Tears stream down Gabby’s face as the song “Married Life” by Michael Giacchino shifts from being happy and upbeat to sad and downtempo as Carl Fredricksen sits alone with a huge bouquet of balloons at his wife’s funeral. Gabby’s sob fest continues as the song fades into solely piano with single notes finishing the song, indicating the end of Carl’s life with his soulmate. Her tears grow even bigger as the final frame of the opening shows the main character Carl walking back to his home with a single blue balloon, a symbol of Carl and Ellie’s relationship. As the scene fades to black, Gabby pauses the movie to take a break.

The emotions going through Gabby’s head clearly show in her facial expressions. She closes her eyes to prevent more tears from escaping. She purses her lips to keep her sobbing noises to a minimum. How can a Pixar movie meant for children have such an effect over her?

The first ten minutes of the movie provoke a mixture of feelings for Gabby and reminds her about how short life is. Gabby realizes that important people in her life will eventually have to leave at one point, a reality that she is not ready to face. The visual and musical elements add onto her overall viewing experience, magnifying the emotions that the movie is trying to invoke in her.

However, the conclusion of the movie teaches Gabby to always keep her head up even when things get her down.

Having grown up surrounded by movie theaters which strictly and promptly enforced etiquette rules, Hayden finds himself disheartened when, consistently, the theaters in his new home of Los Angeles seem to have no problem as patrons brazenly scroll through Instagram or nonchalantly converse during quiet movies. Maybe, he figures, this is simply an issue in certain theaters, and that a more thorough dive into the artsier, more specialized LA theaters could provide a solution to this undoubtedly first world problem.

When he stumbles upon a “secret movie club” screening of Pan’s Labyrinth, then, he is quick to invest more of his ever-draining finances into two tickets allowing his girlfriend and him to attend the screening. Arriving early, already shaken up by their Uber driver nearly running over a pedestrian, they enter the beautiful, ornate theater, and Hayden finds himself immediately impressed and excited by the experience.

Elaborate sculptures adorn the walls, and an array of other attendees excitedly discuss the film which many of the patrons had ostensibly already seen. Soon, an employee runs down the stairs and offers an introduction to the movie, complete with trivia and analysis of the movie they are about to see. As the lights dim and the movie begins, Hayden already finds himself enthralled, thoroughly invested in the film and in an especially joyful spirit.

This, of course, would quickly change as the movie would drain him mentally and, somehow, even physically. Each moment of the film carries a sense of oppressive hopelessness, finally culminating in a gut-wrenching bittersweet (though mostly bitter) ending which leaves him physically incapable of  leaving his seat as the credits roll.

The movie experience, already crushingly sad in itself, is easily amplified by the enthusiastic, enthralled crowd of patrons surrounding him: a massive auditorium of people sharing the same miserable, amazing, horribly depressing movie experience.

When Leif was a freshman in high school, he took a theater class. This was partially due to needing a fine art credit for graduation, but it was also because he was very interested in theater. The classes ended up being mainly just watching TV and movies and occasionally writing about it, and that was completely fine by him. However, among all the subjects covered in the class, one stood out the most to him: Existentialism.

For a little bit of reference, Leif was a fragile lad, even more fragile back then than he is now. So of course, movies and plays about existentialism were sure fill him with dread about who he was, who he wanted to be, his place in the world, and other such questions that kids inevitably have.

One of the movies he had to watch was the Truman Show. It’s a movie about a man whose entire life was, unbeknownst to him, filmed and put on the air as a television show. Ostensibly, the show was simply about following Truman Burbank as he lived an idyllic life in a seaside town. However, just below the surface, it’s clear that Truman is held prisoner by this town. He wants to leave, but every time he tries an obstacle gets in his way, whether it be physical like a road blockade or mental like his fear of water, instilled in him at a young age by the show runners. Slowly but surely he grows to realize the fake nature of his town and grows more desperate to escape.

When Leif saw this, he was surprised to see how much Truman was prisoner to his own fears. Just as much as any other obstacle, Truman’s phobia prevented him from living the life he wanted to live. The specific moment where Leif realized that this movie was special was when Truman decided to go off script. Truman was used to following routine up until that point in the film: he had a very specific daily regiment. However, when he decides to mix things up, he really starts to see the world around him for what it is. He watches as the people around him go about their day as usual, actors playing their parts. Seeing Truman take his life into his own hands and go against the flow of society reminded Leif of how easy it is to become a slave to routine. It showed him the importance of stepping outside one’s comfort zone, even if it means doing things others wouldn’t.

Since watching that scene, Leif remembers it from time to time, and wonders what it would be like to act with spontaneity rather than just strictly follow his routine.

As Madison sat curled up in the crowded theater of De Neve Auditorium on a cold, drizzly Saturday night, she tried to blink away the tears that were pooling in her eyes. The clear chemistry between actors Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga exacerbated the heartbreaking ending of A Star Is Born: Jackson, Ally’s country star husband, killed himself during one of Ally’s shows after being unable to overcome his past demons of drugs and alcohol. On screen, Ally croons “I’ll Never Love Again”, a song Jackson wrote to his wife before he died. As the screen cuts to a previous scene of Jackson singing the ballad with tenderness, Madison feels her tears leave a salty trail down her cheek.

Throughout the movie, the soundtrack of A Star is Born encapsulates the powerful emotions associated with a whirlwind love yet also deep grief. Unlike most movies, where music serves as an accompaniment to the plot, A Star Is Born utilizes the soundtrack as another dimension of the film, and makes the final scene even more emphatic.

During the end credits, Madison vividly recalls another one of the ballads in the movie: “Always Remember Us This Way”. The song, sung at the beginning of the movie, foreshadows the tragic death of Jackson while attempting to preserve the high points of their love, and a wave of sadness hits Madison, as she empathizes with Ally as someone who has lost a loved one in their life. The raw grief and emotion captured in the lyrics and performance of Lady Gaga in the scene still lies in Madison’s memory today as she listens to the heartbreaking chords that resound in her head.

In the auditorium, as Madison looked to her left and right, discreetly wiping her eyes, she noticed many others among the crowd doing the same. As she left that night, she realized that the multitude of rushing emotions that result from music are what compose some of the most emotionally moving scenes in movies that can serve as communal cathartic experiences to bring a room of strangers together.

Every emotional response to a movie comes from a personal truth. Whether someone resonates strongest with The Lion King, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Iron Giant, or many other options, depends on his or her specific connection to that movie. This fact was especially true for William when he saw Tag.

Tag is a dumb, summer comedy starring Andy Bernard, the bad guy from Baby Driver, Hawkeye, and Eric Andre’s constant murder victim, among others. While the ending does contain some attempt at an emotional payoff to legitimize the movie, it was never designed to make its audience cry rivers. However, it was created to inspire nostalgia and sentimentality, which were exactly the type of emotions to which William was especially vulnerable at that moment.

In the summer of 2018, the same time Tag was released, William had just graduated high school and was preparing to leave for college within weeks. He was seeing this movie with his two closest friends because its humor exactly matched the type of humor these three friends appreciated. Stupid, eye-rolling jokes had been the fuel of this incredible friendship. Even the name of this group fit the spirit of this movie, as the three referred to themselves by an expletive due to a high school group chat where two of the three constantly begged the other for homework help. So, after seeing the trailer, William decided that this movie was perfect for them.

While the attempt at emotion towards the end of the movie did not so much effect William, the themes of nostalgia did. The movie discussed how much relationships evolve as people age, which had quite an impact on William. Always a sentimental person, at that moment William was truly fearing to lose his friends when they all went to different parts of the country. This movie reassured him that, even though there are challenges to maintain relationships as people age, it is not impossible. While most emotional responses to movies come in the form of sadness or grief, William experienced an outpouring of appreciation for and a sense of bonding with his friends that he knew would last a lifetime.

Clayton is a movie fanatic. Any and every genre of film brings enjoyment his way — well almost every genre. As great as his love for movies is, he has never taken a liking towards horror movies. One might even be inclined to state that they are the bane to his existence. While others find enjoyment from the adrenaline rush that jump scares and suspense bring, Clayton finds this viewing experience to be a form of torture. This is why he found himself cowering in fear as he listened to his roommates excitedly argue over which scary movie they would be watching together that fateful night.

It was week 1 of fall quarter and it was the first time the roommates were having a movie night together. Clayton suggested a fun comedy to watch, but much to his dismay the two other boys wanted to terrify themselves this night. He had grabbed his blanket and was already hiding under it when they boys decided Hereditary would be the movie they would be watching.

Over the course of the next two hours, that blanket was Clayton’s sanctuary. He would peep his eyes out until the scene became the tiniest bit suspenseful, then he would smother himself back inside the blanket. When the daughter’s head got knocked off he refused to look at the screen for the next 15 minutes. When his roommates screamed with delight because the mother was possessed by a demon, he screamed because he was terrified. When the end credits began to run, Clayton was left trembling and drenched in sweat. It was the scariest movie he had ever seen, but he also knew it would be one of his best memories of a great year to come. Even though he was scared shitless, he knew everything was okay because his roommates were going through it with him. Whether it be a scary movie or the scary unknown that the first year of college brings, Clayton took comfort in the idea that his new friends would be their to support him, and help him overcome his fears.

Shameek intended to catch up on his sleep during his spring break. When he finds himself watching Your Name at 3:00 am, he can’t help but think “What am I doing?” But he decided not to stop because he was keen on seeing Taki meet Mitsuha. The trip Taki and his friends are on to find Mitsuha’s hometown reminds Shameek of the trip he is on with his friends right now. Thinking about the fun he is having, he becomes hopeful that Taki finds Mitsuha and has a fun time as well. As one failed attempt leads to another, Taki and Shameek’s optimism decay.

When the restaurant owner, Hida, recognizes the picture of Mitsuha’s town, Taki becomes energized once again. But seeing the worried look on Hida’s face, Shameek realizes that something is amiss. Still, he doesn’t have enough time to prepare himself for the news to hit. Mitsuha’s hometown, Itomori, was wiped out by a comet 3 years ago. As the movie went on, the crater created by the comet and the lists of the dead painfully confirms the event.

Shameek experiences an emotional revelation from the scene and what follows. He is reminded that human society is relatively fragile compared to the mechanisms of the universe, the world around him could change at the blink of a eye. Shameek realizes he might have never met some people if the situations in his life were slightly different, but he is also cognizant of the possibility of missed opportunities. His friends and family could suddenly disappear, just as how Mitsuha did. Would he even know?

For the following days, Shameek ponders on the many ways that his familiar life around him could change, for better or worse, or what could have been different. Ultimately, he accepts that this spontaneity is a natural part of life.

Having seen all the dazzling trailers, bursting with music and wild colors, Natalia was excited to watch The Greatest Showman on the big screen. She was, however, unaware of how deeply the movie would move her. Natalia had always been a great fan of theater in general, especially musical theater, which was partly what motivated her to go see the film. She had also recently finished working on her last musical show at her high school. With those memories fresh in her mind and as the harmonies played over the opening credits, her skin prickled with excitement. She couldn’t suppress the wide grin that spread across her face as Hugh Jackman sang the first line. However, as the song progressed, she couldn’t help the opposing emotions that took hold of her. Despite having already heard this song before, the size of the screen and the dark, isolating environment made the lyrics hit harder than she expected: “This is where you want to be.” Yes, she thought, that is where I want to be. I want to do musical theater all my life. But she also knew that in the coming years she probably would do theater less and less. Bittersweet tears welled in her eyes because, although she was reminiscing about the emptiness she felt knowing she would not theater for a while, she was thriving on the music and the energy of the film. Not wanting her family beside her to see, she quickly wiped away the tears as Hugh Jackman sang the final notes of the song to an empty circus tent.

Kara watches in hushed anticipation as Prince Albert in The King’s Speech struggles to draw the words from his lips. She watches as he fights to string noises together as Lionel Logue encourages him to push through for his country.

Kara sits in a crowded classroom with the rest of her classmates, but in that moment, as Bertie and Lionel stand in the recording room by themselves, she feels alone.

Bertie struggles, had continued to struggle, for days on end for the good of his country. This theme of loyalty, of self-sacrifice, is one that resonates with her all too well. She sits in the classroom, being astutely aware of the parallels between this future King and her own life. She remembers walking into the stadium in Ohio in semifinals, hands shaking with nervousness. She remembers performing, the breathlessness and exhaustion that comes with running through a six-minute show, and of stepping off feeling well.

Stronger than any of those memories, she remembers when the scores had come out and she had realized that her team didn’t make finals.

Mere tenths of a point.

These themes of loyalty, of self-sacrifice are all too familiar to her, her team, and her world. She can’t help but wonder if the outcome was because she wasn’t ready to sacrifice enough, if she put her own fears ahead of her team.

Tears are forming in her eyes as she watches King George VI finish his speech, delivered beautifully. She watches as he embraces this little victory, a concept so foreign to her recently.

This stuttering prince had overcome his fears and personal obstacles for the betterment of his people.

Why couldn’t she?

Ari had just gotten back from school, having finished his third run through of the novella Animal Farm for a school project when his father, who had come back from work early, beckoned him to come watch the film Dr. Strangelove. Ari was less than enthralled by this offer. He saw the film was in black and white, and immediately felt that it would be yet another in what he saw as boring, “primitive” films. But as the film progressed, Kubrick’s cinematography spun Ari ever further in its web. Instead of an insipid, colorless film full of antiquated references, what he instead found was a story that, though in black in white, had been colored in with the pastels of humor and vanity, nuclear war and bitter sarcasm to form a disturbing image of not only Cold War era politics but of the very nature of humanity.

Plot points like the general Jack D Ripper losing his sanity, believing the Communists had infiltrated America by poisoning the water and trying to steal his “essence,” or a deranged ex-Nazi scientist working for the president serve for comedic effect as well as to instill a sense of deep disgust within the viewer. Furthermore, the Nazi scientist, Dr Strangelove, is a commentary on the opportunism of Americans utilizing Nazi research after the war in that it immediately elicits a caricature of Von Braun, putting in clear terms just how ironic it is that the man Americans venerated for his contributions to the space program was a product of the very regime they set out to destroy during the second World War.

But the scene that really tore Ari to sheds was at the very end. Throughout the whole film, the Americans and Russians work together to stop rogue bombers armed with nuclear weapons from reaching Russia, as any bomb dropped on the USSR would set off their doomsday device. Almost all planes are either shot down or called back, but a single plane detonates its bomb, activating the doomsday machine. Instead of cooperating after this, the representatives of the USSR and the US attempt to fight each other in the Pentagon, bickering over which mine shafts each side would use to wait out the fallout, demonstrating that even in the face of absolute annihilation, people will never be able to look past their differences long enough to acknowledge their mutual humanity.