Seniors who watch movies can get several mental health advantages. According to psychologists who use the Cinematherapy method, this is the case. Films can assist in balancing emotions in addition to helping with conflict recognition and comprehension.
It’s crucial to keep the elderly company during downtime since, in addition to the attention provided, doing it with someone else allows for conversation and remarks regarding what is being viewed.
In light of this, we’ve chosen a few classic movies for seniors that you shouldn’t miss, along with narrative summaries and notes on what makes each story engaging for this demographic. See below for our advice!
All together? (2011 — directed by Stephane Robelin)
In this movie, five friends decide to live together in order to avoid burdening their children’s lives with their ageing parents’ memory loss and other age-related concerns. The unconventional life project offers fresh viewpoints, difficulties, and a cohabitation with numerous friendship memories spanning more than 40 years.
An anthropology student decides to focus his thesis on this new way of living for individuals over 75 after becoming interested in it. Among the outstanding cast members are Geraldine Chaplin and Jane Fonda.
The narrative enables the elderly to understand that they are never too old to learn new things or to embrace a new way of life.
Amor (2012—directed by Michael Haneke)
A winner at the Oscars and Cannes for best foreign film, he tells the story of an octogenarian couple named Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), who are music teachers and classical music enthusiasts and who live independently in a Parisian apartment thanks to their great love.
They spend time listening to music, but the wife’s unexpected stroke paralyses one side of her body. The couple’s routine is disrupted by this event, which also tests their love for one another.
The characters’ interpretations inspire the senior viewer of the movie to consider the frailty and boundaries of human dignity.
Elsa & Fred (2014 — directed by Michael Radford)
The contrast between a vivacious woman who lives alone and a cranky elderly guy who despises leaving the house is explored in the movie. They come into contact after Elsa (Shirley MacLaine) causes a small automobile accident as she leaves home by breaking Lydia’s (Marcia Gay Harden) headlights, the daughter of a new neighbour, Fred (Christopher Plummer).
Elsa is now free to cover the damage after some conversations regarding what transpired. Despite having quite different temperaments, she and Fred have become closer over time.
The narrative is intriguing for seniors because it causes them to consider if two persons with such different personalities may live together in harmony and love.
Love is Strange (2014 — directed by Ira Sachs)
With the help of their friends and families, George (Alfred Molina), a professor who has never concealed his homosexuality, and Ben (John Lithgow), who has been married for 40 years, decide to get married in this movie.
The couple’s lives are significantly impacted by the financial crisis and the fact that George is unemployed. They separate as a result of the circumstance and relocate to friends and family’s houses till things go back to normal. Without identifying the perpetrators or villains, the developing and uncomfortable sense of getting in the way or being hampered in daily life is shown.
In this way, the movie helps the elderly understand that love is not strange—it is simply what they are surrounded by. It also causes us to reevaluate the issue of homophobic discrimination by illuminating the fact that human emotions are stronger than the constraints placed on them by society.
The Bucket List (2007 — Directed by Rob Reiner)
The movie depicts the tale of two guys who meet while receiving treatment for terminal cancer at a hospital. Despite the small amount of time they have left, they decide to make a list of things they want to do before they pass away, which includes seeing the globe.
We cry while watching the Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman characters, who make the elderly reevaluate the importance of living each day as if it were their last.
