Mr. Rice's Secret (2000)

A story of a young boy stricken with cancer, and his journey of self-discovery. Despondent over the death of his best friend and next door neighbor, the elderly and mysterious Mr. Rice, Owen is in denial about his own illness. He sneaks into Mr. Rice's funeral with a video camera and is spooked by the mortician he refers to as Mr. Death. Finding it difficult to relate to his parents, Marilyn and Stan, Owen takes solace in hanging out with his friends Funnel Head, Veg and Gilbert. He insists that he is not as ill as Simon, another boy with cancer, who the gang bullies. Owen and his pals break into Mr. Rice's house and discover a cache of photographs and letters. One of the letters is addressed to Owen. He then uses a decoder ring given to him by Mr. Rice to unravel a series of clues, which will lead to a remarkable discovery.