15 movies about forbidden love that had no business making us cry

The ultimate tale of looking past the exterior, this romance between a cursed beast and a kind village girl still gets us in the feels. That ballroom scene? Instant tears, every time. 

Two cowboys find a deep, secret love in a place and time that absolutely opposes it, leading to a lifetime of stolen moments and heartbreaking compromises. Their story's tragic end will wreck you. 

A human girl falling for a sparkling vampire? The premise was ripe for eye-rolles, but Bella and Edward's intense love somehow hit a generation right in the feels. 

In Avatar, a human soldier on an alien planet falls in love with a Na'vi princess, forcing him to choose sides in a conflict between their worlds. 

In The Notebook, their love is forbidden by social class and meddling parents, leading to years of separation and a reunion that's both romantic and ultimately bittersweet. When you see this film, you will cry. That's a fact. 

An immortal Amazonian princess leaves her sheltered island with a WWI pilot to save the world, and they fall deeply in love. Even though they know their time is limited because he's mortal and she's, well, Wonder Woman, it doesn't stop their love story from making us tear up. 

A fading rock star discovers and falls for a struggling singer, catapulting her to fame. In A Star Is Born, the characters' passionate love story is overshadowed by his alcoholism and inner demons, making their journey from bright lights to devastating lows an emotional one that leaves no eye dry. 

In Shrek, an ogre falls for a princess who's hiding a monstrous secret of her own. Fairytale expectations and appearances forbid their love, but their journey to acceptance is surprisingly sweet and will surely make you shed a few tears. 

Born with a pig's snout due to a family curse, Penelope can only break it by finding true love with "one of her own kind." However, when she connects with a down-on-his-luck gambler who isn't what he seems, their bond challenges the very nature of the forbidden curse in a charming and unexpectedly moving way. 

This movie is a modern spin on Beauty and the Beast. It follows a vain high schooler cursed to be physically hideous and must find someone to love him for who he is within a year. Like the others on this list, grab a box of tissues before pressing play, because you'll definitely need them. 

The Shape of Water tells the story of a lonely, mute cleaner in a government facility who forms an unlikely and deeply romantic bond with an amphibious creature held captive. It's weird and wonderful, and the fight for their unconventional love is surprisingly moving.

In this movie, a lonely man falls in love with his artificially intelligent operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). It sounds bizarre, but their evolving connection and the inevitable heartbreak feel ... shockingly real.

The popular bad boy and the quiet, religious girl fall in love, only for her devastating secret to create a barrier that's both tragic and beautiful. When you watch this, make sure you're in the crying mood, because the tears are inevitable. 

A lonely waste-collecting robot on a deserted planet falls for another robot, Eve, and follows her across the galaxy. Their mostly silent love story, full of devotion and sacrifice, is an animated masterpiece that will get your waterworks going.

Two teens from warring New York street gangs fall hard for each other, a love strictly forbidden by their crews' violent social rules. This musical will hook you with the romance, then shatter your heart with its inevitable, tragic end, which will likely have you wiping those tears away.