The author of this list really caught my attention with its title. And, being the odd fellow that I am, I actually gave it some thought. I mean, just as the title suggested, I thought about what movies I'd want to see before ending my own life. (Those who've known me best know taking a title like that seriously would be just the kind of thing I'd do.) I thought to myself, "If I were serious enough to want to end my own life, what movies would I want to see?" There were 692 titles on the list. Of all the films that I have seen, and of all those that I consider "favorites", there aren't 692 movies. So, I had to narrow the list down. Significantly. Even of my favorites, there are only so many that I would give that serious a level of consideration. Needless to say, my list is considerably smaller.
The third film that I included in my own list was "Sense and Sensibility". This particular version of the film was released in 1995, and was directed by Ang Lee. It starred Emma Thomson, Kate Winslet, James Fleet, Hugh Grant, and Alan Rickman. At the death of husband and father, Mr. Dashwood, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters find themselves in financial straits. In Georgian England, by law, daughters cannot inherit, and Mr. Dashwood's estate cannot be divided between his son and his wife and daughters (the impression is given that Mrs Dashwood is Mr. Dashwood's second wife [or at least, a wife succeeding his eldest son's mother] and that the inheriting son is from the previous wife). With the residence being claimed by the eldest son and his wife, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters must find somewhere else to live. Taking advantage of a timely offer of alternative residence, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters must contend with the well-meaning but indiscrete Sir John Middleton and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings. In the course of acquainting themselves with the ambient society, the two eldest daughters encounter prospective suitors who's situations are more complicated than they first appear.
One of my favorite things about this film is the pastoral feel it has. This was one of the qualities that made this film a pleasure to watch. Another was the way you found yourself caught up in the characters. All of them seemed to provoke what one might consider to be a rather profound reaction respective to each of the characters and what they were like. For myself, whatever feelings I developed for the characters, good or bad, were rather strong and engaging. Their personalities seemed pronounced. For example, Elinor Dashwood, though quite level-headed, practical and disciplined, was what I would call compassionate to a fault. She always seemed to put everyone else's welfare before her own. And she gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. But, not to the point of denial. She had the clarity to see what was really in front of her and not what she or others might have wanted to see. I found myself feeling for her as she accepted the impossibility of a relationship and life with her sister-in-law's brother, Edward, who had pretty much endeared himself to Mrs. Dashwood and all three of her daughters and become the object of Elinor's affections. Elinor was the family planner and organizer. She, very effectively, ran the household for her mother and sisters. 
Sir John Middleton and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings, were charming enough despite their respective lack of tact. Though they were rather tact and discretion challenged, I found them particularly amusing. They were very generous at heart and well-meaning. Sir John was a generally pleasant fellow and seemed to be a very good conversationalist. The only shortcoming I found in him was his lack of discretion. As much as I liked him, I found myself cringing from time to time at the things he would bring up, seemingly out no where, in conversation. Mrs. Jennings was also rather kind and well-meaning. She was quite nosey and a bit of a meddler, but she was quick to help and comfort when and where ever she could. She too, like Sir John, was very amusing. Both of them so much so, in fact, that it was quite easy to overlook their social flaws. I kind of got the impression that they were somewhat aware of their social flaws, but just didn't care. 
Col. Christopher Brandon was a character I found myself relating to a bit more than any of the others. Upon first laying eyes on Marianne Dashwood, he was smitten. But he understood that in the eyes of ambient society, to say nothing of the eyes of Marianne, he was considered to be something of an older man, by all appearances just shy of middle-aged. I thought he was a pleasant fellow but very reserved and serious. Col. Brandon had a past that he was not particularly proud of, though, from what I could tell there was nothing in it of which he himself should've been ashamed. Nevertheless, Col. Brandon saw himself as someone that Marianne should have only as a casual acquaintance. Though quickly developed, his feelings for Marianne seemed quite genuine and his only wish for her was her happiness. And, he would see her happy regardless of the circumstances of that happiness. He didn't care that he could never be an active part of it. He could accept that, as long as he knew she was happy. Nowhere in this film was Col. Brandon's love for Marianne more evident than when she fell ill. His fear for her life and sense of helplessness nearly consumed him. In the course of caring for Marianne in her illness, Elinor stumbles upon Col. Brandon outside the bedroom door. Seemingly overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, he asks what he can do. As she tells him that he's already done so much for them, he just about cuts her off with what has become my favorite line in the whole movie. "Give me an occupation Miss Dashwood, or I shall run mad." 
Marianne Dashwood had her own ideas about what love should be like and who would make the ideal candidate for that love. She was an avid believer in burning passion. She was of the opinion that any love worth having should be unbridled and careless of propriety. And, she believed in living up to that ideal. At least, for herself anyway. She found that ideal met in the form of John Willoughby. Having scooped her up and carried her in his arms all the way back home from a fall suffered on an inadvisable stroll in the rain, Mr. Willoughby found himself endeared to Mrs. Dashwood and all of her daughters. Marianne fell for him instantly. Being much in each other's company, Marianne Dashwood and John Willoughby seemed very much like a deliriously happy couple. However, by virtue of a dubious turn of events, it turns out that, to all except for Marianne, Mr. Willoughby is not quite the charming young man everyone is at first led to believe. This is revealed in some detail when Mr. Willoughby's past behavior indirectly crosses the path of Col. Brandon. 
There were other contributing characters to the story with somewhat less involvement that were just as engaging as those around whom the greater majority of the film is centered. Miss Lucy Steele, for example, who is a significant part of Edward Ferrar's past and, who, despite her apparent charm, turns out to be something of a schemer. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, daughter and son-in-law to Mrs. Jennings, were a bit comical in their own way both as a couple and as individuals. As a couple they were exact opposites of each other. She was annoyingly, incessantly, chipper and chatty. He was sullen, moody, and a man of few, unpleasant words. And then there was Robert Ferrars. If you thought Fannie was a snob, you were in for a real treat with this guy. If you looked up "snob" in the dictionary, you'd see this guy. As a matter of fact, from all that is revealed about them, the only redeeming quality about the entire Ferrars family is Edward.
