The New York Times has an interesting list of movies that help folks deal with aging up today. The list comes from Dr. Dennis McCullough and is listed in an appendix to his new book, My Mother, Your Mother: Embracing ‘Slow Medicine,’ the Compassionate Approach to Caring for Your Aging Loved Ones,” and updated on his Web site.

Some of the films include more classic works:

• Umberto D. (1952, Dir. Vittorio De Sica)
• Wild Strawberries (1957, Ingmar Bergman)
• Buena Vista Social Club (1998, Wim Wenders)

and some are more recent:

• The Savages (2007, Tamara Jenkins)
• Away From Her (2006, Sarah Polley)

Life is a long process, but too often our cinema is focused on youth (much more escapist). Films about age not only help those who are approaching their elderly years, but they also provide us young folks with some insight into what our older friends might be going through.

My favorite film about aging? You’ll find it after the jump

Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story (Tokyo Monogatari) follows an aging couple as they visit their adult children in Tokyo. It’s a simple, beautiful mediation on generational conflict and how we treat our elderly.

takepart to visit McCullough’s website and see his list of aging resources. And takepart to see Tokyo Story today!