How to Survive the Death of Your Child
by PDZombie | created - 21 Feb 2013 | updated - 16 Nov 2022 | PublicFilms which showcase the drama of a nameless tragedy: to bury one's own child.
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1. Don't Look Now (1973)
R | 110 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.
Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania
Votes: 62,351 | Gross: $0.98M
2. Ordinary People (1980)
R | 124 min | Drama
The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father and the guilt-ridden younger son.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton
Votes: 56,698 | Gross: $54.80M
A family torn apart by guilt, regret and the impossibility of making up for the loss of a child. One of Redford's best.
3. The Accidental Tourist (1988)
PG | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.
Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis, Amy Wright
Votes: 17,282 | Gross: $32.63M
When the death of a child is a trigger to reevaluate an entire adult life. Based on Anne Tyler's novel.
4. All About My Mother (1999)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A comedy-drama about a bereaved mother, and overwrought actress, her jealous lover, and a pregnant nun.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar | Stars: Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Peña, Antonia San Juan
Votes: 102,915 | Gross: $8.26M
Best film by Almodóvar, deep and touching about motherhood, and friendship as way to overcome grief.
5. The Limey (1999)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter's death.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán
Votes: 34,853 | Gross: $3.19M
Tell me about Jenny!!!
6. In the Bedroom (2001)
R | 131 min | Crime, Drama
A New England couple's college-aged son dates an older woman who has two small children and an unwelcome ex-husband.
Director: Todd Field | Stars: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei
Votes: 42,437 | Gross: $35.93M
When the loss is accompanied by a terrible injustice, a couple has to consider revenge as a realistic option to save their marriage.
7. The Son's Room (2001)
R | 99 min | Drama
A psychoanalyst and his family go through profound emotional trauma when their son dies in a scuba-diving accident.
Director: Nanni Moretti | Stars: Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante, Jasmine Trinca, Giuseppe Sanfelice
Votes: 21,446 | Gross: $1.01M
The emotional trauma of a family, and the loss seen from inside the mind of the father in a realistic and heartbreaking way. Palm d'or in Cannes.
8. Keane (2004)
R | 100 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A disheveled man desperately searches New York City for his young daughter.
Director: Lodge Kerrigan | Stars: Damian Lewis, Liza Colón-Zayas, John Tormey, Brenda Denmark
Votes: 5,819 | Gross: $0.03M
One of the most visceral films ever! A father gone mad by the loss of his little girl, trying to reenact over and over her dissapearence to understand the tragedy.
9. Aftermath (2004)
104 min | Drama
A young married couple has to deal with their emotional breakdowns after the death of their only daughter.
Director: Paprika Steen | Stars: Sofie Gråbøl, Mikael Birkkjær, Søren Pilmark, Lena Endre
Votes: 851
A perfect drama, my personal favorite of the list. The loss of her only daughter provokes violent behavior on a couple who cannot deal with the pain out in the open.
10. Alice (I) (2005)
102 min | Drama
In the wake of his daughter's disappearance, a father wallowing in grief feeds his desire to find her with unusual methods.
Director: Marco Martins | Stars: Nuno Lopes, Beatriz Batarda, Miguel Guilherme, Ana Bustorff
Votes: 2,355
11. Three Monkeys (2008)
Not Rated | 109 min | Drama
A family suffers from a major communication breakdown during their struggle to get through their hardships.
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Stars: Yavuz Bingöl, Hatice Aslan, Ahmet Rifat Sungar, Ercan Kesal
Votes: 23,013 | Gross: $0.04M
Outstanding turkish drama of a family's breakdown after the impossibility of dealing with a tragic loss. Best director at Cannes.
12. Vinyan (2008)
R | 96 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A couple are looking for their child who was lost in the tsunami - their search takes them to the dangerous Thai-Burmese waters, and then into the jungle, where they face unknown but horrifying dangers.
Director: Fabrice du Welz | Stars: Emmanuelle Béart, Rufus Sewell, Petch Osathanugrah, Julie Dreyfus
Votes: 6,028
A couple's journey into the heart of darkness. Ambiguity between madness and real horrific events makes hard to grasp, but some images make it worth watching.
13. Antichrist (2009)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm
Votes: 136,578 | Gross: $0.40M
Not for the squeamish! Memorable opening sequence, a descent to hell for couple who retreats to the woods in order to cope. Wasted masterpiece on director's ego.
14. Rabbit Hole (2010)
PG-13 | 91 min | Drama
Life for a happy couple is turned upside down after their young son dies in an accident.
Director: John Cameron Mitchell | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller
Votes: 51,135 | Gross: $2.23M
Powerful drama, yet the most conventional on the list.
15. Sorrow and Joy (2013)
107 min | Drama
Danish filmmaker Nils Malmros tells about his manic-depressive wife killing their baby, how he met her, a teacher, two years earlier in 1981 and the time after.
Director: Nils Malmros | Stars: Jakob Cedergren, Helle Fagralid, Ida Dwinger, Kristian Halken
Votes: 1,294
16. The Memory of Water (2015)
88 min | Drama, Romance
When the accidental death of a couple's young son sends them grieving in opposite directions, they're forced to re-examine their life and marriage.
Director: Matías Bize | Stars: Elena Anaya, Benjamín Vicuña, Néstor Cantillana, Sergio Hernández
Votes: 792
17. Moka (2016)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama
Diane Kramer is led by one obsession: to find the driver of the mocha (Moka) color Mercedes which hit her son and devastated her life. With a few belongings, some money and a gun, she goes to Evian, where she's learned the driver lives.
Director: Frédéric Mermoud | Stars: Emmanuelle Devos, Nathalie Baye, David Clavel, Diane Rouxel
Votes: 1,213 | Gross: $0.13M
You can always get revenge... but it's not going to change anything!
18. One Week and a Day (2016)
98 min | Comedy, Drama
As Eyal finishes the traditional Jewish week of mourning for his late son, his wife Vicky urges him to return to their routine -- but just because the shiva has ended doesn't mean it's life as usual.
Director: Asaph Polonsky | Stars: Sharon Alexander, Shai Avivi, Tomer Capone, Evgenia Dodina
Votes: 959 | Gross: $0.04M
19. The Child in Time (2017 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 82 min | Drama
The life of a children's book author is turned upside down when his daughter goes missing.
Director: Julian Farino | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Campbell Moore, Saskia Reeves
Votes: 5,206
20. Koko-di Koko-da (2019)
89 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
As a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady entourage emerge from the woods, terrorizing them, luring them deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror and humiliating slapstick.
Director: Johannes Nyholm | Stars: Leif Edlund, Ylva Gallon, Katarina Jacobson, Peter Belli
Votes: 2,804
The surreal one...
21. Pieces of a Woman (2020)
R | 126 min | Drama
When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.
Director: Kornél Mundruczó | Stars: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Iliza Shlesinger
Votes: 56,271
22. Here Before (2021)
R | 83 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
When a new family moves in next door to Laura and her family, their young daughter, Megan, quickly captivates her, stirring up painful memories of her own daughter, Josie, who died several years previously.
Director: Stacey Gregg | Stars: Andrea Riseborough, Jonjo O'Neill, Niamh Dornan, Eileen O'Higgins
Votes: 1,601
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