This movie is a representation of what I would simply call "the end". You see Henry Fonda's last appearance on film, in which you can tell that he hasn't got that much longer to live. It's my number one favourite film over all for the simple reason that it shows the value of life. But, instead of giving off the message that you should keep going, the message is that you should acknowledge that you will irrevocably die, and by the time you reach that old age, the one thing you need to value is your family.
I am an 18-year-old who suffers from the fear of death, this phobia is called thanatophobia. But through On Golden Pond, I've learned that you should live your life to the fullest and remain close to your family, and that you should respect and appreciate death. Films that play with your emotions so well always deserve to be up there as some of your favourites, but On Golden Pond did more than that. It changed me. It made me realise the value of life and death by showing the last breaths of one of the greatest actors in history.