Films in which character confront death December 2, 2006 7:01 PM Subscribe
Can anyone suggest films in which a main character has a close confrontation with death and as a result undergoes a dramatic change in personality? posted by quintno to media & arts (46 comments total)
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You could make an argument for any of the many version of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," including, of course, Scrooged. posted by cerebus19 at 7:23 PM on December 2, 2006
Pretty much any and all versions, adaptations and parodies of A Christmas Carol. posted by Faint of Butt at 7:24 PM on December 2, 2006
A Christmas Carol and Its a Wonderful Life both fit your criteria, and are seasonally appropriate... And also Life or Something like it. posted by blaneyphoto at 7:25 PM on December 2, 2006
Forrest Gump (Lt. Dan) and Born on the Fourth of July too. posted by blaneyphoto at 7:34 PM on December 2, 2006
Jules Winfield in Pulp Fiction. posted by MLIS at 7:43 PM on December 2, 2006
It's no "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Carol" but the Family Guy movie meets the criteria. posted by champthom at 7:45 PM on December 2, 2006
Flatliners posted by bach at 8:06 PM on December 2, 2006
"Joe Versus the Volcano" posted by np312 at 8:16 PM on December 2, 2006
To me, movies like "Straw Dogs" and "Deliverance", in which a character has to face a kill or be killed situation, meet your conditions. posted by loosemouth at 8:20 PM on December 2, 2006
Ordinary People. posted by thinman at 8:22 PM on December 2, 2006
Emperor's New Groove.
Toy Story. posted by Dipsomaniac at 8:57 PM on December 2, 2006
If TV counts, the end of season 5 and all of season 6 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. posted by lemuria at 9:21 PM on December 2, 2006
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
3 Women (1977)
Manchurian Candidate (1962) posted by plokent at 9:27 PM on December 2, 2006
Agnes Varda's Cleo From 5 to 7 is an absolutely fantastic example of this, even though the character is dealing for a potentially terminal diagnosis rather than death itself. posted by sarahsynonymous at 9:34 PM on December 2, 2006
Birdy
Dead Zone
Deer Hunter
Donnie Darko
Jacob's Ladder
Julian Po
Kill Bill
Kung Fu Hustle
Last Temptation of Christ
The Natural
The Ninth Configuration
The Onion Field
Not really near-death, but post-mortem personality changes:
Sixth Sense
Defending Your Life posted by forrest at 9:52 PM on December 2, 2006
The Bride Wore Black (La Mariee Etait En Noir) (1968)
Kill Bill: Vol 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol 2 (2004) posted by plokent at 9:57 PM on December 2, 2006
I immediately thought of Office Space. It's not his own death that he's near, but he pretty much says outright that it was responsible for the change in his personality, a scene or two later. posted by pinespree at 11:04 PM on December 2, 2006
The Fountain, but it's not the protagonists death but someone elses that causes a character shift. posted by PenDevil at 12:56 AM on December 3, 2006
If you're willing to wade very deeply into surrealistic & mystical waters, The Holy Mountain.
El Topo too. Also, I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse has a bit about death and transformation in it, though that's starting to go far afield if the OP was looking for stuff in the Regarding Henry vein. posted by PinkStainlessTail at 3:25 AM on December 3, 2006
Vertigo fits, if we can assume Stewart's character also wasn't obsessive before the beginning of the film (after it, of course, he was afraid of heights and became deeply obsessive).
Unfortunately we don't get much time with the character before his near-death experience so it may not be what you're looking for exactly. posted by Tuwa at 7:32 AM on December 3, 2006
the Final Destination series posted by forallmankind at 9:32 AM on December 3, 2006
The 80s Australian film Bliss (a wonderfully peculiar adaptation of Peter Carey's first novel) begins with the near death of a thwarted, middle-aged advertising executive. He dies, briefly, of a heart attack, and is resuscitated only to embark on a turbulent and surreal programme of life re-assessment. posted by hot soup girl at 11:38 AM on December 3, 2006
Totally Pulp Fiction.
Going from a hit-man to a man of god after almost being shot. posted by anonaccount at 5:04 AM on December 5, 2006
In Three Colors: White, a character intentionally arranges a near-death experience to another to change his view about life. posted by Anything at 10:01 PM on December 6, 2006
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posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 7:14 PM on December 2, 2006