Depressing or Character-Building?

We finished watching Last of the Mohicans in History class today. I really like that movie, even though it is "depressing" (as my mother puts it). Mama prefers happy movies with happy endings and finds my "morbid" taste for war movies stuffed with tragedy rather strange. I don't enjoy seeing anyone suffer, even if it's only a movie, but in movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart, and Last of the Mohicans, the main characters go through a lot of suffering (and some even die). The character development is a beautiful thing to see. Pain deepens you. Happy, funny movies are okay, but they don't stick with you. I like to use this analogy - Which book impacts you better: Bridget Jones' Diary or The Hiding Place? I like to be impacted more than entertained.