by Robyn Frazier

Created on: October 16, 2009

I'm not a big crier in general. Tripped and fell? Ha-ha; it hurts. Something distressing in the news? Oh, that's sad. Stomachache? Stupid digestive system; why did I eat so much gravy? When a TV show or movie triggers my emotions I might go as far as watery eyes. It takes a lot to make me cry and these are the successful movies.

1. Titanic. Yes, the movie every teenage girl flocked to over a decade ago thanks to a classic love story and the boyish charm of Leonardo DiCaprio. That wasn't my reason for going, however. I wanted to watch the boat sink. Obviously technology had improved in the nearly forty years since A Night to Remember-and so had the theories on what exactly happened to the Titanic-so I was psyched for this visual spectacle. I wasn't disappointed. I marveled at the ship tipping, breaking and sinking. I laughed at the guy hitting the propeller before he fell in the water. Then it happened. No, not the part where Rose let Jack go. Before that, in the aftermath of the disaster, as the camera panned across those left behind including a frozen woman holding her frozen baby, bobbing in the water. What is this? Why is my face wet? Am I...crying? That really hit me and I didn't even have kids then. Or now, for that matter. I haven't watched that movie since.

2. Bonnie and Clyde. Again, a story where everyone should already know the ending. I thought I was sitting down for a pleasant diversion by a classic movie. Little did I know it would nearly come to bawling. You had a rakish Warren Beatty and an alluring Faye Dunaway, despite the time period and their situation. It was a romance and a road trip with some bank robbing and you (the audience) got to go along for the joyride. But at roughly twenty minutes out I started to panic. Is this the scene where it happens? Is this the part where they die? Then came the inevitable: stopped along a quiet road when the feds opened fire. And fired some more. I was so upset. I just wanted the shooting to be over. I swear I could see the stunned, saddened look on Bonnie's face knowing this was the end of the line. Finally it was over and I had time to reflect. I hadn't expected to become so attached to the characters, so much so that it was like murdering two new friends.

3. The Incredibles. I'll be honest here, I can't pick one particular scene. Maybe it's near the beginning where we see the Parrs operating like a normal family. Or maybe it's toward the end where they start working together to get off the island and save the day. Maybe I see myself in Violet, the sullen loner. My point is the family dynamic is what made me sniffly. They reminded me of my family-minus the superpowers, of course. I saw this two years ago, I think, and was just coming to the realization that my siblings and I, we're all adults now. We're not going to get back what we once had; we can only move forward. But it was a great foundation and I hope to pass that on to my own family someday. Thanks, Disney, for actually making me sad.

Those are the only movies I can think of with specific instances of my crying. While other movies have filled me with a morose feeling (The House of Mirth, and yes, I read the book first) or a general sense of dread (Nights of Cabiria-most depressing movie ever) they just couldn't quite push me over the edge. I'm sure there will be more in the future. I understand that after you have kids you become more sensitive to children's issues. Yeah, not looking forward to that.

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