Meanwhile, his youngest daughter, Susan (Claire Forlani), a bright and compassionate doctor, meets a charming young man (Brad Pitt) in a coffee shop on a bustling New York morning. Their banter is electric, shy, and romantic. He quotes poetry; she teases him. They part with the promise of a date, but before he can cross the street, he is hit by a car and killed instantly.

Yet, it endures because it refuses to be cool. In an era of irony, it is sincere. In an age of fast cuts, it is patient. It is a film about the one appointment we all keep, and it argues that the only appropriate response is to live so fully that when Death offers you his hand, you can walk with him into the fireworks without looking back.

Meet Joe Black: A movie that touches my personal grief deeply