David’s Download: 4 Tearjerkers to Get in Your Feelings for Valentine’s Day

The Drive Home crew recently saw Hamnet, Best Picture nominee for this year’s Academy Awards, which cut straight to my heartstrings and led to quite a few tears. Chloe Zhao’s beautiful direction and Jesse Buckley’s emotional performance really won me over during the final act as Buckley’s character Agnes discovers how art, specifically her husband’s playwriting, can help process grief.

Of our group, I was the warmest toward Hamnet, and it got me in the mood to watch some more tearjerkers in the weeks to follow. With love in the air around Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day, I thought it was the perfect time to share some recommendations for recent movies to get you in your feelings.

Bob Trevino Likes It

This dramedy premiered at South by Southwest in 2024 and stars John Leguizamo and Barbie Ferreira (from Euphoria). I remember seeing a couple trailers for it last spring, but I feel like it flew completely under the radar for general audiences.

The movie chronicles the true story of Lily Trevino, a teenage girl who befriends an online stranger with her estranged dad’s name, Bob Trevino. This new Bob turns out to be the father figure she has always needed, and they develop an unexpected friendship.

Writer and director Tracie Layman, along with Ferreira in a star-making turn, take a story and characters that could have been strange and uncomfortable and make them grounded and relatable. As if this tale wasn’t already moving enough, puppies are deployed to their full tear-jerking potential in the second act, so grab some tissues!

My Penguin Friend

This one’s for the animal lovers!

My Penguin Friend is a true story about a Brazilian man who rescues an injured penguin drifting alone in the ocean. As he nurses the bird, which is eventually named DinDim, back to health, they become unlikely friends. For many summers after that, DinDim migrates thousands of miles to be reunited with his human friend.

The filmmakers throw in some subplots, which may or may not be true, to raise the dramatic stakes, but everything worked for me.

Jean Reno gives a touching performance, and the adorable avian star(s) will make you want to adopt a penguin of your own. We humans truly don’t deserve animals!

One Life

Another true story, One Life follows a London broker named Nicholas, who saves hundreds of Jewish children from a Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust.

While the writing and direction play it safe, the story is so extraordinary that it’s impossible not to love this movie. It certainly helps that Anthony Hopkins could elicit tears from an audience just by reading the phone book.

Brace yourself for the final twenty minutes, during which an elderly Nicholas is reunited with all of the people he saved. The water works are inevitable!

A Nice Indian Boy

This rom-com about an awkward doctor who brings home his white boyfriend to meet his Indian family, was an unexpected delight for me, bringing out all the happy tears with a rousing finale!

Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff’s chemistry is undeniable. (Groff in particular will make you swoon.)

Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Bros, but more sentimental, and with an Indian twist. A Nice Indian Boy is the gay rom-com I have been waiting for - poignant, funny, and feel-good. I can’t believe I missed it in theaters last year!