The traumatic kids movies we never got over

It might have been billed as a ‘comedy/drama’ but 1991’s My Girl was mostly just traumatic for viewers.

We follow Vada, an 11-year-old whose mum died two days after giving birth to her. Not cheery enough? Her dad is also a funeral director, and their home is also the funeral parlour.

She befriends the funeral home’s make-up artist Shelly and is preoccupied with thinking she is about to die.

But it’s her friendship turned almost romance with Thomas J that really pulled us in. The two form a strong bond and captivated viewers by appearing to be the only real source of joy in each’s world.

The two venture into the woods, where Thomas J knocks down a beehive and Vada loses her mood ring. When the little boy returns to find it for her days later, he is attacked by the displaced bees and dies from an allergic reaction to the beestings.

When it comes time for the funeral, Vada walks straight up to the coffin, ignoring the ettiquette of the adults sitting quietly, and becomes very emotional at seeing Thomas without his glasses, screaming that: “Where are his glasses? He can’t see without his glasses!”.

The scene haunted many viewers for reminding us kids can die too, showing raw grief and teaching kids not every situation can be fixed.