Tear Jerker / Cinderella (2015)

• The death of Cinderella's mother. She makes little Ella promise to always "Have courage and be kind," then begs her forgiveness for having to leave her. Then both Ella and her father hug her mother tightly as the three of them share their last moments together.
• The scene where Ella gets the news of her father's death. As her stepmother and stepsisters only show concern about losing their material provider, Ella silently weeps, then thanks the farmer for bringing the news, acknowledging that it must have been difficult for him. Then she collapses in grief once she's alone. If Lily James hasn't gone down as one of the best actresses of her generation, she should after that.
  • Even though Lady Tremaine later admits that she didn't marry Ella's father for love, she still has an Alas, Poor Villain moment as she tears up at the news that on his deathbed he only spoke of Ella and his first wife, not her.
• The death of the king. Made worse by Kit curling up in his arms as he dies.
• In a deleted scene, Lady Tremaine first refused to buy Ella a mourning dress after her father's death, despite her being his only biological relative, and the only black thing Ella had was a black hair ribbon while her stepfamily had designer mourning dresses. Later, Lady Tremaine sells all her late husband's belongings, including a toy butterfly he gave Ella in her childhood, fortunately, the buyer was kind enough to give it back to Ella.
• Ella being cruelly nicknamed "Cinderella," being refused a seat at the table, told she can't eat until she's done doing chores, and laughed at, all while putting up a brave face. Then she goes down to her room and breaks a plate that she has to clean up... and then she breaks down crying. It really does feel like the world is out to get her.
• Ella's breakdown after the Tremaines cruelly ruin her mother's dress and leave for the ball without her. This is the scene where after all the shit life has thrown at her, she finally gives up on staying positive. It's a good thing that her Fairy Godmother showed up when she did.
• A subtle tear jerker is when Ella first meets Kit. He asks if they treat her well. This comes after Ella has just been given the cruel nickname. She sighs and says, "They treat me as well as they are able". She sounds so defeated as she says it.
  • Even better, he asks this because he's mirroring the first thing Ella asks after learning that Kit works for nobles as an apprentice—which is whether he's treated well. There's an edge of compassion in his voice that says he noticed how quick she was to worry for his safety, and drew some conclusions from it.

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