Female characters dying to develop the male characters (Women in refrigerators) Screenwriting

I’m thinking about this now as I’m wrapping up a screenplay about a couple where the lead female dies towards the end, and I’ve realised her death is the plot device that leads to the male characters arc.

So now I’m wondering what’s people’s thoughts are on this as I’ve realised this is a very common plot point and I’m having a hard time thinking of examples where the gender is reversed. Is this just a cliché?

Submitted May 17, 2016 at 04:32PM by amievenrealrightnow http://ift.tt/1OAk6gP Screenwriting