Heartfelt gems: touching dramas and movies
These shows deal with deep subjects and have all made me cry (a lot).
I've chosen shows that I have completed (and some binge-watched) and that I think deserve a 9+ rating.
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1. Better Days
Chinese Movie - 2019
Tags: School Bullying, Violence, Coming Of Age, School Problems, Poor Male Lead, Poor Female Lead, Smart Female Lead, Social Commentary, High School, Strong Male Lead
The film revolves around a girl who is being bullied at school and her relationship with a tough street kid, with whom she is implicated in the murder of a teenage girl.
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2. 1 Litre no Namida
Japanese Drama - 2005, 11 episodes
Tags: Based On A True Story, Terminal Illness, Tearjerker, High School, Adapted From A Novel, Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA), Death, Strong Female Lead, Ill Female Lead, Student Supporting Character
15-year-old Ikeuchi Aya is an ordinary girl, the daughter of a family who works at a tofu shop, and a soon-to-be high schooler. However, odd things have been happening to Aya lately. She has been falling down often and walks strange. Her mother, Shioka, takes Aya to see the doctor, and he informs Shioka that Aya has spinocerebellar degeneration - a terrible disease where the cerebellum of the brain gradually deteriorates to the point where the victim cannot walk, speak, write, or eat.
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3. Mutarea în Rai
Korean Drama - 2021, 10 episodes
Tags: Uncle-Nephew Relationship, Autism, Death, Tearjerker, Savant Syndrome, Life Lesson, Cleaning And Organizing, Asperger’s Syndrome, Autistic Male Lead, Smart Male Lead
Han Geu Roo is an autistic 20-year-old. He works for his father’s business “Move To Heaven,” a company that specializes in crime scene cleanup, where they also collect and arrange items left by deceased people, and deliver them to the bereaved family.
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4. Numele Meu Este Loh Kiwan
Korean Movie - 2024
Tags: North Korean Male Lead, Defector Male Lead, Filmed Abroad, Adapted From A Novel, Noir, Foreigner Female Lead, Foreigner Male Lead, Age Gap [Real Life], Propaganda
Loh Ki Wan is a North Korean defector. He has arrived in the unfamiliar country of Belgium from North Korea because of his mother, Ok Hee. He wants to settle down in the country, but his only hope for him to stay is to receive refugee status from the Belgian government. He fights to get that. Loh Ki Wan then meets Marie. She used to be a Korean, but she has now received Belgian citizenship. In the past, she was a shooter. Unlike Loh Ki Wan, who came to Belgium to live a new life, Marie doesn't have a reason to live. They have an unpleasant first meeting but fall in love with each other.
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5. Diva of the Deserted Island
Korean Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
Tags: Chasing A Dream, Singer Female Lead, Music Industry, Friendship, Family Relationship, Brothers' Relationship, Heartwarming, Sismance, Difficult Childhood, Entertainment Industry
Mok Ha has always dreamt of becoming a singer. During middle school, however, she ends up on a deserted island where she manages to survive alone for over fifteen years. When she's finally rescued, she must adjust to a world that has changed dramatically in her absence. While learning to navigate the complex social dynamics of modern society, Mok Ha is determined to achieve her dream of becoming a singer—and she will stop at nothing to make it happen.
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6. Bun-venit în Samdal-ri
Korean Drama - 2023, 16 episodes
Tags: Healing, Return To Hometown, Friendship, Childhood Sweethearts, Sisters' Relationship, Meet Again, Town Setting, Weather Forecaster Male Lead, Photographer Female Lead, Childhood Friends' Relationship
Although Cho Yong Pil and Cho Sam Dal used to be joined at the hip when they were younger, the once inseparable friends are no longer in contact with one another due to an incident that drove them apart. When Cho Sam Dal returns to Samdalri, however, they find that the longtime affection they once had for one another comes rushing back.
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7. Butterfly Sleep
Japanese Movie - 2017
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Older Woman/Younger Man, Illness, Ill Female Lead, Exchange Student Male Lead, Writer Female Lead, Young Adult Male Lead, Age Gap [Drama Life], Age Gap [Real Life], Neurological Disorder
Matsumura Ryouko is a popular novelist in her 50s who has just found out that she has Alzheimer’s disease. In order to gain some fulfilment in her life, she decides to be a guest lecturer at a university. Through one of her students, she meets a South Korean exchange student, So Chan Hae. As they become closer, they fall in love.