64 Movies About Grief and Loss

64 Things / 64 Things : Eleanor Haley



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Last week Litsa wrote this post about how grief is often (not always) unrealistically portrayed in the movies.  This post sparked a conversation in our Facebook community about what movies (if any) resonate with our readers and their grief experience.  We got a ton of response and the movies were so different and diverse, which of course is no surprise because grief is so unique from person to person.

So, get out your Blockbuster cards log onto Netflix because, together with our readers, we've compiled a list of 64 movies about grief and loss.  Technically, not all these movies are about grief and loss, but they all depict elements of the emotional struggles around death, dying, grief, and bereavement.  I have lovingly linked each one of these to their profile on the Internet Movie Database because I am a glutton for punishment.

I would suggest you get all your friends together for a movie marathon, but next thing I know you'll be blaming me because no one wants to come to your depressing parties.

  1. Steel Magnolias
  2. Beaches
  3. Tender Mercies
  4. Bonneville
  5. Terms of Endearment
  6. Truly Madly Deeply
  7. PS I love you
  8. The Notebook
  9. One True Thing
  10. The Bucket List
  11. Rabbit Hole
  12. Ghost
  13. The Other Woman
  14. My Life
  15. Philadelphia
  16. What Dreams May Come
  17. Ponette
  18. Delores Claiborne
  19. Wuthering Heights
  20. Ordinary People
  21. Out of Africa
  22. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
  23. Step Mom
  24. The Kite Runner
  25. Mystic River
  26. The Descendants
  27. Two Weeks
  28. Miss Potter
  29. The Lovely Bones
  30. The Doctor
  31. Alex, the Life of a Child
  32. Love Story
  33. Patch Adams
  34. Up
  35. Burning Man
  36. The Sweet Hereafter
  37. Last Tango in Paris
  38. Seven Pounds
  39. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
  40. My Sister's Keeper
  41. Sophie's Choice
  42. Catch and Release
  43. Moonlight Mile
  44. White Oleander
  45. Monster's Ball
  46. Things We Lost In the Fire
  47. Reign Over Me
  48. In the Bedroom
  49. To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
  50. The Big Chill
  51. About Schmidt
  52. Nights in Rodanthe
  53. Taking Chance
  54. In the Gloaming
  55. Wit
  56. Message in a Bottle
  57. Lorenzo's Oil
  58. We Bought a Zoo
  59. Beautiful Boy
  60. The Laramie Project
  61. Marley and Me
  62. The Broken Circle Breakdown
  63. August: Osage County
  64. The Family Stone

We could have gone on for several more, but 64 is our magic number.  Let us know which movies we missed in the comments below or on Facebook.

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161 Comments on "64 Movies About Grief and Loss"

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  1. Kevin  July 30, 2023 at 1:25 pm Reply

    I was looking for a movie about grief last night and ended up watching “An Unfinished Life” [link removed by admin]. It’s about a widowed mother and her child who try to escape an abusive relationship with her current boyfriend and seek refuge with her estranged father-in-law who blames her for his son’s death.

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  2. Dottie  June 6, 2022 at 11:42 pm Reply

    “Always”

    A favorite movie about letting go and moving on

  3. Darla Kidder  May 2, 2022 at 6:00 am Reply

    Quiet Victory : The Charlie Wedemeyer story

  4. Darla Kidder  May 2, 2022 at 5:46 am Reply

    Brian’s Song

  5. Darla Kidder  May 2, 2022 at 5:35 am Reply

    Clouds a movie about Zack Sobiech a teenager dying from cancer , true story

    • Darla Kidder  May 2, 2022 at 5:38 am Reply

      Clouds is available on Disney +

  6. Diana  November 28, 2021 at 12:41 am Reply

    Im looking for a movie that I hardly remember and honestly it feels almost like a dream because i cannot remember much of it . But its popped in my head a fee times Please help. 1980s movie i wanna say . All I remember is a mom and her toddler son , there was a barn and I remember it was really sad i wanna say that the son dies in an accident either he fall in the barn or gets bit by a spider . And if im not mistaken the moms sees him after he dies . Its really sad please help

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    • sam  January 9, 2022 at 6:39 am Reply

      Hi there…I am trying to find the same movie.I have very blurred memory of this movie.Could you please help

      1
      • Sandra  January 16, 2024 at 4:02 pm

        I am also searching for this movie!

  7. Jane  November 10, 2021 at 11:09 am Reply

    I just watched “The Book of Love” – VERY good. And I can’t believe “Dragonfly” was not on your list – that is one of the best movies!!!!!!

    • Jo  May 12, 2022 at 5:52 pm Reply

      I’ve been driven mad trying to discover the name of ty his fim:

      It is a foreign film, subtitled. Could be Scandinavian or East European.

      A boy witnesses the accidental death of another boy (bully) during a chase, possibly on bikes, through woodland. He and his friends bury him.

      He feels guilt towards the mother and starts doing jobs for her like mowing the lawn. They develop a relationship (not sexual). That’s all I remember.

      It clearly made an impact on me though! Does this ring a bell with anyone?

  8. Billy Thayer  August 17, 2021 at 9:27 pm Reply

    there was a Sunday night movie of the week back in the early 90’s where a woman is in love and she has a child then she dies when a construction truck lost a beam and it went through her windshield and killed her. then her man/lover has to raise her child only to find out that the child wasn’t hers after all.
    a real tearjerker. please help ne

    3
  9. LH  August 5, 2021 at 2:58 pm Reply

    I’ve watched them all, over and over and I love a lot of them. But, tonight I was looking and hoping there was something that I hadnt come across yet. About losing an amazing dad, suddenly.

    I look forward to seeing anything on that topic in the future. Cheers x

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  10. Odesha Nembhard  August 4, 2021 at 2:54 pm Reply

    Please help me find this movie. It is about a woman burned in her car on her way from her girl friend’s house. The girl friend is then suspect for her death. Then the male detective on the case starts having sex with her. Didn’t get to see how it ends. Its an old movie.

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  11. Thabiso.T  June 10, 2021 at 3:30 pm Reply

    I am looking for an old movie where a couple involved in a car accident.one partner dies instantly and the other is hospitalized and unconscious. Doctors are in the patience consciousness and telling her his that she has to wakes herself up

    2
    • Anita  December 13, 2021 at 11:19 am Reply

      Hi! Please help me find this movie. It was an old lifetime movie I saw years ago about a teenage girl (still living with her parents) they go to bed one night, one parent think they hear something but convinces themselves it’s just the cat and go back to bed. The next mornings everyone wakes up to get ready for work and school. The girl hasn’t gotten up from bed so one parent goes to her room where they have trouble opening her door. When the get it open, the find her dead in the room. Movie ends with a trial I’m pretty sure. Please help! I’ve been searching for years but can’t find it because I have such vague details 🙁

      1
  12. Lacey Laszlo  March 18, 2021 at 10:45 am Reply

    I am looking for a older movie where father murders family but daughter survives and years later goes back to the house where family was murdered and the father try’s to murder her again. Thanks

  13. Robert Charles  January 27, 2021 at 12:26 am Reply

    Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Its never easy when you’ve lost a loved one or friend. The movies below about death and dying can be helpful for dealing with your own.

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  14. Karen Eriksen  January 18, 2021 at 1:44 pm Reply

    We’re looking for a film about a man who has come for a funeral (perhaps a wedding?), but then leaves the event and goes off to check out the Martin Luther King civil rights trail.

    1
    • Kiara  January 2, 2022 at 2:06 am Reply

      I’m looking for the name of a movie where a little girl’s dad suddenly dies in an accident. I know that the accident happened at night and if I’m not mistaken, it took place on a dirt road? I’m also pretty sure the dad was in a tractor when it happened but maybe not. It was either a car crash or he got shot, I think he got shot. The mom has to tell her daughter what happened and she sends her to live with her grandpa. The grandpa and mom don’t get along well, and the mom was hoping through financial issues (not sure why I remembered that but thought I’d include it anyway). It was a western type film, like the dad had a cowboy hat, used a tractor, etc. Sorry for limited info, I don’t remember much about it at all.

  15. Chrisann  January 2, 2021 at 1:27 pm Reply

    Looking for an old lifetime movie where a boy sort to be deform by his mom but he’s actually behind the killing of all doctors and midwifes on duty at the hospital he was born.

    2
  16. Sal  December 3, 2020 at 10:49 pm Reply

    I watched a movie some months ago, about two girls mourning over a friend’s death caused by a car accident (the three were together when it happened). It shows how (badly) they are coping and living after the trauma. The whole movie follows this storyline, basically. The ending is both of them “compromising” and bathing in a lake. I can’t remember much else about it but it hits the mark about trauma, coping mechanisms and relationships, and has a pretty bittersweet vibe about it. Can’t find it anywhere :c if anyone knows any similar please drop down below im beggin u

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  17. Deborah Giang  December 1, 2020 at 10:25 pm Reply

    I seek for the movie I watched on TV in 1995. It was about the relationship between two women: the wife and the husband’s girlfriend. The husband loved his wife, a housewife, quite a lot while he also loved his girlfriend who could give him advice to solve trouble in career. The girlfriend and the wife became friends before the girlfriend knew that it was her boyfriend’s wife one day when the wife invited her to come to their house. The girlfriend then asked the husband to stop their relationship because she did not want to hurt and cheat the new friend (the wife). But soon then the husband died in an accident. The two women became more close and shared the same sorrow before the wife came to her husband’s office to collect his things there and found out the truth with a photo of her husband and the girlfriend there. she was so sorrow and doubted herself if she was loved and if she was cheated. The girlfriend then recognized she got pregnant with the husband. The final scene was in a hospital when the wife was helping the husband’s girlfriend to prepare for giving birth. Please please help me to find this movie. Thank you very much

  18. Briana N Short  October 3, 2020 at 9:29 pm Reply

    I’m looking to find the title of a movie I think it is a Christmas or Christian movies where a boy loses his parents to a car crash and has a pack of rottweilers in it im sorry I dont have any more information but if you know the movie I would greatly appreciate it

  19. Darla Kidder  September 28, 2020 at 12:20 am Reply

    Me Before You

    1
  20. Bre  August 8, 2020 at 9:57 pm Reply

    I’m looking for a movie I saw before around 2010 I would say, where man gives a young woman a ride(idk where they were but I know they were strangers) and as he’s driving she gets excited that her favorite song came on the radio, and just as she starts singing along or telling him why she likes it, the car gets hit from her side and she dies. I CANNOT FIND IT ANYWHERE because of my vague a** description lol but I remember the plot of the movie is him coping with her death and her family plays a role but I can’t remember if they’re super supportive, hate, him, or he spends the movie looking for them(I think I remember him trying to reconnect/reconcile with either her family or his)

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  21. Rashmi  July 18, 2020 at 4:06 pm Reply

    Looking for the title of a movie where a separated couple gets back together to try to fulfil their dying son’s last wishes. One of them was to celebrate Christmas. The parents create Christmas for their son even though it wasn’t Christmas time. The boy dies in the end. Can someone please help me with the title of this movie?

    • Darla Kidder  September 28, 2020 at 12:23 am Reply

      Was it Last Christmas ?

    • Rachel  December 19, 2020 at 12:11 am Reply

      Looking for a movie title about mother who dies in Afghanistan (or Iraq) and father decides he is going to give his daughters one more week of happiness by taking them to an amusement park (Disney?)

  22. Bobby  July 2, 2020 at 9:31 am Reply

    I am looking for a movie that I watched in 2008, but I believe the movie was released in the late 90’s. This movie came on lifetime, it was about a mother who had two daughters. She ended up moving out of town With her two daughters and found a man that she fell in love with. Sadly the mother developed cancer and the two daughters had a hard time coping with it because their mother was the only family that they had. Later on in the movie the man that the mother fell in love with pulled the two daughters out of school because their mother was going to die and she eventually did later on in the movie. However, after the mother died the man that she fell in love with had to take care of the two daughters which in the beginning they didn’t like but at the end they grew to like him because he was the only one that would take care of them. But at the end of the movie the eldest daughter wrote to heaven to her mom that her period finally started.

    [ I know that the movie is not called “My Last Love”]

    I’ve been looking for this movie for years, some help will be greatly appreciated.

    1
  23. Bobby  July 1, 2020 at 12:18 pm Reply

    I am looking for a movie that I watched in 2008, but I believe the movie was published in the late 90’s. This movie came on lifetime, it was about a mother who had two daughters. She ended up moving out of town and found a man that she fell in love with. Sadly the mother developed cancer and the two daughters had a hard time coping with it because their mother was the only family that they had. Later on in the movie the man that she met pulled the two daughters out of school because their mother was going to die and eventually she did In the movie. However, after the mother die the man that the mother fell in love with had to take care of the two daughters which in the beginning they didn’t like but at the end they grew to like him because he was the one that would take care of them. But at the end of the movie the eldest daughter wrote a letter to heaven to her mom that her period finally started.

    I’ve been looking for this movie for years, some help will be appreciated.

    1
  24. Frances  June 20, 2020 at 8:37 am Reply

    Im looking for a movie that is about a mother and father who lost their child 5 years before and they go through the greving patterns through the movie and the dad has flashbacks to when his daughter was alive I think it was released in 2014 sometime

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  25. John  June 19, 2020 at 12:45 pm Reply

    I’m looking for a movie that came out probably late 70s or 80s. I vaguely remember the story but the son is maybe sick of life in the country with his mum so he aruges with his mum, leaves her, goes to city, meets a new friend but they get involved in or doing some kind of drug trafficking work so they get caught by police and get executed. After the execution the mother receives a letter from her son which was written before the execution and it says he regrets leaving her and he misses her or something. She cries and the movie ends. I have been looking for this film for age… I will be so happy if anyone could help….

    1
  26. Tom  June 18, 2020 at 12:43 am Reply

    Looking for a movie where the protagonist’s father dies and he starts acting recklessly, doing drugs, getting arrested etc. He’s only like 16/17 and has a difficult relationship with his mother. Pretty sure he was an only child. Towards the end of the movie he ends up talking to a black homeless man in his car and he gives him valuable life advice on how to turn things around. Honestly starting to believe I just made this movie up because I can’t find it anywhere. I remember watching it about a year after my Dad died.

  27. wesley  June 7, 2020 at 5:24 pm Reply

    hi guys i am looking for a movie i dont now the title of it
    it is a movie about a woman and a guy they both got a sicknes or a tumor or somthing and they will both die
    furhter in the movie they fall in love with each other but they can not be with each at chrismas because the woman will die before chrismas so so the guy ask friends and people to help him so he can celebrate chrismas with her in the movie you see their health go down to hope you guys can help me out

    1
    • Bre  August 8, 2020 at 9:49 pm Reply

      Is it Griffin and Phoenix?? I don’t remember them having a big christmas celebration but the end was them together at a lake with a christmas tree because she wasn’t going to make it to her favorite holiday or something

  28. Apria harris  May 27, 2020 at 4:49 pm Reply

    I’m looking for a film that I watched in 2011. the beginning of the film itself, where there is a man who was chased by a group of people along the beach, then the man killed someone else. and at the scene there was a woman who looked geeky wearing glasses while taking a photo and accidentally photographed the incident. then the killer man somehow managed to marry an orphan who lived with his grandfather. who has evidence of his murder ps. please answer, I’ve been looking for it for years. and very curious about the end of the film, what happened to that poor woman.

  29. Apria harris  May 27, 2020 at 4:41 pm Reply

    Hello guys, i am try to found a movie where a man kills someone and marries a girl who lives with his grandfather because he has photos of evidence of a murder he committed

  30. Andrew Marsden  May 23, 2020 at 3:01 am Reply

    I am looking for a movie – I think it might have been French and subtitled – where the hero is a man who works in a carnival. He is shot from a cannon and sustains an injury. The viewers are led to think he has a terminal Illness but it turns out that a 5-year-old orphan girl he looks after has a terminal illness. She dies at the end of the film. Despite this, the film is tremendously funny and entertaining. Can anyone please help?

  31. Wendy  May 17, 2020 at 2:36 am Reply

    I’m looking for the name of a movie I believe from the 90s a little girl had to leave her mother a weird lady if I remember to go live with her dad she doesn’t know I remember she had her tape player she sang her dad a song the little girl wanted to try out for a movie

  32. Peyton  May 13, 2020 at 10:33 am Reply

    Hi I’m looking for a movie I watched a couple years ago but in the movie either this guys friend or brother died and everytime he goes underwater he sees his brother and it’s like he’s with him? Everytime I google that the movie breakthrough pops up but that’s not the movie. Any ideas?

  33. Maria Moore  May 7, 2020 at 4:07 am Reply

    I’m searching for a movie. I can’t remember the title, but I do recall several details. The beginning deals with the death of a boy, which accidentally drowns. His aunt mourns his death and berates her sister (the boy’s mother) for being so uncaring about her son. Later the aunt runs a restaurant and the backdrop of the film is in Georgia, Alabama, or Mississippi, and deals with racism. The aunt confronts her sister’s abusive sister and either kills him or almost kills him. Later on towards the end of the film a black man and woman who work for the aunt murder and barbecue bad guys.

    • Fiona  September 27, 2020 at 2:56 pm Reply

      Fried green tomatoes at the whistle stop cafe

      1
  34. Alex  May 6, 2020 at 3:47 pm Reply

    I searched on YouTube “Movie similar to Dream house” And found “The Others” I’m sure you reading this were Searching for it too.?

  35. Sakar  May 2, 2020 at 11:46 am Reply

    I’m looking for a movie when a mother is ill and old, she wishes to die but her kids force her to stay alive. At the end she drinks something from the hospital that makes her die…

  36. Shalini  May 1, 2020 at 2:08 am Reply

    Hi, am looking for a movie where a mother is not well and she knows that she will pass away, but her husband is not aware of this. So she will train the lil girl just like how she manages everything in the household chores. One day she passes away and the girl does exactly how mother taught. Father gets annoyed that daughter is doing exactly like mother and he finds himself in difficult situation cause things remind him of his wife.
    Girl senses that he is not happy, and she goes to the sea and cries that she couldn’t manage him. And the mother will appear to calm her down. And she will also somehow inform the father that daughter is taking a horrible step.
    So then father runs to the daughter and saves her. Kind of happy ending after.

    Similar on these lines. It’s a black and white movie. So anyone can help? It’s a good 50 years old movie.

  37. Cathie Fougere  April 9, 2020 at 7:04 pm Reply

    Trying to find this movie about a man’s young daughter was abducted and murdered and found in a cabin. The father goes back to the cabin where she was murdered.

    1
    • Bre  August 8, 2020 at 10:07 pm Reply

      This reminded me EXACTLY of a book my mom read when I was younger called “The Shack” so I looked it up bc of how similar the plots were and wouldn’t you know it, there’s a 2017 movie based on it

  38. Lily  March 23, 2020 at 11:49 pm Reply

    I am looking for a movie , I watched in 2010 on Tv. I little remember it was about a mother who was so strict with her girl and send her to live in a boarding school. Where she gets sick and during the rime he finds a boy get attached with him, Her mother ignores her but she ultimately dies at the end. Kindly help me to find the name of that movie.

  39. Lisa Harrelson  March 13, 2020 at 12:23 pm Reply

    A Walk To Remember with singer Mandy Moore in it. (She’s also in the tv program This Is Us). She tells the boy not to fall in love with her, because she knows she’s dying. He doesn’t know it till later. He does fall in love & says he wants to marry her & spend the rest her time together. I still haven’t been able to watch it since my husband passed away 5 years ago. And also I can’t watch Ghost with Patrick Swayze. Hopefully one day I will be able to watch it again, they are two of my most favorite movies, but it’s to sad ? right now.

  40. Peggy  March 13, 2020 at 12:12 pm Reply

    The Secret Life of Bees!!!

  41. Sabrina  February 9, 2020 at 4:16 pm Reply

    I am desperately looking for a movie when a gang of kids killed his brother, and they find him hanging from a tree. The youngest brother that was left behind, seeked help by leaning how to fight and kill the kids that killed his brother. Mean while his brother came back has a ghost and told him not to. I cannot remember the name of that movie!! ?

    • Throwaway  September 1, 2020 at 11:59 pm Reply

      Could it be “12 and Holding”? The plot sounds very similar.

      1
  42. joyce b. graber  February 1, 2020 at 7:41 pm Reply

    I’m looking for a movie in which a teenage girl is dying of cancer and becomes home bound. Her supportive friends visit but only when she dies do we discover that she has been doing creative artwork in the walls and within the pages of her books. Any ideas? Thus isn’t a recent movie

    • Merricat  February 10, 2020 at 6:09 pm Reply

      Perhaps ‘Now Is Good’?

    • Melanie  February 19, 2020 at 10:55 pm Reply

      Me and Earl and the Dying Girl!

      1
  43. Haseeb  January 26, 2020 at 12:00 pm Reply

    I am looking the name of the movie in which an old man tries to fulfill the wishes of a child who is son or grandson of this man the child is dying by the cancer the child’s last wish is that he want to live instead of death.

  44. Pete Swann  January 20, 2020 at 11:42 am Reply

    Looking for an American film, about a Man hears his father has died in a road crash while abroad ( maybe Greece) He goes there, only to discover there was also a woman in the car, also killed. He discovers father has had a long term Lover on every holiday for years. He then meets the dead Woman’s daughter

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  45. Shanaya  January 18, 2020 at 12:06 pm Reply

    I’m desperately looking for the name of this movie. I watched it a really long time ago with my mum. All I remember is there is a young boy whose parents died when he was young and he is brought up by his grandfather. He grows up and gets married but then his wife dies in a car crash while going to get medicine for her sick children and last person to die is the old grandfather . Basically it’s a really sad movie about death, very old and this is all I remember about it but not the name. Please help me find the name of this movie

  46. Shanaya J Vaz  January 18, 2020 at 12:05 pm Reply

    I’m desperately looking for the name of this movie. I watched it a really long time ago with my mum. All I remember is there is a young boy whose parents died when he was young and he is brought up by his grandfather. He grows up and gets married but then his wife dies in a car crash while going to get medicine for her sick children and last person to die is the old grandfather . Basically it’s a really sad movie about death, very old and this is all I remember about it but not the name. Please help me find the name

  47. Brina  January 4, 2020 at 10:47 pm Reply

    I’m looking for a movie where there was a family that died but either the wife or husband survived(I don’t remember) but we don’t know that til the end because the movie starts off like the whole family was alive but the one who survived was going crazy and acting like they were really there in the house. I believe there was 2 daughters in the movie I was young when I saw this and my parents don’t remember so if anyone knows what I’m talking about please let me know!

    • E. Nova  January 12, 2020 at 3:27 pm Reply

      It’s called Dream House!

  48. Ryan  December 3, 2019 at 4:55 pm Reply

    Looking for a movie that had a young boy seemingly normal then gets sick and he leaves clues for his father to follow around the city and its a plan to get his parents back together. I just remember he died in the hospital and was trying to get to the sunlight in the window probably about halfway through the movie. I am thinking it was around 2015-2016.

    Thanks

    • Rc  March 28, 2020 at 6:54 am Reply

      I think maybe it’s “Rabbit Hole” that you’re looking for.

  49. Robin Joplin  October 20, 2019 at 2:55 pm Reply

    You missed one of the greatest films of all time, Harold and Maude. It’s a true classic love story of loving someone unconditionally and losing them. One of the best ever made.

  50. Brenda  September 8, 2019 at 6:14 am Reply

    I am desperately trying to find the name of a movie… I remember very little about it (unfortunately). It’s about a Mom who has two young children, one of them passes away, while the other one is left behind only to witness her Mom go through deep depression as a result of the loss, to the point where the one child (girl) left behind feels abandoned. One very important, pivotal scene… The little girl (at a certain time, everyday) takes a chair to a hallway located in her house, where photos of her deceased sibling (sister, I think) are hung and she talks to these photos of her deceased sister. I cannot remember the name of this movie.. And it’s making me crazy. Please, help me… Thank you, in advance!

    • Sharon Blackaby  November 12, 2019 at 3:27 pm Reply

      I wish I knew. Hope someone answers you.

    • Rianna Lewis  December 16, 2020 at 8:21 am Reply

      Omg I am looking for the exact same movie, I have no idea what it’s called and I don’t know why it’s all of a sudden popped up in my head haha 😂 but I’d love to see it again if you find out what the name of the movie is called

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  51. Ron  August 28, 2019 at 7:44 am Reply

    Want to identify a movie where a woman is angry because her dying husbands recent change in behavior made her fall in love with him.

  52. Carly Anderson  August 19, 2019 at 8:10 pm Reply

    Looking for name of movie I think Susan sarrandon was in where she is divorced and ends up caring for her dying husband with her new husband or boyfriend. I think ed Harris is in it too

    • Réalle  October 6, 2019 at 3:18 pm Reply

      Stepmother
      Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon and Ed Harris.
      Susan was the dying ex-wife and Julia was the Fiancée helping her cope with her impending death. Great movie!

    • Chris Brungardt  November 5, 2019 at 10:03 pm Reply

      Stepmom Susan Serandon is the ex-wife, dying. Ed Harris is her ex-husband who is marrying Julia Roberts. Great movie, grab Kleenex

  53. Brandon Wilkinson  May 11, 2019 at 7:27 pm Reply

    Patch Adams was a great film when patch lost his wife he has to build life and continue without her made me cry everytime just recently lost my partner but looking for a film to watch that’ll help me as I’m struggling to cope with losing her especially being only 25 in all

  54. Vivien Abrams  March 9, 2019 at 12:29 pm Reply

    Smoke Signals, Being Mortal, The Farewell Party.
    I was glad to see Ponette…the top of my list.

    Vivien

  55. Red  February 2, 2019 at 6:57 pm Reply

    I’ll second “Shadowlands” and add “Leaving Las Vegas.” Both masterpieces. LLV is not necessarily for the faint of heart, but tells the truth about what it means to love someone all the way to the end without regretting it.

  56. Teresa  August 20, 2018 at 10:54 pm Reply

    I LOVE Meet Joe Black.

    The relationship between father and daughter is one I idealize as one I could have had with my dad.

    There is a scene when he imparts wisdome on finding love.

    “I know it’s a cornball thing. But love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live without. I say, fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who loves you back the same way. How do you find him?

    Well, you forget your head, and listen to your heart. And I’m not hearing any heart.

    ‘Cause the truth is honey, there’s no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven’t lived a life at all. But you have to try, ’cause if you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived.”

    (Bill Parrish in Meet Joe Black)

    • Liz  July 4, 2019 at 11:32 pm Reply

      I LOVE Meet Joe Black. It reminds me of me and my father. I lived with him after my parents divorced. He died when I was 15.

  57. Anne  July 6, 2018 at 11:59 pm Reply

    In French with subtitles, Trois Coleurs: Bleu.
    A woman survives, but loses her husband and young daughter in an automobile accident. It’s a very beautiful, but heartbreaking portrayal of devastatinging grief. The main character (Juliette Binoche) walks out on her life, only to slowly, gradually find herself again. It really captures that time in grief, when people make bizarre decisions as they struggle just to get through it.

  58. Kay  June 21, 2018 at 4:18 am Reply

    Looking for a movie late 90’s, friends annual cabin trip and one is discovered to be terminally ill. If anyone remembers, it could be an HBO only. Thanks

  59. Becky  May 22, 2018 at 2:30 pm Reply

    Up (released in 2009) an animated film produced by Pixar and released by Disney. Funny and very touching story.
    The Way (released in 2010) an American doctor makes the pilgrimage of walking the Camino de Santiago in his grief and as homage to his son, who had been killed earlier during a storm on the his own pilgrimage.

  60. Becky  May 22, 2018 at 2:30 pm Reply

    Up (released in 2009) an animated film produced by Pixar and released by Disney. Funny and very touching story.
    The Way (released in 2010) an American doctor makes the pilgrimage of walking the Camino de Santiago in his grief and as homage to his son, who had been killed earlier during a storm on the his own pilgrimage.

    • Baljit Kaur  November 12, 2021 at 7:27 pm Reply

      I’m looking for a film I saw in 1970s or 1980s about a dying boy whose parents who were always rowing. They make up to take him.out of hospital before he dies.

  61. Becky  March 9, 2018 at 5:28 pm Reply

    Collateral Beauty with Will Smith…so good!

  62. Becky  March 9, 2018 at 5:28 pm Reply

    Collateral Beauty with Will Smith…so good!

  63. Urooj  March 5, 2018 at 11:25 am Reply

    Gladiator. The final scene when he is reunited with his wife and his son in Elysium. Does me in every time.

  64. Urooj  March 5, 2018 at 11:25 am Reply

    Gladiator. The final scene when he is reunited with his wife and his son in Elysium. Does me in every time.

  65. Abbie  February 27, 2018 at 1:30 am Reply

    The Fundamentals of Caring, My Girl, My Girl 2

  66. Abbie  February 27, 2018 at 1:30 am Reply

    The Fundamentals of Caring, My Girl, My Girl 2

  67. Donna  November 4, 2017 at 12:14 am Reply

    “The Upside of Anger”(2005) shows how anger in grief can color perception (118 mins.) Starring Joan Allen, Kevin Costner
    “Still Life” (2013) A council case worker looks for the relatives of those found dead and alone. (92 mins.) Really worth seeing! Starring
    Eddie Marsan,

  68. Donna  November 4, 2017 at 12:14 am Reply

    “The Upside of Anger”(2005) shows how anger in grief can color perception (118 mins.) Starring Joan Allen, Kevin Costner
    “Still Life” (2013) A council case worker looks for the relatives of those found dead and alone. (92 mins.) Really worth seeing! Starring
    Eddie Marsan,

    1
  69. Siobhan skehan  October 28, 2017 at 8:04 am Reply

    Captain Fantastic
    What we did on our holiday (comedy)
    Hunt for the Wilderpeople

  70. Siobhan skehan  October 28, 2017 at 8:04 am Reply

    Captain Fantastic
    What we did on our holiday (comedy)
    Hunt for the Wilderpeople

  71. J. Michael Wilbanks  October 14, 2017 at 11:37 pm Reply

    Surprised (or maybe I missed it) that “A Monster Calls” isn’t on here. My mom just passed from cancer and me, that movie, my puppy, and a box of tissues just watched that movie and it resonated so well.

  72. J. Michael Wilbanks  October 14, 2017 at 11:37 pm Reply

    Surprised (or maybe I missed it) that “A Monster Calls” isn’t on here. My mom just passed from cancer and me, that movie, my puppy, and a box of tissues just watched that movie and it resonated so well.

  73. JF  July 28, 2017 at 8:19 pm Reply

    Great list, and some great suggestions too in the comments.

    Mine is one I saw not long after losing my dad and I watched it again several times since; it’s funny, intelligent, beautiful and deeply touching. I would give a lot to have a couple more hours with that person I so dearly loved.

    Watch “About time” if you haven’t seen it yet; totally worth it!

  74. Chris  July 12, 2017 at 12:16 am Reply

    Beginners with Evan McGregor and Christopher Plummer. Gentle and beautiful.

  75. DARLA KIDDER  June 28, 2017 at 11:10 pm Reply

    And Then There Was One

  76. Darla Kidder  June 28, 2017 at 4:11 pm Reply

    One Last Christmas

  77. Darla Kidder  June 28, 2017 at 4:09 pm Reply

    Dying Young , Christmas Shoes

  78. Darla Kidder  June 28, 2017 at 4:06 pm Reply

    Adam and Adam His Song Continues.

  79. Darla Kidder  June 28, 2017 at 4:03 pm Reply

    Griffin Loves Phoenix

  80. Darla Kidder  June 28, 2017 at 4:00 pm Reply

    The Fault In Our Stars

  81. Alison  June 27, 2017 at 10:39 am Reply

    The Winter Guest – Emma Thompson and her mother, Phyllida Law. Directed by LAN Rickman. Elegiac and beautiful portrayal of grief, and finding one’s way through.

  82. Brooke Bowers-Hogan  June 27, 2017 at 6:08 am Reply

    Sophies Choice!My life as a Dog, Aurevoir Les Enfants, Ragtime, lars and the real girl, Stand by Me, Blue Valentine…i cannot believe that Sophies choice is not number 1! The loss of innocence is a huge loss …..

  83. Susan Houk  June 26, 2017 at 9:49 pm Reply

    Philomena…I saw this after my adult son died…her searching and desiring all and any information she could get…it did not matter what it was, she needed all info to complete the picture just as I wanted ALL the info, good or bad, to give me a complete picture of my son’s life.

  84. barb garrett  June 26, 2017 at 9:33 pm Reply

    Carol Burnett made a movie long time ago, I can’t remember titles of any movies!!! It was about the loss of her son in Vietnam…

    • Ang  January 4, 2018 at 2:36 pm Reply

      Friendly Fire

  85. Deborah  June 26, 2017 at 7:30 pm Reply

    Phenomenon with John Travolys and Kyra Sedgwick

  86. Chuck McDevitt  June 26, 2017 at 5:17 pm Reply

    Shadowlands
    Jackie

  87. Wesley Eldridge  June 24, 2017 at 5:00 am Reply

    I lost my son last year. He was born premature at 25 weeks. Almost a month later, the day after father’s day he passed. Is there a movie for a grieving father that anyone can recommend?

    • David  October 27, 2017 at 9:31 pm Reply

      I’m sorry for your lost. And the lovely bones is a good one .

    • Brittany Webber  November 4, 2018 at 1:13 am Reply

      Sorry for your loss. 🙁
      Reservation Road with Mark Ruffalo hit me really hard.

    • Katherine  May 25, 2019 at 5:41 pm Reply

      “The Crossing Guard” with Jack Nicholson.

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  89. Jamie  January 13, 2017 at 6:02 pm Reply

    Hi..
    I am searching for a movie that I saw years ago about a Dr. that lost all of her family and went abroad to deal with her grief. I cannot remember who is in it, where she went (I know this is not much help) but I do remember it was a really great movie about loss and rediscovery. If anyone has any idea what I am talking about I would love to know the name of it.. Thank you! And thanks for this list, there are a few movies on here I have not seen and look to be really amazing.

    • R. Karen  November 10, 2017 at 7:38 pm Reply

      I think the movie you’re searching for is “Beyond Rangoon”

  90. Wendy Brown  December 18, 2016 at 8:05 pm Reply

    The Face of Love with Snnette Benning, Ed Harris and Robin Williams (2014)

  91. Chris91172  June 11, 2016 at 2:57 pm Reply

    Holding The Man (2015)

  92. Walt  May 10, 2016 at 5:57 pm Reply

    ‘500 days of Summer’ should definitely be on the list!

  93. LaRhonda Wilson  April 25, 2016 at 11:26 pm Reply

    Thsee posts have been extremely helpful. I was looking for suggested lists of movies to begin a discussion on separation, loss, and grief. We’ll have plenty to discuss. In light of recent events of course we’ll have to add Purple Rain. Thanks for this post!

  94. Felicia  April 8, 2016 at 12:12 am Reply

    Listen to your heart.

  95. Vicki  March 19, 2016 at 11:44 am Reply

    Titanic is the only movie I’ve ever been so emotionally moved by when it comes to grief and it’s not even on the list.
    The documentary about the Boys of Company C and their battle of Cu Chi also seemed like it was about grief, although it was also about how soldiers deal with combat experiences.

  96. Jan  March 16, 2016 at 2:45 am Reply

    Brokeback Mountain – best movie about regret I’ve seen.

  97. Michael  February 18, 2016 at 5:37 pm Reply

    This is a great List. I would suggest Departure, The Sixth Sense, Grave of the the Fireflies to this list.

  98. Jim  November 17, 2015 at 3:58 am Reply

    The Crossing Guard.

  99. Lori  October 31, 2015 at 10:36 am Reply

    Brian’s Song

  100. Laurie  October 30, 2015 at 11:14 am Reply

    Charlie St Cloud

  101. Laurie  October 30, 2015 at 11:11 am Reply

    The Little Princess. Shirley temple movie
    Charlottes web

  102. Holly  October 30, 2015 at 11:10 am Reply

    Don’t miss Sleepless in Seattle!!!!!

  103. Gisella  August 21, 2015 at 11:49 am Reply

    Cake – main character is a mother who lost her son (toddler)

  104. Aryn Rose  June 27, 2015 at 11:22 pm Reply

    Chasing Ghosts – central character is 10 whose brother died.
    All the Wilderness – central character is a teen whose father died.

  105. Kelcey  January 29, 2015 at 1:32 am Reply

    Fried Green Tomatoes
    Proof
    Lars and the Real Girl

  106. Pat  January 24, 2015 at 9:04 am Reply

    One Special Night – I lost my husband to dementia so this is my go to movie when I’m missing him.

  107. Laurie  January 10, 2015 at 6:23 pm Reply

    Moonlight and Valentino – great movie for widows

  108. Katherine Shaw  December 7, 2014 at 2:35 pm Reply

    A River Runs Through It, Jack Frost, A Christmas Visitor, The Way

  109. Molli Pruitt  August 29, 2014 at 12:39 pm Reply

    8 Seconds…father, son, regret

  110. Karl  June 15, 2014 at 11:27 pm Reply

    Inception
    Jersey Girl
    Synecdoche, New York
    Lethal Weapon
    Memento
    The Bourne Supremacy (makes more sense if you see it after The Bourne Identity)
    Batman Begins
    Star Trek 2 (Wrath of Khan) & 3 (Search for Spock)

  111. Eleanor  February 26, 2014 at 2:51 pm Reply

    Yes, I totally forgot about this one but it was definitely a great grief movie.

  112. katecava  February 21, 2014 at 12:54 am Reply

    In America…. a heart wrenchingly touching movie showing how a family tries to recreate life and still be a family after the loss of a child.

  113. Eleanor Owen  February 6, 2014 at 1:26 pm Reply

    Thanks. This is all really helpful info for our programs (children and adult.)

  114. Eleanor Owen  February 6, 2014 at 1:16 pm Reply

    We did a whole session on grief in Harry Potter for the teen group I facilitate.

  115. Dawn Schulte  February 4, 2014 at 1:21 pm Reply

    The pod scenes from GRAVITY wrecked my face.

    Also – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a good one.

  116. Rea  January 27, 2014 at 11:10 am Reply

    Litsa, you started a wonderful conversation! A first! Keep going. Makes all of us think more clearly…and that’s exactly what you want! 🙂 YES, go for another 64!

  117. Litsa  January 27, 2014 at 7:34 am Reply

    Wow, thanks Rea for tons of great additions! We may need to get started on a 64 more movies about grief list!!

  118. Sarah hasegawa  January 26, 2014 at 5:46 pm Reply

    How about Our Town? It gets me every time!

  119. Litsa  January 25, 2014 at 9:18 am Reply

    Oh, I’m intrigued! Will definitely have to check it out!

  120. Jeanie  January 25, 2014 at 5:11 am Reply

    Wonderful list-wanted to add a favorite from 1984: “Places in the Heart”.

    1
  121. Rea  January 24, 2014 at 10:52 pm Reply

    Paperclips
    Dr. Zhivago
    Casablanca
    Mrs. Miniver
    How Green was my Valley
    Tea with Mussolini
    Into the Arms of Strangers: the Kindertransports
    The Lion King
    Bambi
    The Killing Fields
    It’s a Wonderful Life
    Amistad
    The Pianist
    Schindler’s List
    One Day in September
    Anastasia
    Erin Brokovich
    Little Women
    A Christmas Carol
    🙂

  122. Chaplain Steve  January 24, 2014 at 10:51 pm Reply

    Rocky Balboa!
    (The last of the Rocky movies)
    I know, I know…not what you think of for grief movies, but very strong story about grief and loss in men. This is an excellent tool to view grieving from a male perspective, the fight stuff is cheesy but the emotions, the reflection on Rocky and Adrienne’s relationship, the loss of meaning and identity at the end of life….good stuff to talk about and explore the grief experience for men,

  123. Litsa  January 24, 2014 at 9:04 pm Reply

    GREAT post Marty!!! Everyone should definitely check out Marty’s link for even more movies, broken down by category of loss. Thanks for sharing!!

  124. Marty Tousley (@GriefHealing)  January 24, 2014 at 4:42 pm Reply

    Thanks for compiling this list, Eleanor! Movies are a wonderful way to get in touch with feelings, and for many, a very effective tool to use in better understanding and navigating grief. I encourage mourners to read a bit about whatever movie they plan to see in advance, so they’ll have some idea of what to expect and how a certain film may affect them. See, for example, my article, “Grief Observed: Using Movies to Move through Grief,” https://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/grief_movies.shtml ?

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