Shawshank Redemption

I'm watching The Shawshank Redemption.

I just cried for the last 10 minutes...from when Brooks has his knife up against Hayward's neck to just after he dies. My entire body was literally shaking. I was biting my pillow to muffle my screams and just could not stop crying.

That has got to be one of the most painful and heartwrenching scenes ever made for a movie.


If you could explain to me why that scene hurts so much to watch, I would really appreciate it. Is it the way it's filmed? Is it the sympathetic shots that do it? Or is it the underlying message beneath them? Both? Why is it that I just cried so hard? And why did it make my heart hurt so much?