Movie Characters' Final Words That Will Break Your Heart
There are countless memorable quotes from movies that will break a person's heart if they're reminded of them. Whether in a prestige drama that swept the Academy Awards or a tentpole franchise film that broke the box office, these lines often take place during some of the most emotionally resonant parts of their movies. And in a few cases such as these, they are the last words uttered by a character before they're never seen again.
Some actors get the opportunity to fire off great one-liners right before they die, while others get to simply close out the film with iconic quotations. However, what connects all these lines from film history, despite coming from a wide variety of genres, is how emotionally devastating they are, sometimes for reasons that an audience might not even pick up on during their first watch. From obvious closing words to lines that are riddled in subtext, these 12 lines from cinematic history marked heavy, meaningful moments for characters to make their screen exits.
Ellen Ripley in Alien
Ridley Scott's 1979 film "Alien" changed both the sci-fi and horror genres when it first released, while introducing one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history: Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). The first film centers on the crew of the Nostromo, who are awoken from cryogenic sleep to investigate life on a nearby planet, only for their spaceship to become invaded by a foreign species that slowly but surely kills off each member.
After bursting out of the chest of Kane, played by John Hurt, the crew struggles to survive and outsmart the Xenomorph, eventually leaving just Ripley alive. Armed with a flamethrower, she narrowly makes it into an escape pod, thinking all is well, until she discovers she's trapped herself in the tiny domicile with the fully grown Xenomorph.
Ripley blasts the alien into space, saving herself and a cat, Jones, but leaving them aimlessly wandering the cosmos in their pod. However, Ripley clings onto hope as she records a final, heartbreakingly dark report log: "Final report of the commercial starship Nostromo, third officer reporting. The other members of the crew — Kane, Lambert, Parker, Brett, Ash, and Captain Dallas — are dead. Cargo and ship destroyed. I should reach the frontier in about six weeks. With a little luck, the network will pick me up. This is Ellen Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off." Ripley made it out alive, but she's sadly alone.
Gordie in Stand By Me
When he's not directing comedy classics like "This Is Spinal Tap" and "The Princess Bride," Rob Reiner is responsible for directing two of the best Stephen King movies, including both "Misery" in 1990 and, four years earlier, "Stand By Me," based on the novella "The Body." Starring young up-and-comers like Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O'Connell, and River Phoenix, "Stand By Me" centers on four best friends who go searching for a dead body near Castle Rock, Oregon, which ends up being a transformative experience for the teenagers.
Wheaton, who plays Gordie, is the protagonist of the group, and the one who goes through the most dramatic character arc as a result of finding the body. In the film's framing device, Richard Dreyfuss portrays an older Gordie who is writing about the experience in the present day, fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a writer when he was young. Particularly, the older Gordie reflects on the different paths him and his friends went on through life, eventually losing touch, and even one of them dying.
In one of the most heartbreaking lines of a film that is chock-full of them, Dreyfuss' narration ends with a simple musing on coming-of-age: "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?" It's the kind of heart-tugging line to make an audience member get in contact with their forgotten childhood friends.
Jenny in Forrest Gump
When it comes to movies that are known for being heartbreaking, "Forrest Gump" has the greatest volume of tearjerkers in its dialogue. From Bubba's (Mykelti Williamson) dying words in Vietnam to Forrest's mother's (Sally Field) advice that "Life is like a box of chocolates ...," there are many options to choose from when trying to find the words that hit the hardest in Robert Zemeckis' film. However, the clear choice comes from Robin Wright's Jenny, Forrest's first childhood friend.
One small detail you might've missed in "Forrest Gump" comes towards the end of the movie, after Forrest and Jenny finally marry while Jenny dies of a mysterious illness. Jenny asks Forrest about his time in Vietnam, which causes Forrest to ruminate on the beautiful parts of nature he remembers from throughout his life, the moments that stand out more than meeting any president or former Beatles. Jenny expresses regret that she couldn't have been there, but Forrest reminds her that she was always in his thoughts.
Tragically, Wright's final line of dialogue in the film happens here, when Jenny tells Forrest, "I love you." It might seem anticlimactic, but this is actually the first time in the entire film Jenny says this to Forrest. If viewers aren't crying already at this scene, they certainly are in the next scene, when Forrest talks to Jenny's grave and promises to take care of her son.
John Coffey in The Green Mile
"Forrest Gump" might have its fair share of heartbreaking lines, but there's plenty more moments from Tom Hanks movies that made us cry. One example is "The Green Mile," a Stephen King adaptation from 1999. In the film, Hanks plays a death row guard whose life is forever changed by meeting a wrongfully accused man named John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), who has the ability to heal others. Despite being a clear force of good in the world and the guards' doubts about his guilt, Coffey bravely faces his unjust extermination during the film's final moments.
Not only will audience members weep during this scene, but even the fellow guards and prison workers attending Coffey's execution sob as they watch this gentle soul meet his fate. As the executioner straps Coffey into the electric chair, he's about to throw a bag over the man's head, before Coffey speaks his final, devastating words: "Please boss, don't put that thing over my face, don't put me in the dark. I's afraid of the dark."
Part of what makes the scene so excruciating to watch is Duncan's performance, as Coffey braces for death with tears in his eyes. This scene might take the cake as one of the most brutally tragic in all of cinema.
Boromir in The Fellowship of the Ring
There are plenty of moments throughout Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy that are guaranteed to make the right kind of Tolkien fan burst into tears. One of them happens in the very first film of the trilogy, "The Fellowship of the Ring," released in 2001. In the film's final, action-packed act, we see the end of Boromir (Sean Bean), a noble Gondorian ally who is corrupted by the One Ring and chases Frodo (Elijah Wood) into the forest.
In the final minutes of "The Fellowship of the Ring," as the Fellowship makes a stand at Amon-Hen, Boromir redeems himself by sacrificing his life to save Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) from orcs. After Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), kills the Uruk-Hai commander (Lawrence Makoare) who mortally wounded Boromir, Bean's character utters his last words to him, urging Aragorn to protect the realm of Gondor: "I would have followed you, my brother ... my captain ... my king."
This was a huge change from Tolkien's books, in which Boromir's final words to Aragorn are less emotional, instead declaring himself a failure and commanding Aragorn to save Gondor. However, Peter Jackson's version acknowledges the brotherhood that has been formed by both Aragorn and Boromir, despite them being rivals and potential competing heirs to the throne of Gondor. The fact that a character like Boromir believes in Aragorn in his final moments is a heartbreaking end to a fan-favorite character in Tolkien's world.
April Wheeler in Revolutionary Road
Few actor-actress duos have elicited more heartbreak from audiences than Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, who first appeared on-screen together in James Cameron's "Titanic." Years later, the two reunited as on-screen lovers in Sam Mendes' 2008 film "Revolutionary Road." Winslet and DiCaprio play April and Frank Wheeler, a married couple struggling to keep their marriage alive amidst failed dreams, infidelity, and pregnancy.
What happens to April during the ending of "Revolutionary Road" closes the film on a terrifyingly somber note. In a reversal of Winslet and DiCaprio's "Titanic" fates, April attempts to perform an abortion on herself, with fatal consequences. April's final moments, however, are off-screen, while audiences only get one line to indicate she's doomed: "I think I need an ambulance."
Given the line is uttered as April stutters out of frame, bleeding through her white dress, audiences can only imagine the character's pain during her final moments, which might be the only thing more heartbreaking than actually witnessing it. What's even more devastating is that April's action is the result of Frank's encouragement, after he tells her in the heat of an argument that he wishes she got rid of his child she's carrying.
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Nina in Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" features one of the best performances of Natalie Portman's career as Nina, a ballet dancer who descends into madness following the pressure to embody both sides of the lead role in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" at the New York City Ballet. She faces competition from another dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), whom she also begins an illicit sexual relationship with. All of this psychological conflict culminates in Nina hallucinating a doppelgänger of herself during the night of the ballet.
Mid-show, Nina attacks her doppelgänger with a shard of glass from a mirror, then nails the ballet performance by physically transforming into a black swan. When she returns backstage, however, she finds that she's actually impaled herself with the mirror shard, but she returns to the stage anyway to finish off the performance flawlessly and receive a standing ovation.
As Nina collapses backstage, her director, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), stands over her as Nina proudly exclaims the film's last lines, "I felt it. Perfect. It was perfect." It's devastating that Nina's pursuit of perfection resulted in what appears to be her death, ending the movie on a bittersweet note as she accomplished her goal, at the cost of losing her life.
Bing Bong in Inside Out
It wouldn't be a Pixar film without some dialogue that rips open the hearts of children and adults alike. One of the most heartbreaking moments in any Pixar movie comes from 2015's "Inside Out," and one of its most popular characters, Bing Bong (Richard Kind). The film takes place in the mind of a teenager named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), whose emotions vie for control after she moves to a new city. Along their adventure, emotions Joy (Amy Schumer) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) meet Bing Bong, Riley's imaginary friend from childhood.
When Bing Bong's attempts to help Joy and Sadness make it back to Riley's Headquarters, Bing Bong and Joy end up in the Memory Dump, where forgotten memories fade from existence. They attempt to use Bing Bong's "rocket ship" to propel them out of the chasm, to no luck ... until Bing Bong makes a sacrifice by jumping off at the last moment, giving Joy the momentum she needs to make it out.
Joy finds herself free from the Memory Dump, realizing too late that Bing Bong was left behind. As Bing Bong slowly fades from existence, he cheers Joy on and encourages her to restore Riley's happiness: "You made it! Go! Go save Riley! Take her to the moon for me. Okay?"
Mia Dolan in La La Land
As far as musical rom-coms go, most of them don't have as bittersweet of an ending as Damien Chazelle's "La La Land." Ryan Gosling plays an aspiring jazz musician who falls for Emma Stone's Academy Award-winning performance as a wannabe actress, as they both try to achieve their idyllic dreams in Hollywood. However, their relationship hits a wall when their ideas of success begin to differ, with Gosling's Sebastian settling for a touring gig in a band he hates while Stone's Mia gives up on acting after too many failed auditions.
In their pursuit of bigger goals, Sebastian and Mia realize it isn't meant to be between them, and they separate. That is, until the film's final scene, in which Mia, now a famous actress, is taken on a date to Sebastian's jazz club, and the two locks eyes as he plays their love theme. The film showcases a montage of what the two's life might've looked like if they stayed together — although it's only a shared fantasy, not the reality they've both chosen instead.
While other films might take the opportunity to have Mia and Sebastian run into each other's arms, Chazelle takes a more realistic, heartbreaking approach, as Mia's final lines uttered by Stone brings the film back to reality. She turns to her date and says: "We should go." Mia and Sebastian give each other one last proud look before leaving each other's lives forever. Cue tears.
Christine in Lady Bird
2023's "Barbie" proved that few writer-directors can touch audiences' hearts like Greta Gerwig. Fortunately, those who have been following the actress' filmmaking career knew that from her directorial debut in 2017, "Lady Bird," which blew critics and audiences away with its story of a teenage girl's complicated relationship with her mother as she prepares to head off to college.
Saoirse Ronan plays Christine aka Lady Bird, while Laurie Metcalf plays her mother, with the two at odds throughout much of the film. That is, until the movie's final moments, when Lady Bird finds letters in her luggage from her mother, carefully stowed away by her father (Tracy Letts) believing his daughter deserved to read them. After reclaiming her birth name and waking up after a night of drinking at a college party, Christine attends a church service. She's compelled afterward to leave a voicemail for her mother. What follows is a realistic, earnest moment from Christine — the final words of the film.
She says, "Hi, Mom and Dad, it's me, Christine. It's the name you gave me. It's a good one. Dad, this is more for Mom. Hey, Mom, did you feel emotional the first time that you drove in Sacramento? I did and I wanted to tell you, but we weren't really talking when it happened. All those bends I've known my whole life, and stores, and the whole thing. But I wanted to tell you I love you. Thank you, I'm ... thank you."
Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw
One of the most heartbreaking films of 2023 is "The Iron Claw," which tells the true-life story of the tragedy-plagued Von Erich wrestling dynasty. Zac Efron gives a career-best performance as Kevin Von Erich, who is denied a shot at becoming the heavyweight world champion in place of his brothers, Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) and David (Harris Dickinson), both of whom succumb to the pressures of fame; one by suicide and the other by drug abuse.
Kevin's life includes even more loss than that, including his older brother, Jack Jr., who died in childhood, and younger brother Mike (Stanley Simons), who committed suicide after suffering brain damage in the ring. By the end of the film, Kevin is the only Von Erich brother left, which proves to be even more heartbreaking as he raises two sons of his own.
In the film's tear-jerking final scene, Kevin cries while watching his sons play in the yard, and when they ask why he's sad, he opens up to them: "I guess it's because I used to be a brother and, uh ... and now I'm not a brother anymore." His boys respond with kindness: "Oh, well. We'll be your brothers, Dad." Kevin breaks down even more, telling his kids, "All right. Thank you, boys," showing them more love and appreciation than his father ever did.
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Killmonger in Black Panther
Though the series has a penchant for light comedy, witty banter, and fun action sequences, there are plenty of sad moments in the MCU, from Rocket Raccoon's (Bradley Cooper) backstory in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," to Wanda Maximoff's (Elizabeth Olsen) grief in "WandaVision." "Black Panther" takes the cake in terms of raw emotional moments, though, courtesy of Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger. He usurps the throne of Wakanda from Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa in an act of revenge against the Wakandan royal family for the murder of his father (Sterling K. Brown) by his brother, T'Challa's father (Atandwa Kani).
Killmonger's motivations are rooted in the real-life history of African-American struggles, as he wants to use Wakanda's technology to empower disenfranchised Black people the world over and wage war against the colonizing nations of Earth, contrary to T'Challa's more diplomatic ways. This ideological difference results in a one-on-one fight between T'Challa and Killmonger in the film's third act. T'Challa narrowly wins the duel to the death, killing his cousin before taking him to see the sunset of Wakanda.
Although T'Challa offers to heal Killmonger with Wakandan technology, Jordan's performance will give any audience member chills as he defiantly refuses: "Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, 'cause they knew death was better than bondage." The character's dying words cemented him as one of the MCU's most memorable villains.