15 Films Addressing Cancer You Need To See
Whether you’re living with the disease first-hand or know someone who is, experiencing cancer can feel like an isolating experience. However, despite the feelings of solitude that come with this disease, you are not alone. 1 in 2 people will develop some form of Cancer in their lifetime, meaning most people on Earth have a cancer story to tell. These real-world experiences have been translated to screen many times over the years, resulting in fantastic films that serve to engage, entertain and educate around the topic of cancer.
From Ordinary Love’s heartbreaking representation of breast cancer to 50/50’s slightly comedic take on a cancer battle, there are plenty of films addressing cancer in almost every genre.
Waves (2019)
Traces the journey of a suburban family — led by a well-intentioned but domineering father — as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.
Starring: Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Alexa Demie
Runtime: 2hr 15m | Genre: Drama/Romance
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Letterboxd: 3.8/5
IMDB: 7.5/10
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)
High schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer.
Starring: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke
Runtime: 1hr 45m | Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
RT: 81%
Letterboxd: 3.8/5
IMDB: 7.7/10
Wit (2001)
A renowned professor is forced to reassess her life when she is diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer.
Starring: Emma Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Atkins
Runtime: 1hr 39m | Genre: Drama
RT: 83%
Letterboxd: 3.7/5
IMDB: 8/10
My Life Without Me (2003)
A young woman conceals the fact of her terminal cancer to live her life with a passion she never had before.
Starring: Sarah Polley, Scott Speedman, Mark Ruffalo
Runtime: 1hr 46m | Genre: Drama/Romance
RT: 65%
Letterboxd: 3.6/5
IMDB: 7.4/10
50/50 (2011)
Inspired by a true story, a comedy centred on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick
Runtime: 1hr 40m | Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
RT: 93%
Letterboxd: 3.6/5
IMDB: 7.6/10
Other People (2016)
A struggling comedy writer, fresh off a breakup and in the midst of the worst year of his life, returns to Sacramento to care for his dying mother.
Starring: Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford
Runtime: 1hr 37m | Genre: Comedy/Drama
RT: 85%
Letterboxd: 3.6/5
IMDB: 6.8/10
Time To Leave (2005)
A fashion photographer with terminal cancer elects to die alone, preparing others to live past him rather than prolong the inevitable with chemotherapy or be smothered in sympathy by those who know him.
Starring: Melvil Poupaud, Jeanne Moreau, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Runtime: 1hr 21m | Genre: Drama
RT: 74%
Letterboxd: 3.5
IMDB: 7.1/10
Ordinary Love (2019)
An extraordinary look at the lives of a middle-aged couple in the midst of the wife’s breast cancer diagnosis.
Starring: Lesley Manville, Liam Neeson, Esh Alladi
Runtime: 1hr 32m | Genre: Drama/Romance
RT: 93%
Letterboxd: 3.5/5
IMDB: 6.6/10
Stepmom (1998)
A terminally ill woman must deal with her ex-husband’s new lover, who will be their children’s stepmother.
Starring: Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Ed Harris
Runtime: 2hr 5m | Genre: Comedy/Drama
RT: 44%
Letterboxd: 3.5
IMDB: 6.8/10
Clouds (2020)
Based on real events, a young musician discovers his cancer has spread, leaving him just a few months to live. With limited time, he follows his dream and makes an album, unaware that it will soon be a viral music phenomenon.
Starring: Fin Argus, Neve Campbell, Sabrina Carpenter
Runtime: 2hr 1m | Genre: Biography/Drama/Music
RT: 79%
Letterboxd: 3.4
IMDB: 7.5/10
Ways To Live Forever (2010)
Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs and horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl. And because he has leukemia he wants to know the facts about dying. Sam needs answers to the questions nobody will answer.
Starring: Robbie Kay, Alex Etel, Emilia Fox
Runtime: 1hr 30m | Genre: Drama/Family
RT: 83%
Letterboxd: 3.4
IMDB: 6.9/10
Miss You Already (2015)
The friendship between two life-long girlfriends is put to the test when one starts a family and the other falls ill.
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, Dominic Cooper
Runtime: 1hr 52m | Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
RT: 71%
Letterboxd: 3.3
IMDB: 6.8/10
The Doctor (1991)
When a self-centred doctor is diagnosed with cancer, he becomes better able to empathise with his patients and appreciate life outside his career.
Starring: William Hurt, Christine Lahti, Elizabeth Perkins
Runtime: 2hr 2m | Genre: Drama
RT: 83%
Letterboxd: 3.2
IMDB: 6.9/10
Life as a House (2001)
When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas
Runtime: 2hr 5m | Genre: Drama
RT: 47%
Letterboxd: 3.3
IMDB: 7.4/10
The Guitar (2008)
The life of a woman is transformed after she is diagnosed with a terminal disease, fired from her job and abandoned by her boyfriend. Given two months to live, she throws caution to the wind to pursue her dreams.
Starring: Saffron Burrows, Isaach De Bankolé, Paz de la Huerta
Runtime: 1hr 35m | Genre: Drama/Music/Romance
RT: 33%
Letterboxd: 3.3
IMDB: 6.4/10
