Reply #159: This may help you understand [View All]

Catharsis is a form of emotional cleansing first defined by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. It originally referred to the sensation that would ideally overcome an audience upon finishing a tragedy. The fact that there existed those who could suffer a worse fate than them was to them a relief, and at the end of the play, they felt ekstasis (literally, astonishment), from which the modern word ecstasy is derived. While seemingly related to schadenfreude, it is not, however, in the sense that the audience is not intentionally led to feel happy in light of others' misfortunes; in an invariant sense, their spirits are refreshed through having greater appreciation for life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharsis

This is why so many of us enjoy this style of film. Even though it may not seem like it to you, there is an emotional payout, for me, usually quite a big one. I'm guessing the sobbing woman who was crying so hard she couldn't call her cues would concur.