Movies Unique to Someone Grieving

Films can transport us into the lives of characters who share many of the same hardships we do. The list of movies below covers a wide range of emotions dealing with life, death, grief, and loss. 

1. “My Girl” – After losing her mother, a young girl has a fractured relationship with her father. She meets an unlikely friend and manages to deal with her grief and pain in unexpected ways. 

2. “Up” – A Disney cartoon film about an elderly man that goes on the adventure of a lifetime as a tribute to his deceased wife.

3. “The Sixth Sense” – The thriller follows a child psychologist who works with a child who can see dead people. 

4. “Steel Magnolias” – This film is steeped in southern tradition, showing the value of family, friendship, and a strong community when one of their own dies.

5. “Stepmom” – When a mother discovers she has terminal cancer, she is forced to make peace with her ex-husband's new wife since she will raise her children after she passes.

6. “Ghost” – This is the story of a couple madly in love. After the husband is murdered, his spirit stays behind to help warn his wife of impending danger.

7. “Terms of Endearment” – The film is the story of a widow and her daughter, broken marriage, and a terminal illness. 

8. “Beaches” – Two women, who have been friends since childhood, reunite at various stages of their life, seeing each other through life’s ups and downs, including birth and death.

9. “The Bucket List” – Two terminally ill men meet while in the hospital and set out on a road trip of bucket list items before they pass away.

10. “P.S. I love you” – The film depicts a couple deeply in love. The husband unexpectedly passes away but leaves her messages to help ease her pain and begin her new life.

11. “Tuesdays With Morrie” – The story of a college professor who discovers he’s dying and runs into a former student who spends his final days with him.

12. “Coco” – This Disney cartoon film follows a boy searching for his great-great-grandfather in the Land of the Dead. 

13. “We Bought A Zoo” – After the untimely death of his wife, a father takes his children on the adventure of owning and running a zoo.

14. “A Star Is Born” – A seasoned musician falls in love with an unsuspecting artist but battles his mental health issues and eventually dies by suicide. 

15. “Fried Green Tomatoes” – An unhappy housewife befriends an elderly lady who tells her riveting tales from her life of love, loss, grief, and triumph over adversity.

16. “Message In A Bottle” – A reporter finds a mysterious love letter in a bottle written by a man who can’t get over his wife passing away and leaving him. 

17. "The Fault in Our Stars" - This movie deals with two teenagers struggling with a terminal illness and embarking on the adventures of a lifetime.

18. "The Notebook" - This movie deals with a man struggling to cope with his wife’s dementia and the challenges of aging. 

19. “Dead Poets Society” – This movie tells the story of an elite boarding school where a professor inspires his students to new levels by losing one of their own. 

20. “A Walk To Remember” – This is the story of a young high school girl who discovers she has leukemia and unexpectedly falls in love. 

21. “Marley and Me” – This is the story of a couple who adopts a dog after losing their child. He becomes a cherished family member through the highs and lows of life.

22. “Field of Dreams” – Inspired by his father's death, a man turns his cornfield into a baseball field and finds himself closer than ever to his father’s memory.

23. “Stand By Me” – The story of four boys who look to solve the murder of a stranger who was in an accident near their hometown.