Films dealing with themes of terminal illnesshave the obvious spoiler for mortality. These stories remain powerful asthey explore the involved characters’ journeysrather than their destination. Even with predictable final acts, these films have successfully dealt with diverse issues that cross paths with devastating illnesses. They combine drama with identity politics, family drama, legal narratives, and romantic comedies, as life on a countdown makes compelling stories. Not all films are melodramatic, as few dare to experiment with comedy as characters deal with abruptly changing circumstances. Here are 10 films that sensitively portray the emotional after-effects of terminal illnesses in a patient and their loved ones.
50/50is based on the real-life experience of surviving cancer by the film’s screenwriter, Will Reiser, who was diagnosed with spinal cancer at age 25. The film was his first screenplay, written after his surgery, and was released six years after his successful treatment. Reiser makes sure that the story does not lean on melodrama and reminisces his experience through the lens of dark comedy.Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Adam Lernerbased on Reiser, and Seth Rogen plays his best friend. The film places the audience in the shoes of a regular Joe who discovers he has cancer. Adam goes through the stages of grief as he suddenly sees his indifferent colleagues, abusive mother, and cheating girlfriend treat him with kindness after the tragic news.
This becomes the source of comedy, as Lerner is confused about how to react to the sudden love he receives. Kyle, played by Rogen, is his only honest support as he tries to cheer him up in odd ways. Reiser was awarded at the OMG! Cancer Summit for Young Adults for portraying the complexities of surviving cancer with humor, inspiring several survivors to have hope.
9The Fault in our Stars
The passing away of Esther Earl to cancer inspired John Green to write the novelThe Fault in our Starsin 2012. The book was adapted into a film two years later, which explored theromantic relationship between two cancer-stricken teenagers. Hazel Grace Lancaster, played by Shailene Woodley, meets Augustus Waters in a cancer support group. Both fall in love for their shared tragedy and love for literature. They decide to visit their favorite author, Peter Van Houten, in Amsterdam as their last wish, and the film captures their hopes, regrets, and moments of short-lived joy.
In one pivotal scene, Gus hosts a pre-funeral with his friends and Hazel, where they share their eulogies, showing how patients cope with death before the inevitable. The film successfully combines tropes of romantic comedies and coming-of-age elements with a riveting drama, which was received positively by the audience and critics.
Best Movies About Pandemics and Viruses, Ranked
Sometimes art imitates life, and the most horrific plots are actually inspired by reality. Here are the best pandemic movies ever made.
8Love and Other Drugs
Love and Other Drugssatirizes the pharmaceutical industry while telling a quirky love story between Jamie and Maggie.Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie, a charming pharmaceutical salesman who uses his womanizing tricks to win over his medical clients. He falls in love with a Parkinson’s patient, Maggie Murdock, played by Anne Hathaway, leading to a non-committal relationship between the two. However, the flexibility and lack of commitment in their relationship are tested as they get more intimate with each other.
The film shows how medical research plays a vital role in treating terminal conditions and how the industry is plagued by profit-minded businessmen gambling on sick patients. Life does not pause for anyone, and patients dealing with terminal illnesses are offered no choice over controlling their non-medical aspects of life as they stare at an unsure future.
7My Sister’s Keeper
My Sister’s Keeperis the perfect choice for a good cry. The film explores a family dealing with leukemia as it reaches a breaking point. The film starts with the youngest daughter, Anna, suing her parents for emancipation. She was conceived as a savior sister to her cancer-stricken elder sibling, Kate. Her life has only revolved around surgeries and medical procedures to keep Kate alive.
As the plot progresses, it is revealed that Kate has come to terms with the inevitable truth about her illness, but her mother,played by Cameron Diaz, has not. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the family must make some tough choices. Diaz shines as the mother in complete denial of her daughter’s condition, as she loses rationality in extreme circumstances, breaking what is left of her family.
6The Bucket List
The Bucket Listshows coping with terminal cancer in an eccentric elderly friendship. Jack Nicholson plays Cole, a wealthy man with a complicated past whose life turns upside down after he discovers his illness. Cole meets a car mechanic named Carter,played by Morgan Freeman, who shares the same predicament. Both share the same hospital room and strike a warm chord with each other.
Even though they come from very different walks of life, they discover they have a lot in common. They make a bucket list of their unfulfilled wishes and embark on an adventurous journey. However, both have unresolved conflicts with their families that seem harder to entangle. The film looks at terminal illness as an anti-procrastination mechanism, where patients are forced to face the difficult decisions that one normally slides under the carpet.
5Philadelphia
Philadelphiais a legal dramainspired by the lives of attorneys Geoffrey Bowers and Clarence Cain. Bowers was wrongfully discriminated against for being an AIDS patient and sued his law firm for wrongful dismissal in 1987. In the film,Tom Hanks plays Andrew Beckett, who shares the same story as Bowers.
The film is based on the titular city and explores homophobia seeped into one of its influential law firms. Beckett initially hides his homosexuality and keeps his HIV status a secret. However, his condition becomes public as his physical symptoms become too evident. After he completes an assigned case, Beckett is abruptly dismissed from his office. He takes legal action against his firm with the help of Joe Miller, played by Denzel Washington, the only lawyer to accept his case. The film shows the tragic decline in Beckett’s health as he fights homophobia at his workplace, revealing the apathy towards homosexuality and communicable diseases.
4Dallas Buyers Club
Dallas Buyers Clubis another film that deals with HIV stigma, based on a true story. The film is set in Texas and is centered around the dramatic life of Ron Woodroof,played by Matthew McConaughy. He enjoyed a sexually promiscuous life in the 1980s, resulting in AIDS, which was only partially researched at the time. He is initially told that he has 30 days to live, leading him to take the matter into his own hands. He researches on his own to procure the right medicines and smuggles unapproved drugs to save his life. He meets several patients on his way who share the illness and confronts his homophobia.
Jared Leto plays a trans woman who helps him empathize with the LGBTQ community and help them medically in their crises.
3Marvin’s Room
Marvin’s Roomexplores how an estranged familyhas no choice but to fix their past as they gear for a member’s life-threatening illness. Bessie, played by Diane Keaton, and Lee, played by Meryl Streep, are sisters who have lived separately for 20 years without any contact between them. While Lee lives in Ohio, Bessie takes care of their bedridden father, sharing no responsibilities with her. However, Bessie discovers she has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Lee approaches her sons for the match, and her mentally disturbed eldest son Hank,played by Leonardo DiCaprio, refuses to do so. However, as the family has a dramatic reunion, old feelings are re-evaluated for the greater good.
The film was based on the play of the same name written by Scott McPherson, inspired by the playwright’s real-life experience with AIDS and his relatives. The film was applauded for Keaton’s performance, receiving an Academy Award nomination for her performance.
2Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl
Me, Earl, and the Dying Girlshows Greg, played by Thomas Mann, coping with his classmate’s leukemia. He isjoined by his childhood friend Earlin making Rachel’s last days memorable. The film is humorous and stylistic, as Greg breaks the fourth wall and expresses his heart. Earl and Greg shoot parody films as a hobby and decide to make one for Rachel as her health worsens. Greg comes to terms with his feelings as he cares deeply for someone for the first time and finds her critical condition unacceptable. The film premiered at the Sundance Film and received a standing ovation for delicately handling its sensitive themes with humor and empathy for the sufferer.
10 Heart-Pounding Wilderness Survival Movies
These thrillers about being stuck in the wilderness kept viewers on the edge of their seats.
1Love Story
Love Storyis written by the best-selling authorErich Segal, based on his novel of the same name. The film stars Ryan O’Neal as a well-to-do Harvard Law student who meets Jenny, played by Ali McGraw, a music student at Radcliffe College.They fall in love instantly, but his father disapproves of their relationship. Nevertheless, the couple marries and moves to New York City, where Oliver lands a job at a legal firm. Unfortunately, their hunky-dory life hits a bump when Jenny has cancer. Segal suffered from Parkinson’s disease but lived for 72 years. However, the same cannot be said for his character in the heartfelt story. The film is considered a romantic classic and became one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
