Wit

Time to change things up again. Here's a great tear-jerker: a 2001 HBO film called Wit, based on a play by Margaret Edson. The screenplay was written by Emma Thompson and director Mike Nichols.
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Don't let that description scare you off (GUYS!), this is a really interesting, engaging, witty, intelligent look at a tough subject.
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It tells the story of Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson), a rigid professor of 17th century English Lit, who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The movie follows Vivian as she looks back and also at the relationships she has with her medical staff, including one doctor who was a former student of hers.

Because this was not theatrically released it makes the performances not eligable for Oscars. What a shame! Thompson would have been a virtual shoe-in for one. She is so amazing that you sometimes forget you're watching an actress playing a part. And even Christopher Lloyd is great as the head doctor.
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This is a truly great movie - enough said. To quote Vivian Bearing: After all, brevity is the soul of wit.