These Are the Top 5 Movies About Organ Donation (Pt. 2!)

Written by Zoe Engels, Contributing Writer and Editor

Last year, we told you about five of our favorite movies featuring organ, eye, and tissue donation-related story lines. But there are so many more donation movies out there, and we won’t gatekeep them. So, without further ado, here they are:

Check out last year’s list of movies here.

Lucy Shimmers and the Prince of Peace

We first saw clips of this heartwarming film on YouTube, and we couldn’t look away. (Reader, I don’t think I’ve cried this much while watching a movie since My Sister’s Keeper, which, coincidentally, was in our first “top 5 movies” blog). 

Our main character, five-year-old Lucy Shimmers has a rare illness and is hospitalized due to a sudden health crisis. In the hospital, she forms a beautiful and unlikely bond with Edgar, a rough-around-the-edges prisoner who’s waiting for a kidney transplant. In one scene, she draws Edgar an instant-tear-jerker picture of her giving him her kidney. 

As Lucy’s condition worsens, it’s clear she won’t survive. But will her parents grant the 5-year-old her dying wish and donate her kidney to Edgar?

Nicholas’ Gift

This movie is from 1998, but just because it wasn’t made in this decade, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a watch. Plus, let’s not forget, organ donation is a timeless concept!

Young Nicholas is tragically struck by a car, leaving him with severe brain damage. Like Lucy’s parents in Lucy Shimmers and the Prince of Peace, they must decide: Will they donate their son’s organs? The parents’ decision is complicated by their grief, sense of loss, and desire to honor their son’s life, highlighting the complex emotional side of deceased organ donation.

Return to Me

This romantic drama follows a struggling widower, Bob, after the tragic death of his wife. It also follows the story of the recipient of his wife’s heart, Grace. Not only did Grace receive the gift of life from Bob’s wife, but she and Bob eventually meet and fall head-over-heels for each other. 

When Bob learns that Grace’s heart is his late wife’s, he faces a complex emotional dilemma: Can he move on with the woman who carries this piece of his wife within her? Literally and, more importantly, metaphorically, the movie shows how a person can “live on” through donation and how unique bonds can be formed through that experience.

The Ultimate Gift

Spoiled Jason Stevens has to grow-up, fast, after his wealthy grandfather, Red, passes away. To get his inheritance, Jason has to complete a series of selfless tasks laid out by his late grandfather. While the movie doesn’t fully focus on organ donation, at the end (spoiler alert!), Jason learns that his grandfather’s final act was donating his organs after his death. That’s Jason’s ultimate lesson: the power of giving without expecting anything in return. 

In America

Last but not least, this drama is about Johnny and Sarah, Irish parents who move to New York City with their two daughters following the recent death of their son, Frankie. As in The Ultimate Gift, organ donation serves as a significant subplot when Johnny and Sarah befriend their new neighbor, Mateo, who is in need of a kidney transplant. Emotionally, they all help uplift each other in difficult, tragic times. But, we won’t give away more here—just questions to consider when you watch: Will Mateo get a kidney transplant? How does he support Johnny and Sarah in their time of grief and beyond?

Have you seen any of these movies? Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below👇 or come back after you watch and tell us your thoughts!