From left: Laura Linney and Philip Bosco in “The Savages,” Jack Nicholson in “About Schmidt,” and Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie in “Away from Her.” (Andrew Schwartz/Fox Searchlight Pictures, New Line Productions, Michael Gibson/Lionsgate)As the population inexorably grows older, will there be more movies about aging?
Below is a list of Dr. Dennis McCullough’s favorite films on the subject, listed in an appendix to his new book, “My Mother, Your Mother: Embracing ‘Slow Medicine,’ the Compassionate Approach to Caring for Your Aging Loved Ones,’’ and updated on his Web site.
Dr. McCullough, whose book is as valuable a resource as any I’ve found, commends the movies below for their “gentle, deeply feeling and often funny portrayals of aging.” Please add your favorites to the list — and television shows as well — particularly those that are realistic, rather than treacly — about the the last stage of life, for both the aged themselves and those who love and tend to them. Click on the movie titles to read New York Times Reviews and more.
Umberto D. (1952, Dir. Vittorio De Sica)
Wild Strawberries (1957, Ingmar Bergman)
On Golden Pond (1981, Mark Rydell)
The Trip to Bountiful (1985, Peter Masterson)
Foxfire (1987, Jud Taylor)
The Whales of August (1987, Lindsay Anderson)
Everybody’s Fine (1990, Giuseppe Tornatore)
The Company of Strangers (1991, Cynthia Scott)
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993, Randa Haines)
To Dance With the White Dog (1994, Glenn Jordan)
Buena Vista Social Club (1998, Wim Wenders)
The Straight Story (1999, David Lynch)
Innocence (2000, Paul Cox)
Iris (2001, Richard Eyre)
About Schmidt (2002, Alexander Payne)
Secondhand Lions (2003, Tim McCanlies)
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005, Dan Ireland)
Aurora Borealis (2004, James Burke)
The Savages (2007, Tamara Jenkins)
Away From Her (2006, Sarah Polley)
Follow-up note: Dozens of you wrote in this past week with additional movie suggestions. To see the list and to nominate more, click here.
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