Warning: Per wiki policy, Tear Jerker pages are Spoilers Off.
"His heart was broken into pieces by a great, great tragedy.
Such was his anguish that he cried a whole ocean.
Higher and higher, it rose until we were all sure to drown in his tears."
Such was his anguish that he cried a whole ocean.
Higher and higher, it rose until we were all sure to drown in his tears."
Underneath all the cute selkies and fairies, Song of the Sea at its core is a film about grief and the loss of a parent, so you can bet it is one emotionally grueling and heartbreaking film. You're likely to cry a whole ocean by the time you're through.
- Up at the lighthouse, on Saoirse's 6th birthday, Ben looks out at the sea and at Bronagh’s shell flute, his eyes tearing up. There's something about his expression that indicates how much he misses his mother, as though he's wordlessly wondering "Mum, what would you have done if you were still here?"
- Even sadder: the first time we see Conor after the Time Skip, he’s doing the exact same thing, not even noticing Ben and Saoirse approach him at first. It’s a clear sign how lost in grief for his beloved wife he is...
- During the scene where Saoirse finds her coat, she discovers a photograph of Bronagh. By the way she looks at it, she seems to not recognize her....meaning her father and brother never really told Saoirse about her mother.
- Granny's reaction to seeing Saoirse on the beach, apparently about to drown.
- A lot of Granny's scenes are sad, despite her basically embodying the "Irish mammy" stereotype—Conor's room is still perfectly intact, her concern over his depression in the face of his wife's apparent death...
- Ben's attitude towards Saoirse for half of the movie. He tells her a scary story about Macha the Owl Witch, and says if said witch came and stole their dad's feelings, no one would love her, making her think that her own brother doesn't love her. Poor terrified Saoirse hides under the covers, and Ben gets a My God, What Have I Done? moment.
- Everything about Ben's behaviour in the beginning of the film is this, compounded by the fact that it's his sister's birthday: He shouts at her and "tells on her" to their father in the hopes that his father will also berate her; he accuses her of being a thief for trying to handle the shell flute (implying that, despite it being the last thing their mother gave him, he's never willingly shared it with her either); he smashes her face into her birthday cake because he knew it would ruin the celebration; at his most annoyingly petty he deliberately distracts Cu whenever Cu tries to show affection to Saoirse. And, of course, there's the above story, which he can't even bring himself to apologise over. Basically anything he can antagonise Saoirse over or blame on her, he will, his resentment is that strong - and she did nothing at all to deserve it.
- Conor snapping at Ben, leading the young boy to cry and the father being regretful over doing so.
- The saddest thing about Conor and Ben's relationship is how Ben sees himself as The Unfavorite when that's not necessarily the case; Conor loves Ben deeply, but since he also loves Saoirse and lacks the same resentment that Ben has, he refuses to encourage Ben's behaviour. They're trapped in a cycle in which Ben has a grievance about Saoirse, expects Conor to validate those feelings, and feels rejected when he doesn't; meanwhile Conor doesn't seem to know how to help Ben with those feelings and instead just disciplines him for bad behaviour, making it look from Ben's perspective like he loves Saoirse more.
- Just Conor in general. It's obvious just how happy he was in the prologue, with a happy marriage, a beloved son and a daughter on the way. When he loses Bronagh, he becomes a shell of his former self, trying to drink away the pain of losing his wife and believing he isn't able to be, and doesn't deserve to be, Ben and Saoirse's father.
- Ben and Saoirse's journey with their granny, they can only look miserable as she won't have them crying, Ben can only confide in Dan the Ferryman and won't even let Saoirse hold his hand.
- In the Holy Well, Saorise realizes the lights are leading her down into the water. With the most determined look a six year old can muster, she waits until Ben is distracted to jump in, leaving him to wrestle between Big Brother Instinct and his waterfright. What's even worse is when you realize why Saorise returns the shell horn to Ben back before going into the well: she does not expect to come back.
- Ben looking for Saoirse in the underground lagoon, unaware that Macha's owls have got her, he's almost lost hope by the time he encounters the Great Seanchai.
- Ben finally realizing what really happened on the night his mother "died" and Saoirse was born. He even cries tears of regret and shame.
- During the flashback in the cave, Ben finds Conor holding newborn Saoirse in his hands. Ben asks where Bronagh is, and Conor simply responds by showing him Saoirse, telling him that he must now look after her. Saoirse looks at Ben and reaches out to him, laughing... And Ben's face visibly hardens in anger. Ben was four at this time.
- What makes it hard for Ben to swallow is the cruel irony that washes over him: six years ago, he was so eager to meet his unborn sibling, wondering if he and the baby would become best friends. His mother saw such promise in her son, claiming he indeed would be the best big brother ever. Once he learns the truth about how Bronagh's apparent death was not Saoirse's fault, Ben is devastated to realize he had not upheld that promise, that for the past six years, he's been anything but a good brother to his innocent sister.
- Ben finding Saoirse encased in stone up to her midriff in Macha's attic, doubles as a Heartwarming Moment as he immediately apologizes to her for being a bad brother.
- After Saoirse is freed from her encased stone entrapment, she drops the seashell, which was the last thing that Bronagh gave Ben before passing away, onto the floor, which smashes into pieces. Yes, Ben does not seem to feel very distressed about this and more concerned about his sister, but it is still heartbreaking regardless.
- Macha's Heel Realization. After absorbing the emotions she's been capturing for centuries, all the Owl Witch can do is weep and look at her cameo of her beloved son, Mac Lir.
- Bronagh is probably a walking Tear Jerker. She falls in love with and marries Conor (a human). They have a son, Ben, and are about to have another baby. However, due to complications in the pregnancy, Bronagh transforms back into a selkie to save her and Conor's child. For the next 6 years, she was unable to be with her family. And when she does meet them again, it turns out to be a final goodbye. Saoirse stays with Ben and Conor of her own choosing. She shares one last kiss with Conor and gives some really helpful parting words to Ben. And then leaves forever....
- Mac Lir's sadness, as shown in a flashback. We don't know exactly what has made him so sad, but he's obviously extremely broken up about it, so much so that he cries an entire ocean, and it's made very clear how much anguish he's in. Not to mention how even when Macha takes away Mac Lir's sadness to ease his suffering, it turns him to stone.
- At the end, when the age of the ancient gods and heroes of Ireland is finally over, and their spirits rise up to finally venture to Tír Na nÓg...the last journey of Odysseus hasn't got anything on the sheer raw power of this scene, as Bronagh must leave her family behind again, in order to leave behind the land of men—it's genuinely heartbreaking, especially for anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Irish myth.
