Based on film examples and evolutionary psychology, the article discusses why viewers are fascinated not only with funny and pleasure-evoking films, but also with sad and disgust-evoking ones. The article argues that a series of adaptations modify simple pleasure-unpleasure-mechanisms. Besides discussing how action-oriented films convert negative experiences to challenges, the article especially analyse how sad films are rituals of bonding (kinbonding, bonding to brothers in arms, tribal bonding etc. and the sadness is a way to express the importance of bonding in the negative.

Keywords: attachment, cognitive film theory, coping and emotions, evolutionary psychology, hedonic valence, melodrama, sadness, tragedy.