Looking for Heavenly films

November 5, 2008 8:49 PM

Please help me find films that depict heaven or the afterlife

Examples of the type films I'm looking for would include Defending your Life and Heaven Can Wait. I'm particularly interested in films that depict heaven in any way but I'm also interested in movies that depict the afterlife in any form including hell.

posted by cjets to media & arts (42 comments total)

What dreams may come
posted by oceanmorning at 9:01 PM on November 5, 2008

There's What Dreams May Come, which depicts both heaven and hell.
posted by overglow at 9:02 PM on November 5, 2008

Down to Earth. Bedazzled, maybe? That's all I've got for now.
posted by ThirstyEar2 at 9:06 PM on November 5, 2008

Made in Heaven has some scenes that take place in heaven.
posted by peep at 9:07 PM on November 5, 2008

Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey
posted by milkrate at 9:12 PM on November 5, 2008

After Life.
posted by xil at 9:15 PM on November 5, 2008

Seconding After Life,
more afterlife as social service agency:

part of Angels in America
part of BeetleJuice
posted by doncoyote at 9:27 PM on November 5, 2008

Little Nicky.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:29 PM on November 5, 2008

South Park (the movie).
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:30 PM on November 5, 2008

Death Becomes Her.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:32 PM on November 5, 2008

Hell:
Constantine (vaguely interesting, kind of a post-apocalyptic LA)
South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut (words cannot do it justice)
Spawn (lame, by-the-numbers CGI fest)
posted by mkultra at 9:35 PM on November 5, 2008

Scoop.
posted by sbutler at 9:37 PM on November 5, 2008

Ghost.
Ghost Dad.
The Crow.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:37 PM on November 5, 2008

Awesome!

Thanks everyone. Keep it coming. I may have to upgrade my netflix membership.

And love LOVE Bigger, Longer & Uncut. I even have the soundtrack.
posted by cjets at 9:41 PM on November 5, 2008

Defending Your Life, Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep and Rip Torn.
posted by sugarfish at 9:42 PM on November 5, 2008

Shit! Embarrassed now.
posted by sugarfish at 9:42 PM on November 5, 2008

Wristcutters: A Love Story
posted by piedmont at 9:56 PM on November 5, 2008

A Matter of Life and Death, AKA 'Stairway to Heaven'.
posted by ShameSpiral at 9:57 PM on November 5, 2008

Outward Bound: A disparate group of passengers, finding themselves aboard a darkened, fog-enshrouded crewless boat, realize the one thing they have in common is that they are all dead, with the possible exception of a young suicide couple who have not quite crossed over yet. Their stories are revealed as one by one they sit in judgment by Thompson the Examiner.

Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire: two angels descend from heaven to explore the experiences inhabitants of the late 80's West Berlin. The film doesn't depict heaven/hell, but might be of interest for its unique/poetic portrayal of angelic beings. And Nick Cave.

Also: Beetle Juice, Defending Your Life, Fritz Lang's Liliom, Wings of Fame
posted by prinado at 9:58 PM on November 5, 2008

A Matter Of Life and Death
A Life Less Ordinary
posted by merocet at 9:59 PM on November 5, 2008

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. It's Christmas in Heaven!
posted by ShameSpiral at 10:04 PM on November 5, 2008

Heart & Souls
Beetlejuice
posted by polyester.lumberjack at 10:11 PM on November 5, 2008

Made in Heaven
posted by bink at 10:15 PM on November 5, 2008

Hell/Underworld:

Orphée
Monkeybone
Maciste all'inferno(1925)
Maciste all'inferno(1962)
posted by ShameSpiral at 10:19 PM on November 5, 2008

Wandafuru Raifu AKA 'After Life' - Japanese movie about recently deceased people who must choose one memory to take with them into the afterlife.

Corpse Bride has scenes set in Hell.
posted by ShameSpiral at 10:25 PM on November 5, 2008

Oh, sorry, 'After Life' has already been mentioned.

One more: The Green Pastures - 30s movie with African-American cast. Potentially offensive, depending on your sensibilities.
posted by ShameSpiral at 10:33 PM on November 5, 2008

City of Angels
Fallen
The Crow
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
The Order

Not all actually depict Heaven or Hell but they do talk about life after death and/or angels and demons.
posted by digitaldraco at 12:09 AM on November 6, 2008

Diane Keaton's film Heaven is a series of interviews about people's visions of heaven.
posted by spasm at 12:22 AM on November 6, 2008

It's a long time since I've seen it, and I don't know whether it depicts the afterlife or just the fantasies of the dying central character, but All That Jazz (with Jessica Lange looking gorgeous as the Angel of Death) may be worth a look.
posted by ShameSpiral at 12:23 AM on November 6, 2008

I second" Made in Heaven". LOVE that movie. and what a treat to see young Timothy Hutton' s bare butt towards the end..........
posted by Lylo at 1:22 AM on November 6, 2008

Lot's already here that I would have suggested. One additional obscure title is The Mephisto Waltz from 1971.
posted by michswiss at 4:10 AM on November 6, 2008

Chances Are
Two of a Kind

Are you counting Greek mythology? Because that opens up a huge can of worms.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:30 AM on November 6, 2008

Sin noticias de Dios depicts both, and very entertainingly.
posted by timetoevolve at 4:51 AM on November 6, 2008

SPAWN
posted by bleucube at 6:35 AM on November 6, 2008

I came in here to recommend Wandafuru Raifu / After Life. I see that that has already been done three times, but I will repeat the recommendation, because although it does not depict heaven it is the best movie that has been made about the afterlife, and there are a number of similarities to Defending Your Life.
posted by fidelity at 6:37 AM on November 6, 2008

A Life Less Ordinary has a representation of Heaven, angels and all. Warning, though, it's not your typical heaven or angels (Heaven mostly resembles a police station, and one of the major angelic-type characters becomes enamored of trashy romance novels while on Earth, for example). Fabulous movie though, as is most any movie where Ewan McGregor gets to sing.

I guess you could argue that Dogma is partially about the afterlife, though it doesn't really show it. Might be a bit of stretch.
posted by ashirys at 7:05 AM on November 6, 2008

Heaven can Wait
Kid with the broken Halo
The Heavenly Kid
It's a Wonderful Life
Hellraiser
Ghost
All Dogs Go to Heaven
posted by arniec at 7:33 AM on November 6, 2008

Seconding Diane Keaton's Heaven, to add that it includes several clips from other movies that depict heaven and hell (A Matter of Life and Death, for example, as also mentioned earlier).
posted by user92371 at 7:58 AM on November 6, 2008

Well at the risk of a potential major spoiler if you havent seen it yet, Jacobs Ladder.
posted by elendil71 at 8:22 AM on November 6, 2008

Well, the Oh God! series does this.
Bruce Almighty too, though it's largely the same movie.
posted by grateful at 9:20 AM on November 6, 2008

Futuama: The Beast with a Billion Backs depicts heaven as a giant alien rapist.
posted by billybunny at 9:27 AM on November 6, 2008

One of the plot points in Brainstorm, involves a researcher who records the mental experience of her own death and subsequent passing-over to heaven.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:24 AM on November 6, 2008