8 Netflix Shows on Death, Grief, and the Afterlife
Going through the stages of grief can be isolating and emotionally draining. Explaining how you feel to others might leave you lost for words. In these moments, we can turn to art and culture to explain our loss.
Grief is a universal emotion that everyone will have to face at some point. Death is an essential part of being human, and losing a loved one is something that we cannot avoid. The only way we can avoid it would be to never love another, but a person cannot live this way.
By turning to art and culture for advice, it can help us to feel less alone in our grief. Watching grief play out on the big screen can remind us that we are not alone. With this in mind, let’s look at some of the best Netflix dramas that address themes of death, grief, and the afterlife.
Good Grief
A departure from Daniel Levy’s last Netflix show, Schitt’s Creek, Good Grief takes a poignant look at grief and the grieving process. Told from the perspective of a couple in love, Marc and Oliver appear to have it all.
When Marc must face life without his other half, he learns to rely on his friends for support. Revelations about his former partner’s life allow him to find the closure he was looking for. Eventually, he learns that he has the strength within himself to forge a life on his own, out of the shadow of his former artist partner.
After Life
Ricky Gervais takes the lead in this touching and, at times, difficult watch. After losing his wife, Gervais’s character considers ending it all but decides instead to be a thorn in the side of the universe. He discovers he can manage his grief by living life with abandon, doing and saying as he pleases.
Dead To Me
Two young women meet at a support group for grieving individuals, and their opposite personalities collide but ultimately find comfort in one another. As we learn more about the characters and what brought them to the support group, we discover that not everything is as it seems.
Black Mirror: San Junipero
While we usually expect bleak and dystopian from Black Mirror episodes, this installment led us down a different path. It offered an alternative view of death with individuals able to choose how they live out the rest of their afterlife. And obviously, you can expect an anticipated Black Mirror twist.
Pieces of a Woman
After a home birth goes horribly wrong, a woman is left dealing with the grief as she becomes estranged from her family and friends. It has been described as a character study on grief, so it could help you to feel less alone as you navigate this new stage of your life.
The Fault in Our Stars
The best-selling book gets the big-screen treatment. The Fault in Our Stars is the story of two terminally ill teenagers falling in love. It is a funny and touching look at living with a death sentence, which could help you to explore these incredibly complex feelings.
Russian Doll
For a touch of comic relief and a mind-bending romp through the afterlife, consider Russian Doll as your next watch. Natasha Lyon plays the role of Nadia, a game developer who repeatedly dies and lives and lives the same night over and over again, unable to escape the endless loop. She sets about trying to solve the mystery so she can either get back to her life or start her afterlife.
The Haunting of Hill House
Although this is a horror series based on the book by horror heavyweight Shirley Jackson, there are still prominent themes of death and grief throughout. A family is drifting apart following the tragic events that took place in their childhood in Hill House.
After the death of a prominent character, those left behind seek their own ways to deal with grief. If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, this should certainly capture your attention. Just be prepared for the numerous jump scenes that might be a little too much for your grieving mind—or they could be precisely what you need.