7 movies and series that will make you reflect on death

Death, whether one’s own or another’s, is one of the topics that most worries and disturbs human beings. Death fascinates and scares us at the same time.. We tend to distance ourselves from her, avoid her or cover her with soft euphemisms so that her reality does not disturb ours.

In the same way that we avoid it, we also approach it in very different ways.. The media such as the press, television or the big screen allow us to explore death from the safety of a distance, as well as observe its multiple forms of presentation.

There are many audiovisual resources that allow us to work on this topic, for example: Finding Neverland, My Life Without Me, The Lion King, Bambi, The Son’s Room, Beyond Dreams, Ordinary People, Between You and Me, Spirited Away, Big Hero 6, The Bicentennial Man, When the wind blows, etc.

In addition to those already mentioned There are many other resources that can help us work and reflect. about death and grief. Below we list 7 movies and series episodes that will help us think about this topic.

1. Grave of the Fireflies

Isao Takahata and Studio Ghibli managed to make magic on the big screen with this masterpiece. The film is based on a book that captures the true story of Akiyuki Nosaka, a survivor of World War II.

Its 100 minutes tell the story of two brothers who, after the bombers in their city and the death of their mother, must survive on their own. From the beginning the viewer knows what the tragic outcome will be, which allows them to begin to mourn for the character from the first moment.

There are many themes that can be addressed through this film: death, anticipated grief, rejection, isolation, guilt or the fighting spirit.

2. Horns

The film known as Horns wraps the theme of grief and revenge in a cloak of fantasy. It tells the story of Ignatius (Daniel Radcliffe) who, a year after losing his girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple) under suspicious circumstances, begins to develop horns that grant him macabre powers.

The film is very useful for working through feelings of revenge after the death of a loved one.. It allows you to explore and reflect on the pain of loss, the thirst for justice and the consequences that this entails for the person.

When the death of a loved one has been caused, accidentally or voluntarily, by another person, feelings of revenge can be common. Just like the protagonist of the film, the thirst for justice can possess and transform those who suffer from it.

3. Inside out

If psychologists had to make a film explaining the value of emotions we would have made Inside Out. This film has great educational value as it explores the value of all feelings, especially sadness.

Inside Out tells the story of a girl who moves to another city and must adapt to her new life. The film shows how this vital change is followed by new emotions in the girl who, as her own characters, must live her own adventures.

In terms of grief, the death of another person is not always necessary. Many times grief occurs due to a change, a separation or an important life event. These events also involve farewells full of contradictory emotions. We talk, for example, about the joy of new challenges, about nostalgia for past situations.

4. Family Guy 2×06: what a bitch death

In order to reflect on death and its implications, it is not always necessary to address the topic in a dramatic way. Humor can also be a tool to work and reflect on death..

In the episode of family guy 2×06, what a bitch death, the character of death gets a sprain so he can’t continue doing his job. With death inactive its rules are no longer valid and dying is no longer a concern for human beings.

We have all wondered at some point What would happen if we lived forever? Although cheating death is a fantasy that most living beings can have, the truth is that it is worth thinking about the implications that the previous question would have.

5. South park, 14×11: the captain after the fact

What does South Park, a superhero called “captain after the fact” have to do with death and grief? Although at first glance these concepts may seem unrelated, the truth is that they have more in common than they seem.

How many times after an important decision or the loss of a loved one have we thought “what if I had done… when I was alive” or “what if I had not made this decision”? When we make decisions that change the course of our lives or a loved one dies, we usually mentally review the different alternatives we have made.

It is easy to blame oneself and consider alternatives once an event has already occurred.. However, humans, like the later captain of South Park, We cannot know the consequences of an action until they have happened.

6. The Simpsons 2×11: one fish, two fish, puffer fish, blue fish

In this chapter of Homer he ingests a part of a fish that is fatally poisonous. When he goes to the doctor, he tells him that he will die in 24 hours. After the news, the protagonist makes a list of the things he has pending to do before dying.

When the doctor tells him of his death, he explains that he will go through 5 different phases. The phases that Homer goes through in this scene are similar to the 5 stages of grief that Kübler-Ross described: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

This episode of The Simpsons can not only be educational to explain the stages of grief but also It allows us to consider what the list of things to do for each of us would be if we only had 24 hours to live..

7. Black Mirror, 2×01: I’ll be right back

Black Mirror is a fiction series in which, although each chapter is different, they all revolve around the theme of how technology could affect our lives. Charlie Brooker He is the director of chapter 2×01, “I’ll be right back” which revolves around death and grief.

The story could be summarized in this question: What would happen if after your loved one died you could make a copy of them based on their digital trace?

After the death of a loved one, their memory is a valuable treasure, The difficulty comes when we settle into the memory and cling to it without being able to move forward..

Death in the consultation

The death of oneself or a loved one is a recurring topic in consultation. Although the pain of grief is a natural process, There are many people who come to therapy seeking support and help to cope with the pain of loss.

Not all resources are appropriate for the same person or for the same moment. When working on grief and death, we must take into account the resource, the person and the task or phase of grief they are going through.

In case of using audiovisual material in consultation or as homework It must be the professional who chooses which one, when and for what purpose to use it, always looking out for the well-being of the patient and how this resource can help them in the phase they are in.

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