Departures

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1069238/

The film follows a young man who returns to his hometown after a failed career as a cellist and stumbles across work as a nōkanshi—a traditional Japanese ritual mortician. He is subjected to prejudice from those around him, including from his wife, because of strong social taboos against people who deal with death. Eventually he repairs these interpersonal connections through the beauty and dignity of his work.

Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America

https://www.hbo.com/movies/alternate-endings

Touching film that explores the innovative ways Americans are approaching end of life.

Time of Death

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3098942/

What are the final weeks, days and very moments of life really like? Time of Death offers an unflinching, intimate look at remarkable people facing their own mortality. Cameras follow these brave, terminally ill individuals as they live out the end of their lives, supported by family, friends, and dedicated healthcare and hospice workers who gently guide the process. This groundbreaking documentary series provides a tangible, hopeful reminder of the finite nature of our time here on earth.

End Game (on Netflix)

This Academy Award-nominated short documentary explores the difficult choices patients and their loved ones face at the end of life and how their care teams help them navigate this experience.

Coco

An animated film with playful and death-positive portrayal of family, grief, and the afterlife.

Extremis

Extremis” focuses on the physicians’ point of view. This short documentary examines how medical teams communicate with one other and families about end-of-life decisions and the crucial choices they must make.

Defining Hope

Released in 2017, “Defining Hope” shows the current state of the end-of-life experience. The film serves as a powerful reminder that ending well looks different for everyone and that we are empowered to make choices that align with our wishes.

Griefwalker

“Griefwalker” is a documentary the chronicles the death-bed experiences of palliative care Stephen Jenkinson. Following Jenkinson as he interacts with care teams and counsels families, this film makes important observations about pain, death talk, and the dying experience

The Nurse With the Purple Hair

An unconventional friendship between “Friday the 13th” director Sean Cunningham and hospice nurse Michelle Lasota led to the creation of this documentary that showcases and honors the hospice work.

Tuesdays With Morrie

Mitch Albom’s beloved non-fiction book was adapted into a TV movie staring Hank Azaria and Jack Lemmon. This film shows the friendship that forms between Albom and his former professor, Morrie Schwartz, and the lessons Albom learns from Schwartz — who is dying from ALS.