What dreams may come is a 1998 movie starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Anabella Sciorra. It is not made to be a happy movie whatsoever; in its own way however it has a good ending.
I would not want to spoil the plot too much of it so I will just outline the general idea of the setting. The story follows Robin Williams, the main character, who finds his soul mate; he lives his life with her, they have children, and then things start to go badly. I will just say that the rest of the movie is set in what might be called Heaven and shows the life of the protagonist, glimpses from his past and the relations with his family.
As mentioned, the tone the movie sets is sad, or possibly bittersweet; it never hides the fact that it wants for the viewer to empathize with the pain and suffering that is shown on screen. These moments of anguish however find their counterbalance by an unmeasurable appreciation of life and melancholic happiness for those moments.
It is remarkable that the movie is more than twenty years old as the visual effects are still stunning. There is particular scene that one day may age badly, but in my opinion it is still possible to appreciate it. When the main character arrives in Heaven he finds himself in a world made of paint, in fact he is in a painting that his wife had made; for him it represents a safe place, a known anchor that still ties him to his memories. The painted world, although colorful, has nuances of magic and sadness at the same time. It is here that Cuba Gooding Jr, a guide of sorts, will try to make him grow accustomed to his new circumstances and will give him the key to that heavenly reality:
Thought is real, physical is the illusion.
Many other scenes and scenarios are worth mentioning, but I prefer let you judge the movie for yourselves because it is well worth the watch if you are looking for something on the sadder side of things. A cathartic moment once in while has its reasons to be after all.
I would give this movie an almost 8 out of 10 sad but happy tears.
PS: Robin Williams doing the Naruto run before it was cool.
