Grief is a deep and complicated feeling that emerges after a major loss in life, such as the death of a loved one. Managing it in the right way is essential to avoid negative emotional consequences for the person dealing with the loss of someone close to them. Films can be a great tool for understanding and coping with the situation.
Stepping into the shoes of characters who are suffering similar emotional turmoil, by watching bereavement films, can help us learn to overcome and live with our loss. It can assist us in adapting our lives to this new reality in a much clearer and more powerful way than any other method.
Cinema as a therapeutic bereavement tool
Films have the ability to connect us to our deepest emotions, which, when properly focused, can help us explore and process grief in a safe way. They can provide us with role models as well as strategies for coping with our own loss.
Films about death and grief also provide a space for empathy and emotional validation, making us feel less alone in our suffering. By watching stories on screen that mirror our own experiences, we can find comfort and hope, which are essential elements when it comes to constructing our own emotional healing.
Bereavement films for adults
There is no age at which it becomes easier to deal with the emptiness of grief. Fortunately, there are films that help adults cope with bereavement, providing lessons and tools for overcoming grief at this stage of life.
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
The first of our film recommendations to help us overcome grief tells the story of Hazel and Gus, two teenagers with cancer who fall in love. Through their relationship, they explore themes of love, loss and mortality, and the film helps us understand how to live fully despite grief and inevitable loss.
P.S. I Love You (2007)
In this moving story, Holly Kennedy, devastated by the death of her husband Gerry, receives a series of letters he wrote before he died to help her overcome her loss and move on with her life. This makes it very special among films about the grieving process, as it highlights the importance of emotional support and memories as tools to overcome grief.
A Monster Calls (2016)
Connor, a boy whose mother is gravely ill, finds comfort and courage thanks to the nightly visits of a monster who tells him stories. This Spanish film, directed by JA Bayona, offers a very special point of view on how to cope with grief and loss, learning to accept and express our emotions.
Good Grief (2023)
This is perhaps the most explicit of our selection of films about loss and grief. It tells the stories of several people who come to a bereavement support group. It explores how each person deals with their own particular loss and how they learn to find comfort and strength in each other. In this way, it emphasises the importance of human connection in the grieving process.
Collateral Beauty (2016)
Howard, an advertising executive, finds solace after the death of his daughter by writing letters to Love, Time and Death, entities that respond to him and help him understand and accept his grief.
Bereavement films for children
For children, dealing with feelings of grief can be even more difficult than for adults, as their ability to understand and process death is less developed. For this reason, it is very important to choose the most suitable bereavement films for each situation, as this can really help them to get through this stage in a healthy and understandable way.
UP (2009)
Carl Fredricksen is an old man who decides to fulfil the dream of his late wife, Ellie, by travelling to Paradise Falls in his house that flies after he attaches thousands of balloons to it. However, along the way he encounters characters and situations he didn't expect, and which help children understand the importance of moving on and finding new adventures, even after suffering a great loss.
The Lion King (1994)
The main character is Simba, a young lion who has to deal with the tragic death of his father, Mufasa. His first reaction is to run away, but after experiencing a reunion with a character from his past, he learns the importance of key values such as responsibility, growth and the cycle of life.
Bambi (1942)
This is another film about bereavement from Disney. It tells the story of a young fawn who loses his mother who is killed by a hunter. The film is one of the most classic films about bereavement for children. It also addresses themes such as resilience and the importance of moving on with life after a loss.
Watching Bambi, a child will learn about the nature of life and death, as well as the importance of finding comfort in friendship and family.
Over the Moon (2020)
After the death of her mother, Fei Fei, a young girl, builds a rocket to travel to the moon and prove the existence of a legendary goddess. This story shows how imagination and memory can help children deal with grief.
Inside Out (2015)
In this particular film, the main character, Riley, does not have to deal with death. However, she is a child who has to come to terms with changes that involve coping with similar kinds of feelings of grief.
This is where two opposing characters, Joy and Sadness, come into play and must learn to work together and convey to the children the importance of expressing and accepting all their emotions during the grieving process.
Other ways to help with the grieving process
Grieving is a long and very personal process so it requires both time and appropriate support in each case. Beyond watching films, there are other useful ways of coping with and managing grief that are worth knowing about.
- Talking to a bereavement therapist can provide the tools and emotional support needed to move on.
- Writing is another resource for coping with grief. Keeping a diary or writing letters to the deceased can be of great emotional support.
- Attending support groups to share experiences with people who have gone through similar situations can offer comfort and understanding.
- In addition, exercise can relieve stress and improve mood during the grieving process.
