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There are a large number of documentaries and popular films on the subject of death, dying, and caring for a loved one. Some of the works listed deal directly with the subject of death and dying, while others have an episode or theme dealing with the subject. This page lists a partial and growing number of films recommended or previewed by members of the School.
In addition, Colorado has a library which contains several films available for lending locally.
Global Resources
| Title | Type | Description | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Family Undertaking - 2004 PBS documentary |  |
What is old is often new again. Most funerals today are part of a multimillion-dollar industry run by professionals. This increased reliance on mortuaries has alienated Americans from life's only inevitability — death. A Family Undertaking explores the growing home funeral movement by following several families in their most intimate moments as they reclaim the end of life, forgoing a typical mortuary funeral to care for their loved ones at home. Far from being a radical innovation, keeping funeral rites in the family or among friends is exactly how death was handled for most of pre-20th century America. Click here to visit the resource page. | |
| Departures by Yojiro Takita | |
When his orchestra disbands, the main character decides to start over and moves back to his small hometown. Desperate for work, he secretly takes a job as a "Nokanshi", a funeral professional who prepares the deceased for burial and entrance into the next life. But while working with the families of the departed, he embarks on a spiritual journey of his own as he finally experiences the joy and wonder of living. | |
| Dying Wish by Karen vanVuuren | |
Retired surgeon, Michael Miller, is dying of end-stage cancer and is determined to avoid the hospital at all costs. He's researched the dying process and believes that stopping eating and drinking will ease his suffering and result in a peaceful, more natural death. During his fast, Michael suffers neither thirst nor hunger. Buoyed by the legacy of this film, he enjoys a last meal, surrounds himself with art and music, and takes leave of his family. | |
| Facing Death – Confronting End-of-Life Choices by Frontline - PBS | |
How far would you go to sustain the life of someone you love, or your own? When the moment comes and you're confronted with the prospect of "pulling the plug", do you know how you'll respond? Unfounded rumors of federal "death panels" grabbed headlines in the summer of 2010, but the real decisions of how we die - the questions that most of us prefer to put off - are being made quietly behind closed doors, increasingly on the floors of America's intensive care units. In this film, Frontline gains access to the ICU of one of New York's biggest hospitals to examine the complicated reality... Click here to visit the resource page. | |
| Griefwalker | |
Griefwalker is an extraordinary portrait of Harvard-trained theologian Stephen Jenkinson, who teaches that death empowers us to live and that we must know grief well in order to appreciate our own lives. Many may find Jenkinson’s belief challenging - that our deaths are not something to be denied or avoided but rather “befriended”. He points out that not every culture fears death as we do. The film carries viewers into the lives of those confronting death, as well as those learning how to help people die well. Combining beautiful imagery of the impermanence of nature and the actuality of dying, Griefwalker weaves an illuminating picture of a remarkable man and leaves us with a deeper understanding of how our deaths could be held as “a prized possession”. | |
| Life Before Death - Collection of Films about living well and dying better | |
HOW WILL YOU DIE? LIFE Before Death is a multi-award winning documentary series that asks the fundamental question underpinning our mortality. This beautifully filmed journey takes us to 11 countries as we follow the remarkable health professionals battling the sweeping epidemic of pain that threatens to condemn one in every ten of us to an agonizing and shameful death. Through the eyes of patients and their families we discover the inherent humanity that empowers the best of us to care for those beyond cure. This is an intimate, hopeful and life-affirming story of living well and dying better, advocating for making the most of every moment in our life before death. Click here to visit the resource page. | |
| The Gifts of Grief - A film by Nancee Sabonya | |
Through compelling personal stories, we gain valuable insights from people facing, growing and transforming through grief. What can we learn from our losses? What inner and outer resources do we have to help us cope with our grief? How do we go on? What are the “gifts of grief?” These are the core questions that are explored by ordinary and extraordinary people, including writer, Isabel Allende; Reverend Cecil Williams; writer, Alana Laraine; Zen Monk /Vietnam Veteran, Claude AnShin Thomas; youth motivator, Vinny Ferrero; filmmaker, Lee Mun Wah who celebrate and inspire healing and transformation. The film invites us to open to pain, learn from loss, and teaches us about the preciousness of life. Click here to visit the resource page. | |
| The Most Excellent Dying of Theodore Jack Heckelman by Nancy Poer | |
When faced with cancer, Jack made a decision to die with gratitude and consciousness. Here, holding his beloved Pooh bear as a child, he could hardly have known the rich, fulfilling life and death that was to come. A communications engineer, he lived all over the world and was deeply committed to raising awareness of the global needs for social justice and caring for the earth. He was a leader in working for the Peace Academy and Earth Charter. | |
| Tuesdays With Morrie - Starring Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria | |
Mitch became caught up with his career as a sport commentator and journalist. He ignored his girlfriend and did not make time to do things in life that are of the most value to a human being. Morrie was one of Mitch's professors in college and a famous scholar. Mitch rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live. | |
| Whose Life is it Anyway? - stars Richard Dreyfus | |
Ken Harrison is an artist that makes sculptures. One day he is involved in a car accident, and is paralyzed from his neck. All he can do is talk, and he wants to die. In hospital he make friends with some of the staff, and they support him when he goes to trial to be allowed to die. | |
| Wit - Starring Emma Thompson - directed by Mike Nichols | |
Vivian Bearing is a professor of English literature known for her intense knowledge of metaphysical poetry, especially the Holy Sonnets of John Donne. Her life takes a turn when she is diagnosed with metastatic Stage IV ovarian cancer. Oncologist Harvey Kelekian prescribes various chemotherapy treatments to treat her disease, and as she suffers through the various side-effects (such as fever, chills, vomiting, and abdominal pain), she attempts to put everything in perspective. The story periodically flashes back to previous moments in her life, including her childhood, her graduate school studies, and her career prior to her diagnosis. During the course of the film, she continually breaks the fourth wall by looking into the camera and expressing her feelings. |
US Resources
| Title | Type | Description | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learn About Hospice & Palliative Care by Evercare Hospice | |
In this video you'll learn more about hospice and palliative care, hear personal stories from people who have first hand experience with Evercare Hospice, find out more about what makes Evercare Hospice special. This is a private company but we consider this to be good information. | |