There are few movies that truly capture what it is like let go and leave behind the ones you love the most in the world. Death is one of the hardest things to convey on screen, and many films simply don’t do justice to the heart wrenching feelings that occur during these traumatic times. It’s a topic that many people stray from, yet the movie A Little Bit of Heaven brings everything to the table, and leaves the audience with more than tears.

Marley Corbett (Kate Hudson) is a free spirited young woman who appears to have the whole world at her fingertips. She is carefree, and has incredible friends and family. Marley appears to have everything going for her, when suddenly out of she is diagnosed with terminal colon cancer, yet unlike most people, her world does not fall apart- it only improves.

Instead of waiting around for the inevitable, Marley continues to live her life as she pleases, and her thrilling personality continues to shine bright. In her last months, Marley tries to fight off her true feelings for her doctor, Julian (Gael García Bernal). Yet despite her efforts, Marley finally succumbs to her heart, and the rest all falls into place.

A Little Bit of Heaven is much more than a love story, it is a film that elicits raw emotion from the audience. To say this film is a tearjerker is an understatement. The movie fully depicts the inner thoughts and feelings that everyone has experienced, and still manages to display them beautifully.

Many people refuse to ask the questions that have crossed everyone’s minds at some point, such as “Where do we go when we pass on?” or “What will happen to my family and friends?” All of these questions are seemingly impossible to answer because no one knows for sure what will become of us when our time comes, but A Little Bit of Heaven tries to answer these questions to the best of their abilities. The director, Nicole Kassell combines love, humor, and happiness into this equation, and the answer holds the power to make the audience think differently about life.

Similarly, this movie shows the audience that life is a blessing, and that everyone should find love and their lifetimes. Our health, our friends, and our family are too important to be overlooked. This film clearly depicts that anything can happen to us, and that we need to cherish everything we have in our lives.

Furthermore, Kate Hudson delivers a spectacular performance as the protagonist of the film. She depicts the fear of death, the love of her friends, and the bravery of her choices throughout the entire film. Hudson won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In addition, other big names celebrities such as Kathy Bates (Marley’s mother) contribute to the overall emotion of the film. The mother-daughter relationship serves as an emotional beacon and helps the audience see the story from a different point of view. Her performance shows the audience what it’s like for a parent to struggle with the powerlessness over her daughter’s fate, and the truly heart wrenching pain that everyone goes through when losing a loved one. This movie not only evokes emotion deep within our hearts, but changes our view of how we live our lives to the fullest.