Lighter Films — When You Need a Little Brightness
This selection therefore brings together many different kinds of stories: light-hearted, humorous and life-affirming films; warm and bittersweet tales; romances and wonderfully unusual works. Some explore remembrance and letting go, while others speak of new beginnings, human connection or the finite nature of life.
It is perfectly all right if, on a particular day, you do not feel ready for a difficult story. Grief does not always ask us to venture into its deepest places. Sometimes a gentler film, a little humour or a story that simply keeps us company is enough. The first instalment of this film series is devoted to such films.
Feel into the film
It can be worthwhile not merely to “watch” a film, but to leave some time afterwards for whatever it has stirred within us. What did we feel as we watched? Was there a line, a scene or a character that touched us especially deeply? Did someone come to mind? Had anything shifted within us by the time the story ended?
The Book of Life (2014)
The Book of Life is a colourful musical animation that draws on the traditions of Mexico’s Día de los Muertos to tell a story of love, family, death and remembrance. Here, the realm of the dead is not a frightening place, but a remarkable space where the living remain connected to those who have gone before them.
With warmth and playfulness, the film explores how the memory of those we love can stay with us, and how death forms a natural part of life. Its gentle tone also makes it a lovely starting point for conversations with children about mortality and remembrance.
Who is it for? Children and adults alike, especially those who would prefer to approach remembrance and mortality in a lighter, more imaginative way.
What can you expect? A bright, joyful and musical fairy tale that approaches death with playfulness and affection.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
This romantic comedy follows a circle of friends through four weddings — and one funeral. Moving between love, friendship and life’s defining turning points, the story allows loss to enter unexpectedly into its otherwise lively world.
Its funeral scenes are particularly meaningful in a collection about grief because they show that sorrow and joy do not necessarily exclude one another. We can mourn someone and still remain connected to life, friendship and love.
Who is it for? Those who would like to approach grief through a lighter story woven through with humour.
What can you expect? A classic British romantic comedy filled with wit, endearing characters and a few unexpectedly moving moments.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Taika Waititi’s film centres on Ricky, a troubled boy placed with foster parents in the New Zealand countryside. After his new family suffers a loss, Ricky and his foster father flee into the wilderness together, where an unlikely and gradually deepening bond begins to grow between them.
Rather than confronting grief head-on, the film approaches it through connection, belonging and the discovery of a new family. With abundant humour, it shows how, after hardship, we may find someone beside whom we no longer have to be alone.
Who is it for? Those who are not looking for an overt grief drama, but for a warm-hearted story about how human connection can carry us through difficult times.
What can you expect? An adventurous, funny and touching story in which grief and renewed connection sit comfortably alongside plenty of humour.
The Straight Story (1999)
David Lynch’s unexpectedly simple and quiet film follows Alvin Straight, an elderly man who sets off on an old lawn tractor to visit his estranged and ailing brother. Along the long road, he meets people with whom he shares small stories and pieces of hard-won wisdom, while slowly drawing closer to the person with whom he hopes to make peace.
The film speaks beautifully about the passage of time, forgiveness, the importance of relationships and the truth that it may never be too late to take a step towards someone. Grief is not at the centre of the story; instead, mortality, life’s finitude and unresolved relationships quietly shape its emotional world.
Who is it for? Those seeking a peaceful, life-affirming film about relationships, forgiveness and the possibility of finding our way back to one another.
What can you expect? A very slow, gentle and deeply humane film in which small encounters and quiet moments speak more eloquently than grand displays of emotion.
Perfect Days (2023)
Wim Wenders’s Perfect Days follows Hirayama, a Tokyo man whose life appears outwardly simple. He cleans public toilets and lives by a disciplined yet peaceful daily rhythm: listening to music on cassette tapes, reading books, photographing trees and noticing small beauties that others might pass without a thought. When unexpected encounters and memories from the past disturb this tranquillity, we gradually begin to understand more about what he has left behind.
The film does not speak directly about loss and mortality. Instead, it approaches them through absence, letting go and an appreciation of the present moment. Past and present coexist continually in Hirayama’s life, reminding us that meaning is often found not in momentous events, but in the most ordinary details of a day. Perfect Days becomes a delicate, poetic meditation on finding beauty and peace within a life that has changed.
Who is it for? Those who are not looking for a conventional film about grief, but for a quiet, contemplative story about loss, letting go and learning to inhabit the present.
What can you expect? A slow, meditative and beautifully photographed film that reflects on mortality and meaning through everyday pleasures, nature, music and memory.
About Time (2013)
Richard Curtis’s film follows a young man who discovers that the men in his family can travel back into their own past and relive certain moments. Tim initially uses this gift to improve his romantic life, but gradually realises that not every loss or pain can — or should — be undone.
One of the film’s loveliest insights is that life derives its value not from our ability to make every moment perfect. The ordinary minutes spent with those we love become precious, and acceptance also means recognising that some things cannot be changed.
Who is it for? Those who would rather reflect on grief indirectly, through the finite nature of life, love and the value of time shared with others.
What can you expect? A romantic, funny and immensely likeable film that moves increasingly deeply into themes of mortality and farewell in its second half.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Walter Mitty is a quiet, unassuming man who often escapes reality by dreaming of extraordinary adventures. When both his work and his life are suddenly thrown into change, he finally sets out into the world and begins doing the things he had previously only imagined.
The film is not primarily about grief, yet it belongs in a collection about loss because of its portrait of beginning again. It captures the moment when a familiar life comes to an end and we must rediscover what truly matters. It encourages us not merely to imagine life, but to dare to be fully present in it.
Who is it for? Those hoping to reconnect with life after a loss or major transition, and anyone in need of a little courage to venture into something new.
What can you expect? A visually striking, adventurous, humorous and inspiring film that is far more life-affirming than sorrowful.
Forrest Gump (1994)
At first glance, Robert Zemeckis’s film is not a story about grief, yet it tells of life through many losses and farewells. People Forrest loves die, relationships come to an end and chapters of life close, while he continues forward in his own simple and singular way.
Part of the film’s beauty lies in the way it presents loss not in isolation, but as part of life in its entirety. Alongside painful moments, there is love, friendship, humour and the possibility of beginning again.
Who is it for? Those seeking an accessible, warmly engaging film about life, love and the people we continue to carry in our memories.
What can you expect? A moving, humorous and emotional story in which life’s joys and absurdities stand alongside impermanence and loss.
Coco (2017)
Pixar’s film follows Miguel, who finds himself on an extraordinary journey through the Land of the Dead. There he meets earlier generations of his family and gradually comes to understand the vital role remembrance plays in keeping the stories of those we love alive.
One of Coco’s most beautiful ideas is that a person does not vanish entirely from our lives simply because they are no longer physically with us. Stories, photographs, shared memories and family traditions create a living bridge between past and present.
Who is it for? Children and adults alike, particularly for families watching together. It can offer a gentle starting point for conversations about grief and remembrance.
What can you expect? A colourful, musical, funny and deeply moving animation in which family, memory and tradition are as central as death and mortality.
The Bucket List (2007)
Carter and Edward are two very different men who meet in hospital and learn that neither has much time left. They make a list of everything they still wish to experience, then set out together to make those wishes a reality.
By confronting their own mortality, the film asks what truly matters to us in life. Beneath the humour and adventure, farewell, reconciliation and the question of what we leave behind gradually come to the fore.
Who is it for? Those who would prefer to approach death and mortality from the perspective of life, and who are looking for a hopeful story.
What can you expect? An accessible, humorous and emotional film that gradually takes on a more serious depth.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Set in a strict boys’ boarding school, the film follows the arrival of English teacher John Keating, who encourages his students to think for themselves and resist living solely by the expectations of others. The story explores youth, freedom, friendship and the courage to live authentically.
Loss enters with particular force later in the film, casting Keating’s message in a different light: life is finite, and how we spend it matters. The story is both a celebration of life and an acknowledgement of the pain that follows when a life ends far too soon.
Who is it for? Those who wish to reflect not only on loss, but also on meaning, freedom and what matters most in their own lives.
What can you expect? An inspiring and emotional film that is, at times, deeply distressing. It includes suicide and death.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Will Hunting is an exceptionally gifted young man, but a painful childhood and unresolved trauma leave him unable to let others come truly close. His relationship with a therapist gradually invites him to face both his past and the walls he has built around himself.
Although not a conventional grief narrative, the film has an important place in a collection such as this. Here, loss appears in early life experiences, in the fear of losing relationships and in the difficulty of believing ourselves worthy of love. One of its most powerful messages is that although we cannot change the past, we can decide whether to remain imprisoned by it.
Who is it for? Those who would like to explore connection, accepting help and releasing the hold of the past alongside themes of loss.
What can you expect? An emotional, humorous and deeply human film touching on trauma, trust and self-acceptance.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
Gilbert lives in a small town, caring for his family — including his severely obese mother and his younger brother, who has an intellectual disability. While longing for a life and freedom of his own, he feels the weight of his responsibility towards those he loves ever more keenly.
The film is not directly about one particular loss, yet it belongs in a grief-centred collection. Letting go appears here through caregiving, family roles and the ending of a long-established way of life.
Who is it for? Those interested in loss in its broader sense — as the relinquishing of circumstances, family roles and former ways of living.
What can you expect? A quiet, melancholy family drama in which humour and tenderness also have their place.
Up (2009)
Pixar’s film wraps a story of loss, remembrance and new beginnings inside a spirited animated adventure. Its opening follows Carl and Ellie through their life together: their love, shared dreams and joys, and finally the moment when Carl is left on his own.
One of the story’s loveliest insights is that honouring the memory of someone we have lost does not require us to remain still. For Carl, a new adventure ultimately means not abandoning the past, but carrying it forward in a different way.
Who is it for? Children and adults alike, especially those seeking an accessible yet profound story about love and letting go.
What can you expect? A touching, funny and adventurous animation whose opening minutes are already profoundly emotional.
P.S. I Love You (2007)
Holly loses her husband Gerry at a young age and cannot imagine a life without him. Yet Gerry has left behind a series of letters that arrive at carefully chosen intervals, offering memories, encouragement and small tasks that gradually help her find her way back towards life.
The film portrays the pain of losing a partner through a romantic story. Holly’s journey is not about forgetting her husband, but about learning to carry his memory with her into a new chapter.
Who is it for? Primarily those who would like to watch a film about losing a partner and beginning life anew after grief.
What can you expect? An emotional, romantic and occasionally humorous film that wholeheartedly embraces sentiment.
Beginners (2010)
Mike Mills’s film follows a man trying to make sense of his own life after his father’s death, while also looking back on the story of the man he has lost. With sensitivity, playfulness and generous humour, it explores grief, family relationships and how late in life we may finally come to know someone more fully.
Here, grief becomes intertwined with a new beginning. As the protagonist tries to come to terms with his father’s death, he also searches for a way forward in his own life and relationships.
Who is it for? Those seeking a warm, likeable and less overwhelming film about beginning again after loss.
What can you expect? A touching, relatively gentle film in which humour and sadness sit beautifully side by side.
The Farewell (2019)
Lulu Wang’s film follows a Chinese family who learn that their grandmother may have only a short time left to live. They decide not to tell her the diagnosis and instead gather around her under the pretext of attending a wedding.
What makes the film distinctive is that it portrays grief before the loss has taken place. As the family spends time together, everyone knows that something irreversible is drawing near. Love, cultural differences and unspoken sorrow remain present all at once.
Who is it for? Those who would like to reflect on family loss, saying goodbye and the different cultural ways in which grief is understood and carried.
What can you expect? A moving, humorous and intimate family film that asks searching questions about farewell.
Important noteThe content and film recommendations on this website are intended to inform and support. They are not a substitute for professional help from a psychologist, psychiatrist or psychotherapist, nor for medical treatment when needed.
If you feel that the pain of loss has become too difficult to carry alone, please do not remain isolated. Share what you are feeling with someone you trust, and do not hesitate to seek professional support. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but an important step towards healing.
