Top 10 Films About Aging And The Elderly

The representation of elderly characters in mainstream movies has occasionally been problematic or patronizing, and older people's perspectives have historically tended to be ignored within youth-focused pop culture debates. On the other hand, there is a wide variety of films that explore the lives of older people in all their complexity and diversity, highlighting, among many other themes, long marriages, risky journeys, poor health, new connections, and opportunities, as well as the existential questions that ineluctably arise as life comes to an end. Here are 10 fantastic examples of senior citizen representation on the big screen, mixing well-known classics with less well-known movies.

1. The Up Series

They've barely reached the age of 56. Many people would consider them to be past middle age. However, the metamorphosis has been breathtaking since we have seen these incredible men and women age every seven years since they were each seven. Given the period in which it was produced and the eras it depicts, this outstanding documentary series makes the case that, in some cases, who we were as children will determine whom we become as adults. On the other hand, a lot of the improvements made here are astounding in terms of their maturity and meaning. This is the ultimate movie depiction of what it's like to get older. Period.

2. Away From Her

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, the Dawn of the Dead remake, and now filmmaker Sarah Polley's first feature picture, tells the horrifying tale of an elderly couple who must confront the fact that one of them has forgotten the other. Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (a great... BRILLIANT Julie Christie) have been together for what feels like an eternity. She is moved into a nursing home when she is diagnosed with a severe form of Alzheimer's. She eventually moves in with another resident and entirely forgets about her adoring husband. The conclusion is as tragic as they come.

3. Amour

What would you do if your soul mate—the person you've loved and shared the most with throughout your long life—suddenly changed? Not much at first; a little confused and needier; and then, BANG! completely dependent, and ready to pass away. How would you respond? What would you do? This remarkable cinematic declaration, which won the Palm d'Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, provided controversial filmmaker Michael Haenke (The White Ribbon, Funny Games) with his answer. In all honesty, the movie deserved a lot more praise. Nobody has done a better job at expressing the agony and anguish of losing one's love (amour).

4. The Straight Story

Believe it or not, this is a Disney production directed by David Lynch David Lynch is a renowned American film director, >> Read More... . Additionally, it had a "G" rating. And even it isn't the most striking feature of this fantastic movie. Richard Farnsworth, who is only partially able to walk due to bone cancer, was a warrior throughout the whole filming process and astounded everyone, including the director, with his incredible work ethic. Although he would kill himself the year after, his role as an elderly vet riding a riding lawnmower to visit his dying, estranged brother ( Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton is a critically acclaimed Ameri >> Read More... ) sounds like ideal Lynch material. But instead of transforming the story into one of his trademark fever dreams, he gave us a gentle, straightforward classic.

5. Strangers In Good Company

Another lost movie with an original "docufiction" style. A bus journey through the Canadian countryside is taken by eight elderly women. They spend time in a remote lodge reflecting on their lives after their vehicle breaks down. The "actresses," who were all actual senior citizens, received a straightforward plot. They then rambled, each recalling events from their own particular lives. The result is a stunning account of the bravery required to be a woman and the challenges associated with doing so. This is a small masterwork that deserves to be rediscovered due to its genuine spirit and relative obscurity.

6. Unhook The Stars

Gena Rowlands received a role as a gift from Nick Cassavetes in his debut film as a filmmaker, Unhook the Stars. The film by Cassavetes may not have the same experimental edge as that of his father John, but it more than makes up for it with humanistic understanding. Rowlands portrays Mildred, a widow with two adult children. Mildred's life is given some excitement and a new purpose with the arrival of Marisa Tomei's turbulent neighbor Monica, especially when she is given the responsibility of caring for Monica's son J.J. (Jake Lloyd), with whom she quickly develops a close relationship. Mildred finds herself rejected when J.J.'s absent father is unexpectedly welcomed back into the family, and she is forced to consider a life for herself that goes beyond the caring responsibilities that have always defined her.

7. Radiator

Along with the wave of primarily humorous "elderly ensemble" movies that John Madden's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) helped to usher in, the 2010s also saw the release of several intimate, somber chamber dramas about couples who were ending long marriages. Among the most memorable of these are Michael Haneke's devastating Amour (2012) and Andrew Haigh's slyly subversive 45 Years (2015).

8. Make Way For Tomorrow

Greene described the dramatic effect of Leo McCarey's drama, which directly confronts generational differences and family conflicts during the Great Depression, as "a sense of anguish and inhumanity is left quivering in the nerves." Beulah Bondi and Victor Moore portray an elderly couple who are struggling financially and have lost their home to foreclosure. The pair is then divided and shuffled between their uncaring or uninterested children, who genuinely don't want to bother with their parents' care.

9. Ikiru

If Make Way for Tomorrow's premise sounds familiar, it may be because Yasujiro Ozu took inspiration from it for Tokyo Story (1953). Indeed, the portrayal of elderly individuals in Japanese films frequently demonstrates a notable level of intelligence and sympathy. Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru, a gorgeous drama by Akira Kurosawa that was inspired by Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych, was released a year before Tokyo Story and is another classic of Japanese elder depiction.

10. Tokyo Story

More than one person can mature at once. A society may occasionally "outgrow" its senior citizens. Japan is a good example. A dramatic shift took place after World War II World War II is a Malayalam information TV show on >> Read More... when opportunities provided by technology allowed rural dwellers to uproot themselves and move to the metropolis. Those left behind become bogged down in stale customs and a sense of social isolation. These are the themes of Yasujir Ozu's masterwork, frequently recognized as one of the greatest movies ever, about an elderly couple visiting their far too busy care for adult children in the titular metropolis. Only their widowed daughter-in-law treats them with deference due to their age and gratitude for their prior efforts.