Four Films on Grief and Bereavement
Uncoupled
Dealing With the Death of a Spouse
By the Calgary Health Region Grief Support Center

Part of the Four Films on Grief and Bereavement series which is available on a single DVD!

In the aftermath of a spouse's death, many people describe an "early daze," when they feel that they don't know how to behave, or even to mourn properly. Finding themselves alone for the first time in years, grieving spouses often feel that there is no one there to help them sort through this devastation. Within days or weeks following the funeral, most friends and family will go back to their normal lives, leaving the bereaved spouse isolated and alone, to figure out how to go on living without the one person they counted on. This documentary profiles four people at varying stages of dealing with these feelings, as they explain what worked and did not work for them during the months and years after their loss. How did they cope in the first days following the death? What did they do with their loved ones' possessions? What did it feel like when friends stopped calling because they were no longer a part of "a couple" and others didn't feel comfortable around their pain? How did they maintain a feeling of relationship with the dead spouse while exploring the possibility of a healthy future? The interviewee's candid and deeply personal responses will be supportive for anyone dealing with the death of a spouse. The program is chaptered for easier classroom use.

24 minutes
© 2006
Purchase $199 DVD
Order No. QA-492
ISBN (DVD) 1-57295-969-X

Reviews
"Highly Recommended. This film transports the viewer directly into the heart of grief and loss. While the subject of the film is haunting and compelling, love shines throughout the film. This creative presentation of grief and loss should result in viewers becoming more knowledgeable and more empathetic about the subject." Educational Media Reviews Online

Related Films
Four Films on Grief and Bereavement: This four-part series profiles individuals who are struggling to deal with the often unexpected death of a loved one: a child, a parent, a spouse, or a sibling. Their thoughtful, courageous responses focus on dealing with the immediate impact of loss, on paths to healing, and on the ways that friends and family can help — but sometimes don’t. In sharing the pain of mourning, they explore universal experiences that will help others to begin healing.

Out of Order: When children die before their parents, it seems a violation of the natural order of things. In this short documentary, three couples talk of what they've gone through since the recent deaths of their children through illness, accident, or suicide.

Dearly Loved: In this short trigger film three young adults, from different cultural backgrounds, talk frankly and movingly about what it has been like to experience the death of a parent.

A Family Disrupted: The death of a sibling is a profound experience, representing the loss of a shared history, and an uncertain future without the cherished loved one whose companionship may sometimes have been taken for granted. Lois, Jerry, and Claire have each unexpectedly lost a sibling. They share moving insights into how they and their families have coped with grief and with the perhaps unanswerable questions of death and loss.

Grief in America: A comprehensive, multi-ethnic perspective on the ways Americans deal with grief and loss in all their forms.

To rent or purchase this film, please visit the Icarus Films website

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