Best Grief

John Langans 'The Fisherman' is a profound meditation on grief wrapped in a terrifying cosmic horror story. Two widowers find solace in fishing, only to discover a legendary creek that promises to bri...

Up is famous for its opening ten-minute sequence, which is widely considered one of the most emotionally powerful segments in cinema history. The story follows an elderly widower who ties thousands of...

Andrei Tarkovskys Solaris, a response to Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey, delves into the psychological depths of space exploration. A psychologist is sent to investigate a space station orbiti...

Joan Didions memoir is a raw, clinical, and deeply moving account of the year following the sudden death of her husband. It is widely regarded as one of the most honest depictions of grief ever writte...

Joan Didions classic exploration of grief follows the sudden death of her husband and the simultaneous illness of her daughter. Didion, a master of journalistic precision, applies her analytical mind...

Ryusuke Hamaguchis 'Drive My Car' is a meditative, three-hour drama based on a Haruki Murakami short story. It follows a widowed theater director who forms an unexpected bond with his young chauffeur...

Given follows the members of a high school band as they navigate music, love, and the lingering pain of past trauma. It is a beautiful, grounded romance that explores the complexities of queer relatio...

Shrinking follows a grieving therapist who decides to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. By ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making massive, tumultuous chan...

Katherine Paterson's 'Bridge to Terabithia' explores the power of imagination and the complexities of friendship. Jess Aarons befriends Leslie Burke, and together they create Terabithia, a magical wor...

Sinéad O'Connor's cover of Prince's 'Nothing Compares 2 U' is a devastatingly beautiful portrayal of loss and longing. The song's simple arrangement, featuring O'Connor's powerful vocals and a strikin...

This poignant fantasy drama tells the story of a young boy struggling to cope with his mother's illness who is visited by a giant tree monster who tells him stories. The film is a visually stunning an...

Stephen King's 'Pet Sematary' delves into the raw and terrifying nature of grief and the consequences of tampering with the natural order. The novel follows the Creed family as they discover a mysteri...

Helen Macdonalds memoir is a unique blend of nature writing and personal grief. After the sudden death of her father, Macdonald decides to train a goshawkone of nature's most fierce and unpredictable...

Michelle Zauners memoir is a beautiful exploration of grief, identity, and the role of food in connecting us to our heritage. Following the death of her mother, Zauner reflects on their complex relati...

Maggie O'Farrells 'Hamnet' is a luminous, heartbreaking novel about the death of William Shakespeares young son and the inspiration for his most famous play. The story focuses on Agnes, Shakespeares w...

Pieces of a Woman is a raw, unflinching look at grief following a tragic home birth. Vanessa Kirby delivers a breathtaking performance as a woman navigating the aftermath of loss and the strain it pla...

Your Lie in April is a beautiful, heart-wrenching story about a piano prodigy who loses his ability to hear his own music after his mother's death. His life changes when he meets a free-spirited violi...

Anohana is a poignant exploration of how grief can fracture a group of friends and how they must reconcile their past to move forward. After the death of a childhood friend, the group drifts apart, on...

808s & Heartbreak (2008) was a radical departure for Kanye, embracing autotune and minimalist production to express themes of grief and heartbreak. The album's stark emotionality and unconventional so...

George Saunders' 'Lincoln in the Bardo,' published in 2017, is an experimental historical novel set in a graveyard during the Civil War. The novel utilizes a chorus of voices from the Bardo, a Tibetan...

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross's seminal work, co-authored with David Kessler, builds upon her earlier research on the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). This book provid...

Banana Yoshimoto's *Kitchen* is a short, emotionally resonant novel that explores themes of grief, family, and the comfort found in everyday rituals. The story follows Mikage Sakurai as she navigates...

Shelby Van Pelt's 'Remarkably Bright Creatures' tells the story of a widow who forms an unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus at the local aquarium. The novel explores themes of grief, lone...

The Clockmakers Garden centers on a grieving clockmaker who builds intricate automata that briefly resurrect memories of his deceased wife. As the automata become more sophisticated, the lines between...

This Australian psychological horror film centers on a widowed mother struggling to raise her difficult son, who becomes obsessed with a sinister children's book character called The Babadook. As the...

Kitchen, published in 1988, is a collection of interconnected short stories exploring themes of grief, family, and identity. Yoshimotos writing is known for its lyrical prose and emotional depth. The...

Published in 1983, 'Pet Sematary' delves into the raw and unsettling themes of grief, loss, and the temptation to defy the natural order. Louis Creed, a doctor who moves his family to rural Maine, dis...

PS, I Love You is a romantic drama about Holly Kennedy, who is struggling to cope with the death of her husband, Gerry. Gerry, anticipating Holly's grief, leaves behind a series of letters designed to...

*Clear Record* is a devastatingly honest and deeply personal album documenting Phil Elvrum's grief following the death of his daughter. Recorded in his home studio, the album's sparse instrumentation...