Best 2012 Films For...A Good Cry, To Watch Without Your Parents and To Indulge Your Aching Heart

As the year comes to a close, you may be in search of some guidance to top off your viewing hours of 2012 films. May we suggest the following films, dependent on your needs and/or emotional state:

Best 2012 Films To Watch…

...for a good cry: "The Impossible"

Nothing will pull at your heartstrings more than this true story about a family who caught for survival after the 2004 Thailand tsunami. When the two youngest brothers finally see their brother and shout his name, "LUCAS!" while they run into his arms--waterfalls. Director Juan Antonio Bayona knows how to play with our emotions.

...with your whole family: "Moonrise Kingdom"

Because Wes Anderson's film is delightful. There's plenty of recognizable actors to catch everyone's interest and ample charm to make even the grumpiest holiday grinch smile.

...without your parents: "Starlet"

Yes, it's charming and focuses on the unlikely bond between an elderly woman and a lost twenty-something girl in San Fernando Valley, but Sean Baker's film may also prompt questions from your parents about what you really do for work.  Explicit sex is never a good thing to watch with your parents.

...to indulge in your aching heart: "Wuthering Heights"

Challenging and unapologetic, Andrea Arnold's take on the Emily Bronte classic is breathtaking and brutal. It's a grim, animalistic look at love but a truly visceral journey into the heart of human desire and otherness.

...to inspire you: "Kumare"

Not everyone will fall for Vikram Gandhi's documentary about his impersonation of an Indian guru, but many will be inspired by the surprisingly funny and uplifting film that raises essential questions about the nature of religion and human connection.

...to help you wallow in your misery: "Francine"

Melissa Leo stars as a woman fresh out of prison with not a true friend in the world--it's all downhill from there as she forms unhealthy attachments to cats and dogs that she can't really take care of. It's the story of a stray heart without hope. Thank directors Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky for your ensuing depression.

...to get debate material: "Zero Dark Thirty"

With "Zero Dark Thirty," Kathryn Bigelow served up a buffet of debates. Feminism, politics, torture, Republicans vs. Democrats, the Hollywood boys' club, truth vs. fiction, and so on. The film itself is a vivid success; the conversations it ignites are the real gifts that will keep on giving.