17 Performances so sad that you won’t be able to hold your tears

Some performances in cinema are so evocatively charged that they penetrate the soul and touch something deep within one. Such performances seem not to be acting but a naked display of humanity at one's most vulnerable, flashes of human pain, loss, and despair that cannot be ignored. These 17 performances feature some of the most heart-wrenching ever to be caught on film, and each one is a testament to the actor's ability to capture complex emotions with haunting authenticity. Please note that this entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Readers' discretion is advised.

1) Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis

Oscar Isaac gives an utterly heartbreaking performance as a poor folk musician in the Coen brothers' film Inside Llewyn Davis. His Llewyn, bearing the weight of failure and loss, is emotionally raw. It is in these musical performances he does, including "Fare Thee Well," that added to the emotional pain. It is in subtle expressions and wearily worn visages that capture the crushing defeat of dreams gone unfulfilled. The perpetual misfortune of the character, coupled with Isaac's nuanced acting, makes it impossible not to feel his despair.

2) Paul Mescal in Aftersun

Aftersun, by Paul Mescal, has a quietly shattering performance from a young father. He brings out a sense of a man who hides all his turmoil but tries to make happy memories for his daughter; the portrayal is both tender and tragic. His performance becomes unforgettable with the reflective tone of the film and through mere glances and gestures to convey immense sadness. The final dance scene in which his hidden pain surfaces finally leaves an impact on the heart.

3) Javier Bardem in Biutiful

The performance of Javier Bardem in Biutiful is heart-shattering, depicting a dying man trying to secure a future for his children. Of all the ways in which his character Uxbal is flawed yet deeply in love, he impresses with desperation and quiet suffering. Bardem's expressive eyes and restrained emotions make each moment profoundly moving. Grim realism and the heartbreaking vulnerability of Bardem leave an indelible mark long after the credits roll.

4) Ingrid Bergman in Autumn Sonata

Ingrid Bergman, in one of her most dramatic performances, depicts a remote mother trying to tackle years of unresolved pain with her daughter. The performance is an understated yet explosive drama of resentment and unexpressed words. Life's guilt and sorrow are etched into her face all along, and the result is achingly real. The finale of this movie, the confrontation scene, is one of the most gut-wrenching scenes ever done on the silver screen.

5) Adrien Brody in The Pianist

Adrien Brody, in the film The Pianist, does a remarkable job of playing out survival and suffering. Władysław Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist, undergoes an entire transformation both physically and emotionally. He depicts the horror of the Holocaust with the human aspect of it during the darkest hours. His depiction of Szpilman's isolation, desperation, and finally redemption is heartbreaking. But when Szpilman's humanity is ripped from him by violence and loss, and when the raw vulnerability of Brody is allowed to spill across the screen, one leaves the theater a broken person.

6) Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Casey Affleck delivers a masterful, soul-crushing performance in Manchester by the Sea as Lee Chandler, who, following his brother's death, has to revert to his hometown to confront painful memories and responsibility for taking care of his nephew. Affleck gives in to playing the role of a man drowning in grief; one can really notice the emotional heaviness crushing upon him at such moments as in scenes when he is struggling with the loss of his children and his unsuccessful marriage.

7) Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

In A Woman Under the Influence, Gena Rowlands' performance is a frenzied emotional rollercoaster through the inner life of a woman out of control. She gives an utterly amazing performance as a wife and mother whose mental illness she tries to live with, inhabiting that unraveling mind completely and effortlessly switching from moments of manic energy to devastating despair. Her raw, unfiltered performance, especially that heart-wrenching scene with Mabel where she tries to assert her dignity, is very strikingly seen as an emotional collapse.

8) Anthony Hopkins in The Father (2020)

In The Father, Anthony Hopkins gives a heartbreaking performance as Anthony, a man suffering from dementia. The disorienting nature of the narrative of the film, mirroring Anthony's confused perception of reality, is richly enhanced by Hopkins' portrayal of a man losing his grip on memory and identity. The more muted moments of anguish, as Anthony's befuddlement hardens into anger and frustration in some scenes, give the sense of aging and mental decline to be both an intimate and a devastating portrayal.

9) Mads Mikkelsen in The Hunt (2012)

Mads Mikkelsen gives an exceptional performance as the character of Lucas, who was wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit. The character of Lucas in The Hunt shows how devastating Mikkelsen can be emotionally restrained while showing pain, for he fights not only to clear his own name but also to save the rest of his life and community from breaking down. The heart-wrenching moment when Lucas realizes how deeply he has been betrayed by those closest to him, especially his son, is a gut punch to the viewer.

10) Tom Cruise in Magnolia (1999)

In Magnolia, Tom Cruise provides one of the most surprising yet deeply moving performances of his life. Portraying Frank T.J. Mackey, an anti-female motivational speaker, Cruise's role gradually unwinds to expose a man very, very badly marked by his own past. The last scenes of the film, with a full sense of emotion, bring out years of pain and trauma in Frank's life that lead to a breakdown raw and devastating. In his scenes of vulnerability and anger, he reveals a rare depth that makes an impact long after the movie has ended.

11) Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Michelle Williams gives a hauntingly brief yet devastating performance in Manchester by the Sea as Randi, the ex-wife of Casey Affleck's character. Her quiet power in a scene where she confronts him after the death of their children is devastatingly heartbreaking. She cracks her voice while speaking about the unbearable pain of losing her children, and her subtle emotional performance leaves an indelible mark. Williams captures so much raw pain in her expressions that her scene is one of the most heart-wrenching moments in the movie.

12) Michael Fassbender in Shame (2011)

Michael Fassbender's performance in Shame is raw and unflinching in its portrayal of addiction and emotional emptiness. With Brandon successful but troubled man hiding a deep-seated compulsion-this is a study into the torment of a man whose entire emotional life becomes dominated by the need for control and isolation. Devastating moments such as when Brandon is faced with spiraling self-destruction call upon the finest fragile qualities Fassbender can bring forth beneath a stoic exterior.

13) Takashi Shimura in Ikiru (1952)

Takashi Shimura's performance, as a bureaucrat diagnosed with stomach cancer, is one of the most powerful portrayals of a man confronting his own mortality in Ikiru. His portrayal as middle-aged Kanji Watanabe, filled with subtle grief, shows the depth of transformation while he grapples to realize that his whole life has been wasted on trivial pursuits. Transformation in Watanabe, from a man who is lost in the monotony of life to one who is absolutely seeking meaning, leads to one of the most emotionally devastating final acts in cinema.

14) Liv Ullmann in Autumn Sonata (1978)

Liv Ullmann's role as Eva in Autumn Sonata, the emotionally unavailable daughter of Ingrid Bergman's Charlotte, is a tragic portrayal of the love and anger that families bear for one another. The performance by Ullmann gives one a silent view of the sufferings of a woman who was emotionally neglected by her mother. One of the most emotionally charged scenes in cinema history is the film's climactic confrontation when Eva finally releases years of pent-up pain and anger.

15) Brendan Fraser in The Whale (2022)

Brendan Fraser gave a tour-de-force performance as Charlie, an English teacher battling obesity and regret in The Whale. Here is a man trying to connect with his estranged daughter while desperately trying to beat his inner demons. Charlie's vulnerability and emotional depth are particularly evident in the last scenes where Charlie succumbs to his fate quietly with dignity. His comeback role remains a powerful role, earning him wide acclaim, and the performance blended with physical and emotional transformations leaves a lasting impact on the viewers, drawing them into Charlie's tragic world.

16) Aleksei Kravchenko in Come and See (1985)

Aleksei Kravchenko's performance of Florya in Come and See is a haunting image of the effects war can have on a young boy. Watching the Nazi invasion of Belarus unfold, Florya's loss of innocence can only seem pain-induced at the hands of Kravchenko. It is a very realistic display of the physical and psychological price paid during the war, particularly in scenes where Florya breaks down from what he has seen. Kravchenko's work is one of the most powerful performances in cinema and a testament to the devastating effects of violence and trauma on youth.

17) Maria Falconetti in The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Maria Falconetti is one of the most famous and emotionally destroying actresses in the history of film, as in the role of the young martyr Joan of Arc, she masterfully portrays the study of agony when facing trial and imminent execution. Her facial close-ups express a lot without saying anything—fear, strength, and sorrow—on her part. The silent suffering of injustice and martyrdom in her performance is heart-wrenching, and she stands out as an excellent actress whose acting skills were truly brought to life by such a powerful presentation of human endurance and sacrifice.