3 International movies that highlights grief and mental health

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Processing grief is a big task. When a loved one passes away, most individuals never fully heal.

The fact that they can find no comfort in anyone else eats away at their souls. Nevertheless, it is common for life to continue on following the loss of a loved one. While managing bereavement is not simple, it is significantly manageable.

As films are representations of reality, this article aims to introduce you to films on bereavement. Movies in this list connect mental health with bereavement. The impact of bereavement on one’s mental health should go without saying.

1. FROM SCRATCH (2022)

‘The 2022 film “From Scratch” was heartbreaking. The storyline swiftly transitioned from the most romantic romance you have ever watched to a terrible one. The story came to life thanks to the chemistry between Eugenio Mastrandrea and Zoë Saldana. In actuality, the movie’s storyline is an adaptation of Tembi Locke’s memoir of the same name.

The reason why this movie is on the list is because it highlighted how Amy Wheeler ( Zoë Saldana) dealt with grief. The movie also had few scenes on the struggles of a grieving relative. ‘From Scratch’ is that series you want to watch to believe in love too. This Netflix drama miniseries was created by Tembi and Attica Locke.

SYNOPSIS :- ‘An artist finds romance with a chef in Italy and embarks on a life-changing journey of love, loss, resilience and hope across cultures and continents.’ – IMDb.

IMDb Rating:- 7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes:- 86/100

2. ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES (2020)

‘All the Bright Places’ talks about mental illnesses and their various forms. This movie has an unexpected plot twist which explains the complexities of mental health. Mental health cannot be overlooked – it is a crucial part of living.

There were a lot of rom-coms in the year 2020 followed by tragic comedies and “All the Bright Places’ was one of them. The movie is an adaptation of Jennifer Niven’s novel of same title which is actually based on her true life story.

SYNOPSIS :- ‘The story of Violet and Theodore, who meet and change each other’s lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they discover that even the smallest places and moments can mean something.’ -IMDb

IMDb Rating:- 6.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes:-65/100

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3. The After (2023)

The After is a short powerful movie of 18- minutes running time that visits the life of a man after he lost his wife and daughter to an unfortunate accident. His life went from rosy to being melancholic in just few seconds. David Oyelowo is an advocate of mental health. Little wonder why, he poured his heart and his soul into this movie. This movie on grief got an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Short Film and also bagged other awards.

David Oyelowo as the protagonist took the feelings of character as his and wore into sadness in a way that one could feel the throbbing pain of grief as a viewer. At the end of the movie, he felt at peace because of an unexplained incident that triggered his loss.

SYNOPSIS :- ‘In this intense short film, a grieving rideshare driver picks up a passenger who helps him confront the past.’ -IMDb.