Today, the seventh art is one of the most popular among the general population, with most of us having gone to see more than one film on occasion. It is attended by people of all walks of life and ages, from the youngest to the oldest. In general, all films are more or less enjoyable for everyone, although in the case of children, certain contents or genres would not be appropriate.

But we can also see how some films are more focused on a specific audience, or make it easy for a certain type of population to feel more identified. An example of this is that is dedicated to the elderly .

While any film may actually be suitable for an older person, some are likely to make greater reference to problems that are more prevalent in later life or to promote a perspective that helps to deal with old age in a positive way. That is why in this article we will recommend a brief selection of films for older people .

Films for the Elderly

As we have just mentioned, below we will see a series of films for older people, specifically about fifteen of them. A selection of films has been made, most of which are relatively recent, although we can also see several classics among them.

1. In the Golden Pond (1981)

This old film tells us how Norma and Ethel Thayer, an elderly couple, retire to Golden Point or the Golden Pond, to spend their summer holidays. There we see how Ethel gradually suffers from various ailments and limitations, and slowly begins to show signs of Alzheimer’s disease . The couple will also have to deal with the visit of their daughter, who has a tense relationship with her father.

2. A stroke with style (2017)

This film, very recent in time, tells us how three retired people decide to rob a bank despite their long age to get their money back, after the bank has cancelled their pension plans.

3. Cinema Paradiso (1998)

This well-known Italian film tells us about the life of Salvatore Di Vita, who as a child discovered his taste for cinema and went to the cinema that gives its name to the film whenever he could. There, little by little he started making friends with Alfredo , an older man who is in charge of controlling the projection of the films.

From him she will learn the basics of her profession, to the point that she will also work as a planner as her relationship with the elderly grows deeper and she turns to him for advice in various facets of her life. With the passing of time and thanks in part to the advice and role of the elderly Alfredo in his life, he will succeed in becoming a highly recognized film director.

4. Elsa and Fred (2005)

A story that encourages us to enjoy the time we have despite the loss and sadness. The film introduces us to the octogenarian Fred Barcroft , who has recently suffered the loss of his wife and because of this finds himself apathetic, with little desire to do things.

He moves, at first involuntarily and at his daughter’s insistence, to a smaller apartment. Fortunately, in his new home he will meet (and end up falling in love with) his neighbour, Elsa, a lady of a similar age to him who, unlike him, is a cheerful woman who wants to fulfil his dreams and who will help him to see that he still has a long way to go.

5. The exotic hotel Marigold (2011)

In this well-known and popular film, which has had a sequel, a group of elderly retirees decide to enjoy retirement in the renowned Marigold Hotel in India. Although when they arrive at the hotel they find that it is not what they expected, being in poor condition and in the hands of an inexperienced young man, little by little the old people are going to begin to rediscover what life has to offer them .

6. Gran Torino (2008)

In this play, Walt, a retired war veteran and recent widower, who expresses rejection of the Asian community (in part because of its involvement in the Korean War) that he believes is invading his town, discovers how a young man of that race tries to steal his car because of pressure from a local gang. In spite of his reticence, he decides to help him and his sister, which throughout the film he will do to acquire a more flexible vision of reality .

7. Beginners (2010)

This film focuses on the figure of Oliver, a man who will meet an actress with whom he will have a relationship while remembering the story of his recently deceased father. Some time before his death, after being widowed and at the age of 75, he would decide to come out of the closet , confessing to his son that he was gay and open up to live freely.

8. Le Week-end (2011)

In this film we see how an elderly couple with a somewhat tense relationship decide to return to the place of their honeymoon, Paris, during their thirtieth anniversary in order to try to fix their situation. However the trip does not work at first , often discussing various aspects of their relationship.

Also during the trip they meet an old friend of the husband, something that together with a series of unexpected experiences and problems will achieve that both acquire a new vision of life and their relationship.

9. Cocoon (1985)

A film with fantastic tints, in which some old people who live in a nursing home discover the fountain of eternal youth in a pool where some cocoons of alien origin dwell, something that will make them recover their strength and regain the feeling of strength and vitality of youth.

10. Three times 20 years (2011)

This romantic comedy stars a sexagenarian couple who live their lives actively until one day they realize they are already reaching old age, something to which he reacts by trying to stay young while she tries to prepare for old age. This causes conflicts to arise and they separate, at least initially.

11. RED (2010)

A film that brings together action and comedy to make us see that we should not underestimate those who have already retired, showing us how retired and elderly former agents investigate how and why they are chasing and trying to kill one of them, Frank Moses.

12. A True Story (1999)

This story is based on a true story. It tells us how an old man with different health problems and in charge of a daughter with a disability decides to travel more than five hundred kilometres by tractor (the only means of transport he has), in order to see his brother again, who has recently had a heart attack and has not been spoken to for years.

13. The Twilight of the Gods (1950)

An old film that tells the story of how former star Norma Desmond welcomes young screenwriter Joe Gillis into her home, and tries to hire him to revise a script she herself wrote to return to the world of cinema. However, in time she ends up trying to do something more with the young scriptwriter, something that will end up having serious repercussions for him.

14. Harold and Maude (1971)

This film offers us the story of Harold, a young man who is obsessed with death and who will meet Maude, a benevolent old woman, during a funeral . Little by little the old woman will teach him to value life, while establishing a friendship and eventually even a romantic relationship.

15. In the seventh heaven (2008)

This German film makes us see that sex and passion is not something that has to be lost over the years. The story introduces us to Inge, an elderly housewife who finds herself involved in a love triangle between herself, her husband and a man named Karl, in a story in which we see not only love and sex but a reflection on life.