as that moment was, it's arguably outdone when Karen confronts her husband. Tears streaming down her face, she essentially tells him she is going to carry on for the kids' sakes, even knowing that her life would be a little bit worse, before greeting her children with the biggest smile after their nativity play. It's a happy façade, and Emma Thompson's performance is so excellent that you can still see the pain behind it.