tug at the heartstrings

tear/tug/pull at/on (one's)/the heartstrings

To elicit strong feelings of sympathy or fondness. I don't know why, but that piece of music always tears at my heartstrings. That documentary really pulls on the heartstrings—you'll want to adopt all of those kids after watching it.
See also: heartstring, on, pull, tear, tug
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

tug at the heartstrings

or

tug at your heartstrings

COMMON If someone or something tugs at the heartstrings or tugs at your heartstrings, they cause you to feel pity or sadness. Miss Cookson knows exactly how to tug at readers' heartstrings. Note: You can use verbs such as pull and pluck instead of tug. Unlike many charity campaigns, it doesn't pull at the heartstrings. Note: You can also omit the word at. McLachlan tugs the heartstrings with a succession of ballads. Note: Heartstrings is used in many other structures and expressions with similar meanings. This is not a movie that aims for the heartstrings. Note: In medieval times, it was believed that `heartstrings' were tendons which supported the heart.
See also: heartstring, tug
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • tear/tug/pull at/on (one's)/the heartstrings
  • tug at somebody's heartstrings
  • heartstring
  • play on heartstrings
  • play on the/(one's) heartstrings
  • strike a chord
  • strike a chord (with someone)
  • strike/touch a chord
  • touch a chord (with someone)
  • play with
References in periodicals archive
It doesn't so much tug at the heartstrings as rip them apart.
STILL ALICE KING'S THEATRE, EDINBURGH 25.09.18
So making a seasonal stopover back in Bristol (Old People's Home for Four-yearolds at Christmas, Monday, 9pm, Channel 4) was always going to tug at the heartstrings.
Snowball fight to touch your hearts; SUNDAY PEOPLE * DECEMBER 24, 2017 LIFESTYLE on TV Melanie Blake Follow Melanie on @MELANIEBLAKEUK Snowball fight
However it is a ploy by producers to tug at the heartstrings of viewers.
Producer ploy to tug at heartstrings; Get in touch - tell us what you think Email: letters@birminghammail.co.uk Twitter: @birminghammail Facebook: facebook.com/birminghammail Post: Birmingham Mail, Floor 6, Fort Dunlop, Fort Parkway, B24 9FF
LITTLE Oscar Turner gets a cuddle from his RAF airman daddy in a picture that will tug at the heartstrings of every military family.
When you're finished serving the country daddy, come home safe
Salinger, there is something special about simple narratives that tug at the heartstrings.
'The Outsiders': Raw with emotion
Headlining the event are The Lake Poets, aka Martin Longstaff, whose "beautiful and quietly devastating" music, never fails to enduce goosebumps and tug at the heartstrings.
Top North East talent to perform at charity gig
For those looking for something authentic and raw, this moving documentary is sure to satisfy--not to mention tug at the heartstrings. The only critique is that the in-depth look at Brooks' emotional journey left little time to explore the people she met.
Face 2 face
Buddy has all kinds of appeal to tug at the heartstrings: There's the boy and his dog; swift and unexpected danger; an intact family, where the author includes that rare character, a loving mother (although mom gets pretty darn cranky with her unruly kids at times); and courage from all the characters to face and overcome true disaster.
Buddy
While the gothic auteur's leftfield filmmaking inevitably has a tendency to plunder the macabre for inspiration - his films are invariably awash with emotional depth that tug at the heartstrings while dispensing with the dictates of convention.
Bark from the dead; THE BIG picture FRANKENWEENIE 3D (PG, 87 mins)
The presentation and design will tug at the heartstrings of every senior gamer with a penchant for speed, violence and gaming nostalgia.
RANDOM HEROES
GLORIOUS Beauty and the Beast can still tug at the heartstrings
Timeless classic still casts a heady spell; ANIMATION
The story, created by French street theatre company Royal de Luxe, is a poignant one and is bound to tug at the heartstrings of the thousands upon thousands of people who are expected to line the route.
A chance to remember; ECHO
While SOURCE CODE is an edge of the seat action thriller, The Impossible based on a true story of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand will tug at the heartstrings. Here spectacular special effects blend with heart-wrenching emotional drama."
52 Weeks Entertainment Inc acquires India distribution rights for 2 Hollywood Films from Summit Entertainment
It shares the lush arrangements, bombastic percussion and eclectic instrumentation of his other band, along with silky, frayedat-the-edge vocals perfectly pitched to tug at the heartstrings. These ingredients come together to make up a beguiling, at times dazzling album.
cd review; Ramona Falls - Intuit
He also knows how to tug at the heartstrings with anecdotes about players overcoming personal problems.
Into the Fire: A Season of Navy Football Fortitude and Faith