This selection of films highlights the strong relationships that can form between humans and other animals, not all of whom are dogs or cats, and not all films are made for young children. Additional films that deal with grief can be found on the curated film list of the Green Pet-Burial Society.

Au Hasard Balthazar. Directed and written by Robert Bresson. 1966. France. [A cinematic masterpiece. Throughout his life, a donkey is shuffled from one human to another, serving their stories – some cruel, others kind.]

Babe. Directed by Chris Noonan. 1995. Kennedy Miller Productions. USA. [Adapted from the children’s novel, The Sheep-Pig, by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983.]

Ben. Directed by Phil Karlson. 1972. Bing Crosby Productions. USA. [A boy’s friendship with a rat is threatened. A sequel to the 1971 film, Willard. In this unusual film that draws upon horror elements, Ben leads other rats in search of food, and several people are killed in the process, yet the loving relationship between boy and rat endures. The theme song became a big hit.]

Bless the Beasts and Children. Directed by Stanley Kramer. 1971. [Adapted from the novel by Glendon Swarthout. Its theme song by the same name was performed by the Carpenters].

Born Free. Directed by James Hill. 1966. Open Road Films, Ltd. UK, Ethiopia, Kenya. [Based on the 1960 book of the same name by Joy Adamson, describes Adamson’s experience raising an orphaned lion cub named Elsa who is released back to the wild.]

EO. Directed and cowritten by Jerzy Skolimowski. 2022. Skopia Films. Poland, Italy. [A donkey’s perspective as he moves through Europe and meets humans are indifferent or cruel, and those who are kind.]

Goodbye to Language. Directed and written by Jean-Luc Godard. 2014. Canal+. France, Switzerland. [An experimental film in 3D that is a montage of images, quotes, sound, and a dog – the only one who can see clearly]

Gorillas in the Mist. Directed by Michael Apted. 1988. Universal Pictures. USA.

Kedi. Directed by Ceyda Torun. 2016. Termite Films. Türkiye. [A documentary about stray cats that live in Istanbul, and the people who observe and interact with them.]

My Dog Tulip. Directed by Paul Fierlinger. 2009. Produced by Howard Kaminsky. USA. [Geared for adult audiences. Based on the 1956 memoir of the same name by J. R. Ackerley.]

Pound. Directed and written by Robert Downey, Sr. 1970. Pound Company. USA. [A film that serves as both commentary on and allegory for relations among different groups and stereotypes of people, while simultaneously attempting to illustrate life in a dog pound from the dogs’ point of view. Human actors play the dogs. Film debut of Robert Downey, Jr. Background]

Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog. Directed by Lynn Roth. 2019. FocusFox Studio. USA and Hungary. [Based on the novel, “The Jewish Dog,” by Asher Kravitz. [A family adventure with the historical backdrop of WWII. The film follows the journey of Caleb, a German Shepherd who is taken from his Jewish family due to a Nazi ban on pets. He is then trained by the SS to attack Jewish prisoners. Caleb is reunited with Joshua, who is now a prisoner in the concentration camp.]

Storm Boy. Directed by Shawn Seet. 2019. Ambience Entertainment. Australia. [A remake of the 1976 film, based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Colin Thiele. Streaming platform Kanopy.com includes a Study Guide.]

The Cow (Persian: گاو). Directed by Dariush Mehrjui. 1969. Iranian Ministry of Culture. Iran. Screenplay by Gholam-Hossein Saedi based on his own play and novel. [The psychic connection between a man and his cow in a small village. Generating psychological and political analyses, this is thought to mark the beginning of the Iranian New Wave.]

Umberto D. Directed by Vittorio De Sica. 1952. Produced by Rizzoli-De Sica-Amato. Italy. [According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, this was De Sica’s favorite of all his films. Warning: some tough scenes with dogs, as well as to a chicken and ants.]

War Horse. Directed by Steven Spielberg. 2011. DreamWorks Pictures. USA. [Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo and its 2007 theatrical adaptation.]

Wendy and Lucy. Directed by Kelly Reichardt. 20. Field Guide Films. USA. [Adapted from the short story, Train Choir, by Jon Raymond.]

White Fang. Directed by Randal Kleiser. 1991. Walt Disney Pictures. USA. [Based on the 1906 novel of the same name by Jack London.]

Documentary

A Little Vicious. Directed by Immy Humes. 1991. The Doc Tank Inc. USA. [A dated yet interesting documentary. Wikipedia: “A dog in Connecticut about to be killed for biting people, until animal trainer Vicki Hearne steps in to help. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.”]

Buck. Directed by Cindy Meehl. 2011. Cedar Creek Productions. USA. [A profile of Dan M. “Buck” Brannaman whose method of training horses – rather than the conventional method to ‘break’ them (reminiscent of the physical abuse he and his brother endured as children) – was to work with how horses think and communicate so that they will accept relationships with humans.]

Pariah Dog. Directed by Jesse Alk. 2019. India. [“Tens of thousands of native dogs live and die on the streets of Kolkata, India” – this film tells their story. Mesmerizing, beautiful cinematography, heartbreaking scenes of dogs and one chained monkey. Heartwarming stories of a few people who struggle to help these dogs, despite, or enriched by their own personal struggles to get by.]