Discover the very best foreign and independent films
“If I take death into my life, acknowledge it, and face it squarely, I will free myself from the anxiety of death and the pettiness of life, and only then will I be free to become myself.”
– Martin Heidegger
I have found that movies about death are more positive and heartwarming than you might expect. The title of the movie “Ikiru” means “To Live.” This movie is one of my all time favorites. It is definitely my favorite movie about death and, surprisingly, it is also one of my favorite movies about life. Movies simply don’t get any better than “Ikiru!”
The movies I have selected for the topic death include a death caused by old age and disease (Ikiru); a heroic death occurring in wartime (The Cranes are Flying); a death at the hands of the state (Monster’s Ball); and a death caused by dealing drugs (Winter’s Bone). In every case, these movies are just as concerned with those who are left behind as they are with those who die.
(1957)
directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
Death during war time is particularly devastating to those who are are left behind. This is because those who die are often young and because an individual’s death seems so meaningless amidst all the other deaths. … [Read more...] about The Cranes are Flying
Ikiru (1952)
directed by Akira Kurosawa
Mr. Watanabe is a government bureaucrat who has worked for thirty years at Tokyo City Hall and never accomplished anything. He has risen to become chief of the section that handles citizen complaints. He sits with a … [Read more...] about Ikiru
(2002)
directed by Marc Forster
“Thou shalt not kill.” Has there ever been a clearer directive? In his story “The Hanging,” George Orwell describes his traumatic experience participating in the capital punishment of a Hindu man, “We were waiting outside the … [Read more...] about Monster’s Ball
(2010)
directed by Debra Granik
To the extent possible, death is hidden in America. Unless you are unfortunate enough to happen upon a car crash that has just occurred, death is more a concept than something you can see or touch or smell. The extraordinary … [Read more...] about Winter’s Bone
