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184 voters

The Best Movies About Grief, Ranked

Updated March 5, 2021 1.2k votes 184 voters 13.2k views57 items

List RulesVote up the best, most heartwrenching movies in which characters are grieving a death.

This list contains information on the best films about grief, ranked from best to worst by user votes. The best films about grief come in many forms. Some movies about grieving death are about losing a spouse while other good movies about grief are about the death of a child. Many of the best grief movies feature award-winning actors.

What films will you find on this top movies about grief list? Ghost has to be near the top. Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze star as a couple whose afterlife romance inspired movie-goers in 1990. Whoopi Goldberg even won an Academy Award for her performance as the match-making medium in the film. Ordinary People is another good movie about grief.

In the Bedroom examines how grief can quickly turn into revenge. Other good films about grieving death include The Door in the Floor, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and The Lovely Bones.

Do you have a favorite movie about grief? Give the best films a thumbs up and please add any good features we may have missed.

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Ghost
Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
Ghost is a 1990 American romantic fantasy/crime thriller film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi... more
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Manchester by the Sea
Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams
Manchester by the Sea is a 2016 American drama film directed and written by Kenneth Lonergan.... more
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What Dreams May Come
Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr.
What Dreams May Come is a 1998 American fantasy drama film, starring Robin Williams, Cuba... more
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P.S. I Love You
Gerard Butler, Hilary Swank
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Reign Over Me
Adam Sandler, Liv Tyler
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Gladiator
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix
Gladiator is a 2000 American-British epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott,... more
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Ordinary People
Mary Tyler Moore, Donald Sutherland
Ordinary People is a 1980 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of actor... more
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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks
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The Lovely Bones
Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg
The Lovely Bones is a 2009 supernatural drama film directed by Peter Jackson and stars Mark... more
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John Wick
Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe
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Moonlight Mile
Jake Gyllenhaal, Susan Sarandon
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The Descendants
George Clooney, Shailene Woodley
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A Single Man
Julianne Moore, Jon Hamm
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The Grey
Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney
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In the Bedroom
Marisa Tomei, Sissy Spacek
In the Bedroom is a 2002 American drama film directed by Todd Field, and dedicated to Andre... more
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Gone Baby Gone
Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
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Proof
Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal
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Dead Man's Shoes
Paddy Constantine, Toby Kebbell
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Catch and Release
Jennifer Garner, Juliette Lewis
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The Sweet Hereafter
Ian Holm, Sarah Polley
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part I
Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe
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Collateral Beauty
Will Smith, Edward Norton
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We Bought a Zoo
Scarlett Johansson, Matt Damon
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Rabbit Hole
Nicole Kidman, Sandra Oh
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A Ghost Story
Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara
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