It is an odd thing to do isn't it? Why do so many of us voluntarily seek out a weepie at the cinema and put ourselves through a good cry? (By "we", this mostly means women, although that's not always the case). Is it for the visceral experience? For catharsis? To bond with the hundred other people snivelling into their Kleenex around you?
Whatever the reason, if you're the sort who likes to emerge blinking from the cinema through puffy eyes and with a blocked nose, then look no further. My Sister's Keeper, the latest release to have audiences dripping into their laps. Several elements required for a proper cry are there: disease and the spectre of death throughout (in a child, which always works best), family pitted against one another and a tragic love story, thrown in presumably to make absolutely sure you're ferreting through your bag for that dirty tissue.
Death is the filmmaker's biggest gun when it comes to tear-jerking. It is most effective when the victim is young, but can be used to dramatic effect at any age, especially if there has been a battle leading to the death. In Forrest Gump, Jenny dies having supposedly contracted Aids; ditto Philadelphia. In Terms of Endearment, Emma pegs it having bravely fought cancer; in Love Story, young Jenny dies from a mystery disease - classic weepies, the lot of them.
And then there's death that doesn't necessarily involve prolonged and heart-rending illness, but has an added dimension of some sort. Enter Titanic, perhaps the biggest, blockbusting weepie of them all. We sob at Jack's demise both because he is gone and because this means that poor, upper-class Rose cannot run away from Billy Zane and slum it with him after all.
Another tale of star-crossed love and one of the biggest weepies in recent years was The Notebook, which reportedly left many celebrities so puffy-eyed after the 2004 premiere that they went straight home without attending the after-party. But unlike in Titanic, here young Noah and Allie end up with one another and stay the course, irrespective of Allie's bout of Alzheimers in later life. Honestly, it makes no sense at all. We cry if they're torn apart, we cry if they stick together.
Naturally, we also reserve the right to splutter and sob even when love sometimes conquers death, as in Truly, Madly, Deeply and Ghost, the latter helped ably by a soundtrack that included Unchained Melody from the Righteous Brothers.
But most of these films will only have women tearing up. So what about men? There must be something that gets them going. Well, it seems that war films are the genre most likely to trigger male tears. Perhaps it is the element of noble sacrifice that men like to empathise with, perhaps it is that films with guns allow them to feel suitably macho even while sobbing into their popcorn. The Deer Hunter could be inserted here, as could Saving Private Ryan. Braveheart, too, at a push.
Finally, there's the genre that can unite all audiences - be they, young, old, male or female - into one helpless blubbering mass: the animal film. Most recently, Marley & Me reduced fully grown human beings to quivering wrecks despite one stone-hearted critic grumbling about the lack of acting skills shown by the dogs involved. Hollywood has long used a beloved pet to play on the emotions - and none of them had been to drama school either. Think of poor Old Yeller, think of the 1940s Lassie films and of the multiple versions of Black Beauty.
Bambi, however, is a tough one, because it's a cartoon. Is it slightly shaming, that an animated drawing of a deer can reduce one to tears? Who cares. Sometimes you just need a good weep.
* Sophia Money-Coutts
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars