The first thing we learn about Persuasion’s Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) is that she’s single. The second? She’s not happy about it. “I almost got married once,” she says, before launching into an explanation of how that all fell apart. It’s been eight years since she ended things with the love of her life, the penniless Captain Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis), after a family friend told her she could do better. 
News flash: She hasn’t. 
Miserable, lonely, and with only her insufferable family for company, Anne is in perpetual breakup limbo. With no apps to scroll through or movies to lose herself in, she finds solace in the 19th-century version of self-care: guzzling wine and petting her domesticated bunny rabbit, pining for what could have been. But when a newly rich and successful Wentworth suddenly reappears in her life, Anne must consider whether she’s ready for a second chance — or if she just needs to finally move on. 
Much like Anne, the characters leading the six breakup movies below find themselves at a crossroads: Do they succumb to heartache, or fight for the life they want? Whether you’re getting over an ex, or just need a good cry, these movies are here to remind you that, just like Anne, you will eventually get that happy ending — even if it’s not the one you originally pictured. 

Someone Great

It is a truth universally accepted that the best way to get over a tough breakup is to have a spontaneous Lizzo dance party with your closest friends. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s feature debut stars Gina Rodriguez as Jenny, a music journalist who just landed a dream job at Rolling Stone in San Francisco. The only problem? She and her boyfriend Nate (LaKeith Stanfield) live in New York City. Unwilling to do long distance, Nate breaks things off, leaving Jenny to get ready for a cross-country move and a whole new life. Luckily, she has Erin (DeWanda Wise) and Blair (Brittany Snow) to help her pick up the pieces and pack them up. But first, one last wild night out!

Someone Great

1h 32m   R   2019

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Marriage Story

Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) were once the perfect couple. But sometimes, love isn’t enough. Their separation, followed by Nicole’s decision to move from New York to Los Angeles, launches the formerly amicable pair into a messy divorce and an even messier custody battle. Consider Noah Baumbach’s Oscar-nominated film as a kind of breakup exorcism. Sure, the process might be overwhelmingly painful and more than a little scary, but the ending brings a lightness that can only come from shedding a truly dark burden. 

Marriage Story

2h 16m   R   2019

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Nappily Ever After

Haifaa Al-Mansour’s rom-com stars Sanaa Lathan as Violet Jones, a woman for whom beauty means pain — literally. As a child, Violet started straightening her natural hair at her mother’s (Lynn Whitfield) insistence. Decades and multiple burns later, she’s a successful business woman waiting for her doctor boyfriend Clint (Ricky Whittle) to propose. Instead, the two break up, launching Violet into a crisis that sees her reevaluating her entire life — hair included. 

Nappily Ever After

1h 38m   TV-MA   2018

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The Breaker Upperers

Have you ever wished someone else could handle your breakup for you? That’s precisely what the Breaker Upperers, an Auckland-based agency run by best friends Jen (Jackie van Beek) and Mel (Madeleine Sami), are for. But as they embark on a particularly challenging job, the two are forced to confront that ruthlessly dealing with other people’s problems means that they’ve been avoiding their own. Written and directed by Sami and van Beek, The Breaker Upperers is executive produced by Taika Waititi. 

The Breaker Upperers

1h 21m   TV-MA   2018

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How to Get Over a Breakup

This Spanish-language Peruvian comedy directed by Joanna Lombardi and Bruno Ascenzo stars Gisela Ponce de León as María Fe, a Lima-based copywriter who starts blogging about her new single life after her boyfriend dumps her. As she gains a following, María can’t help but wonder: Could writing about a lost love help her get ready for a new one?

How to Get Over a Breakup

1h 44m   TV-MA   2018

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Ready to Mingle

Someone really should teach a class on how to get over a breakup – oh wait! When Ana (Cassandra Ciangherotti) gets thrown over by the guy she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with, she turns to a professional for help. That’s how Ana starts attending a workshop for single women seeking to wed in this Spanish-language rom-com. Could makeovers, new friends and a few tips really put her on a path down the aisle?

Ready to Mingle

1h 37m   TV-MA   2019

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