According to a global survey, about 33 per cent of adults worldwide experience feelings of loneliness. Evidently, people tend to watch sad romantic movies on purpose, as they help to release stress and make them feel deep emotions. “Sad movies also allow us to confront feelings — loss, heartbreak, and failure,” says Jonathan Alpert, a New York-based psychotherapist. So here are some sad-romantic films you can watch this Valentine’s Day for a good cry-fest.

TITANIC

When we think sad, Titanic will always cross our mind. The thought of letting go of someone forever, someone with whom you actually connected, is a heart-breaking task. This cinematic masterpiece that turns 25 this year, still makes our hearts shatter into pieces when Rose lets go of Jack in the cold waters.

Call Me By Your Name

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

Apart from the gorgeous landscapes and beautiful scenes of northern Italy, Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) make us blush with the sweetness and madness of first love. But like all sad love stories, Oliver leaves Elio as the summer ends. As winter comes in, Elio comes to know that Oliver will get married to someone else. Timothee Chalamet had us weeping with him as he sat in front of the fireplace, crying silently with Visions of Gideon playing in the background.

(L-R) The Fault In Our Star, Malcolm & Marie

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Two teenagers madly in love but destined to be separated by the fact that both are terminally ill. John Greene’s bestselling tear-jerker found its way to the big screen in the form of this doomed romance, with Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters, played by Ansel Elgort, giving us moments that made us both chuckle and cry. The latter, of course, far more.

MALCOLM & MARIE

Every marriage gets bitter at some point. The beautifully filmed and fiercely performed monochromatic film Malcolm & Marie explores the intensity and fragility which every passionate relationship has and how realities, pasts, pain, insecurities and powerful love strengthen (or weaken) a bond between two people. Zendaya and John David Washington expertly played off each other to make this film a searing portrait of modern-day relationships.

REMEMBER ME

Starring Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin, this is an underrated and comingof-age saga where two broken souls try to overcome their traumatic experiences by falling in love with each other. As things start to get better in both their lives, the movie ends on a tragic note, as Tyler (Robert Pattinson) gets killed in the 9/11 bombings of the Twin Towers.

Remember Me

FIVE FEET APART

Touching upon forbidden love, Five Feet Apart has teenagers Will (Cole Sprouse) and Stella (Haley Lu Richardson) who are patients with cystic fibriosis and are asked by doctors to stay away from each other as the disease is infectious. Regardless, they fall in love but decide to stay five feet apart from each other with a pool cue. After realising he would infect her, Will decides to bid Stella goodbye and the fact that they can never be together makes us cry.

Five Feet Apart

ATONEMENT

Chronicling six decades starting from the 1930s, this Joe Wright film revolves around the heart-wrenching and incomplete love story of Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley), who belongs to a wealthy family, and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the housekeeper’s son, and how their undeniable attraction and love towards each other is robbed away forever by Cecelia’s 13-year old sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan). As Briony grows up to be a successful novelist, she decided to reunite her sister and her lover in her book, but fate had other plans. Cecilia died at the Balham tube station bombing during the Blitz and Robbie fell prey to septicemia at Dunkirk on the morning of his evacuation. “Come back, come back to me,” always gets us!

Atonement