The best afterlife movies on Next Level Soul TV are Afterlife: What Happens When You Die for a clear overview, The Life After Death Project for evidence from mediums and scientists, and Dearly Departed for comfort about loved ones who have crossed over.
Below are 13 films and documentaries grouped by what you want to know: the evidence for life after death, messages from loved ones and mediums, and how to face dying and grief. Each one comes with who it is for and a button to watch on Next Level Soul TV.
Key Takeaways
- Start with Afterlife: What Happens When You Die. At 58 minutes it blends science, near-death accounts and wisdom traditions into one hopeful overview.
- For evidence, watch Afterlife: Beyond the Light, The Life After Death Project, 44 Hours or Ghosts and the Afterlife.
- For comfort and messages from loved ones, try Dearly Departed, Messages of Hope or Crossing the River.
- For dying, hospice and grief, see The Little Things, Getting Grace or A Stage of Twilight.
- Every film here is on Next Level Soul TV. Hold each one with discernment: documentaries share a point of view, and we say where a film asks questions science cannot yet answer.
What Are Afterlife Movies?
An afterlife movie is a film or documentary that explores what may happen to consciousness after death. Some gather near-death accounts and evidence, some follow mediums and messages from loved ones, and some are dramas about facing loss with love.
If you want the bigger picture first, start with our guides to near-death experiences and near-death experience stories, or our explainer on consciousness. Several films here also connect to spirit guides and mediumship.
Best Afterlife Movies at a Glance
| Film | Best for | Type | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afterlife: What Happens When You Die | First overview | Documentary | Science and spirit |
| Afterlife: Beyond the Light | Near-death and shared-death stories | Documentary | Research and testimony |
| The Life After Death Project | Evidence and mediums | Documentary | Survival evidence |
| 44 Hours | A firsthand story | Documentary | Brain death and awareness |
| Ghosts and the Afterlife | Spirit encounters | Documentary | The spirit realm |
| Dearly Departed | Comfort and love | Film | Loved ones across the veil |
| Messages of Hope | Mediumship basics | Documentary | Evidential mediumship |
| Crossing the River | Ritual and grief | Interview | Sacred death care |
| The Little Things | Hospice and love | Documentary | Children’s hospice |
| Wine, Women & Dementia | Family caregivers | Documentary | Dementia and the soul |
| Getting Grace | Living fully | Film | Dying with humor |
| A Stage of Twilight | End-of-life choices | Film | Love and letting go |
| Being Dead | Quiet reflection | Film | Mortality and nature |
How Do I Choose the Right Afterlife Movie?
Start with the question you are carrying. If it is “is there life after death?”, pick Afterlife, Afterlife: Beyond the Light or The Life After Death Project. If it is “can I hear from someone I lost?”, pick Dearly Departed or Messages of Hope. If it is “how do I face dying or grief?”, pick The Little Things or Getting Grace.
A few simple guides help:
- Short on time? Messages of Hope runs 40 minutes and Afterlife runs 58 minutes.
- Want a story, not a lecture? Watch Getting Grace or A Stage of Twilight.
- Curious about near-death research? See our guide to near-death experiences and our list of near-death experience books.
Evidence, Science and Near-Death Testimony
These five documentaries weigh the case for life beyond death, from near-death accounts and mediums to a man who was declared brain dead yet stayed aware.
1. Afterlife: What Happens When You Die
Documentary | 58 min
A profound look beyond the veil of mortality, where science, spirituality and personal testimony meet. Through intimate interviews, near-death experiences and ancient wisdom traditions, the film asks what truly awaits us after death, a timeless human question.
It invites you to consider the continuity of consciousness, the nature of the soul and the possibility that death is a transformation, not an ending. It challenges fear, ignites curiosity and offers hope in under an hour, making it an easy first watch.
Best for: First-time viewers who want one clear, hopeful overview of life after death.
2. Afterlife: Beyond the Light
Documentary | 1 hr 13 min | TV-14
Everyday people recount leaving their bodies, moving through light or mist and feeling a deep sense of peace and homecoming. Their near-death and shared-death stories sit beside researchers like Dr. Raymond Moody and William Peters of the Shared Crossing Project.
The film blends personal testimony with those decades of research to ask what these experiences reveal about consciousness and what happens when we die. It is one of the newest documentaries on Next Level Soul TV, rated TV-14, so it suits most viewers.
Best for: Viewers who want real near-death and shared-death stories set beside decades of research.
3. The Life After Death Project
Documentary | 1 hr 46 min
Esteemed authors, respected science professors and skilled mediums unite to look for evidence of life beyond death. The film follows the enigmatic case of a celebrated futurist and scholar, and the surprising encounters and signs that surround it.
As the experts move between science and spirit, they piece together evidence they believe may change how we see the afterlife. It suits viewers who like to follow an investigation, weigh the clues and decide for themselves what it all means.
Best for: Curious skeptics who want authors, scientists and mediums weighing evidence together.
4. 44 Hours
Documentary | 1 hr 22 min
Gil Avni is declared brain dead and given only hours to live, yet his consciousness stays fully awake beneath the stillness of his body. Trapped in silence, he witnesses his loved ones say goodbye while existing in a liminal space between worlds.
When he awakens 44 hours later, he offers a rare, living testimony to awareness beyond the body. His story challenges how we understand consciousness, reshapes questions in medical ethics and invites deeper spiritual inquiry into what it means to be alive.
Best for: Anyone drawn to near-death and consciousness questions who wants one person’s firsthand story.
5. Ghosts and the Afterlife
Documentary | 1 hr 11 min
A journey into the mysteries of the spirit realm told through personal stories, scientific perspectives and compelling encounters. The film paints a rich picture of what may await us beyond this lifetime and treats the subject with wonder rather than dread.
It encourages you to look at death with curiosity and wonder instead of fear, and it frames the soul’s eternal nature as an invitation to explore. A good bridge between ghost stories and the larger question of what comes after this lifetime.
Best for: Viewers curious about spirit encounters who want a calm, wonder-led approach.
Messages from Loved Ones and Mediums
These three titles turn from proof to presence: what our loved ones may experience, what a medium does, and how ritual helps us let go.
6. Dearly Departed: A Film by Darryl Anka
Film | 1 hr 10 min
A warm, compassionate look at life after death through the lens of Darryl Anka’s remarkable work. With sincerity and clarity, the film explores what our loved ones experience on the other side and the lessons they carry forward with them into this life.
Blending real stories with spiritual insight, it brings comfort to anyone who has wondered what happens when we cross over. It is a deeply healing film about love, transition and the continuity of the soul, made for the grieving and the curious alike.
Best for: Anyone grieving or missing someone who wants comfort about love and the soul’s continuity.
7. Messages of Hope
Documentary | 40 min
An award-winning documentary praised as both life-changing and transformational. It follows the unexpected journey of Navy Commander Suzanne Giesemann, who moved from a distinguished military career to her current path as an evidential medium.
It is a credible, heartfelt look at what a medium does, made for the curious and for those who doubt life after death. At 40 minutes it is an easy evening watch and a gentle first step into mediumship before you commit to longer, heavier films.
Best for: Skeptics and newcomers who want a short, credible introduction to mediumship.
8. Crossing the River: Meeting Death with Ritual with Sarah Kerr
Interview | 1 hr 10 min
Sarah Kerr, a sacred death care guide, explores death not as an ending but as a profound transition of the soul. She shares how ritual, ancestral connection and spiritual support can help both the dying and the family and friends left behind.
Her perspective invites you to release your fear of death, honor the deeper journey of grief and see ritual as powerful medicine. This one is a conversation rather than a film, and it is a calm, practical companion to the documentaries above.
Best for: Caregivers and the grieving who want a ritual-based view of the passage of death.
Hospice, Caregiving and Letting Go
Two documentaries sit with the people who accompany the dying, showing how love, presence and community meet the end of life.
9. The Little Things: Love, Compassion & Hospice
Documentary | 1 hr 40 min
An intimate portrait of life inside Derian House Children’s Hospice that shatters misconceptions about hospice care. Far from places of sorrow, it reveals a world filled with love, courage and profound human connection between families and caregivers.
Through tender moments and everyday miracles, it celebrates the resilience of families and caregivers and underscores the urgent need to support these vital havens of hope. Expect it to be moving, so keep tissues nearby and leave time to sit quietly afterward.
Best for: Anyone facing loss, caregiving or hospice who wants to see love at the edge of life.
10. Wine, Women & Dementia
Documentary | 1 hr 27 min
Seeking healing, meaning and grace, a dementia family caregiver journeys across the United States to meet others walking this sacred path of love and devotion. Shared stories of loss, laughter and resilience fill the road and build spiritual kinship.
Caregivers discover that even as memory unravels, the soul remains deeply present. In a system that offers little support, they find spiritual kinship and learn that compassion and community can turn the long road into a celebration of life.
Best for: Family caregivers and anyone who loves someone with dementia and needs spiritual company.
Dying and Grief in Drama
These three dramas are not proof of an afterlife. They are stories about facing death and loss with love, humor and honesty.
11. Getting Grace
Film | 1 hr 52 min
A life-affirming spiritual dramedy about Grace, a vibrant young woman who knows her time on Earth is short but refuses to let death define her story. She walks into a funeral home to learn about dying and ends up teaching everyone how to live.
With humor, compassion and startling wisdom, she prepares her struggling mother for life beyond loss and awakens the hearts of everyone she meets. The film reminds us that life’s meaning is measured in presence, love and courage, not in years.
Best for: Viewers who want a warm story about dying well and living fully, with humor and heart.
12. A Stage of Twilight
Film | 1 hr 46 min
A deeply moving love story set in the final chapter of Cora and Barry’s life together. When Barry receives a terminal diagnosis, he makes a life-altering decision that Cora cannot accept, igniting a struggle between love, autonomy and letting go.
Joey, a young neighbor who has become like a son to the childless couple, stands at a crossroads of his own. Their intertwined journeys form a tender, powerful reflection on choice, legacy and the meaning of love at the edge of goodbye, told with real honesty.
Best for: Anyone thinking about end-of-life choices, legacy and how love meets goodbye.
13. Being Dead
Film | 1 hr 34 min
Adapted from Jim Crace’s award-winning novel, the film follows two scientists who return to a remote coastline to witness the possible extinction of a species they discovered 25 years earlier. They hope to reignite the wonder that inspired them.
Instead they confront the final chapter of their own lives. The film is a meditative exploration of love, loss and the fragile beauty of both nature and human existence, best watched slowly, with time afterward to sit with what it stirs in you.
Best for: Reflective viewers who like slow, literary films about love, loss and mortality.
An Honest View of Afterlife Movies
A film is a story, and a story is not proof. Afterlife documentaries share a point of view, mediumship and ghost encounters remain open questions, and near-death accounts are personal reports that researchers are still studying.
Use these films as doorways, not authorities. The dramas here, such as Being Dead and A Stage of Twilight, are about facing loss and do not claim to show an afterlife. If grief feels heavy, please reach out to a doctor or counselor, or call or text 988 in the US.
Watch More on Next Level Soul TV
Next Level Soul TV is our own home for films, series and teachings on these questions. Here are six series to start with.
More Best-Of Guides From Next Level Soul
If these films moved you, keep going with our other guides: the best afterlife audiobooks to listen to on Next Level Soul TV, the best books about the afterlife, the best near-death experience books, the best books on mediumship and the best books on reincarnation.
For the stories behind the screen, read our guides to near-death experience stories, whether near-death experiences are real, near-death experience documentaries and the best spiritual movies.
Go Deeper with NLS Mastery: Beyond the Veil
A grounded exploration of what lies beyond death and how that understanding changes how we live. Julie Ryan teaches it in Beyond the Veil, part of NLS Mastery. Watch the course preview below.
Sources and Further Reading
Spirituality for the Rest of Us™
Movies, teachings and community on Next Level Soul TV.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best afterlife movies to watch?
Start with Afterlife: What Happens When You Die for an overview, The Life After Death Project for evidence and Dearly Departed for comfort. All 13 films on this list are on Next Level Soul TV.
Where can I watch these afterlife movies?
Every film on this list is on Next Level Soul TV at watch.nextlevelsoul.com. Each card has a Watch on Next Level Soul TV button, and the service also has apps for Apple iOS, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, LG and Roku.
What is the best afterlife movie for beginners?
Afterlife: What Happens When You Die runs 58 minutes and blends science, near-death accounts and wisdom traditions. Messages of Hope, at 40 minutes, is a gentle first look at mediumship.
Which afterlife films involve near-death experiences?
Afterlife: What Happens When You Die draws on near-death experiences, and 44 Hours tells the story of Gil Avni, who was declared brain dead yet stayed aware. For a whole series of first-person accounts, watch Divine Encounters on Next Level Soul TV.
Are there afterlife movies about mediums and loved ones?
Yes. Dearly Departed looks at what loved ones experience on the other side, Messages of Hope follows evidential medium Suzanne Giesemann, and The Life After Death Project brings mediums together with authors and science professors.
Which films help with grief and dying?
The Little Things, Wine, Women & Dementia, Getting Grace and A Stage of Twilight look at hospice, caregiving and end-of-life choices with compassion. Crossing the River adds a sacred death care guide’s view of ritual.
Do afterlife documentaries prove life after death?
No. They share evidence and personal testimony from a point of view, and the big questions remain open. Enjoy them as doorways to explore, and weigh what feels true for you.
How long are these afterlife movies?
Runtimes are listed on each watch page. For example, Messages of Hope runs 40 minutes, Afterlife runs 58 minutes and Getting Grace runs 1 hr 52 min.
Is Ghosts and the Afterlife about ghosts or the afterlife?
Both. It explores the spirit realm through personal stories, scientific perspectives and encounters, and invites you to see death with curiosity and wonder instead of fear.
Does Next Level Soul TV have afterlife series as well as movies?
Yes. Divine Encounters, Beyond with James Van Praagh, The Other Side, Spirit Talker, Sight Seers and The Between are a few of the series in the section above.
Which Next Level Soul course goes deeper on the afterlife?
Julie Ryan teaches Beyond the Veil in NLS Mastery, a course on what lies beyond death and how that understanding changes how we live.
How do I get more from an afterlife movie?
Watch once for the story, then again with a notebook. Pause on a scene that stays with you, talk it over with a friend and sit quietly for a few minutes afterward before you do anything else.
