The Black Phone and Top Gun: Maverick are two recent movies that masterfully portray nostalgia in two different ways. The first manipulates the feeling to capture the essence of long-gone times, taking advantage of its '70s setting to build up a chilling atmosphere. The latter, on the other hand, evokes nostalgia by forcing its main character to reconcile with his past.
Nostalgia is a unique feeling that combines yearning with happiness, often used in movies as a vehicle to reconnect characters with their past. Reddit users share their picks for movies that best portray nostalgia.
Forrest Gump (1994)
When asked about nostalgia portrayed in movie scenes, Crosfitlvr42 brings up Forrest Gump and claims, "the whole movie actually." The heartfelt story of a man who's seen pretty much everything that's to see leaves a lot of room for nostalgia, but even though Forrest has witnessed the horror of the Vietnam War and lost beloved friends, met the most notorious political and popular figures of his generations and was even sent to China on a diplomacy program, the only true moments of life he truly regards with nostalgia are the moments he spent with his loved ones, especially Jenny.
The purpose of the character is precisely to introduce someone who looks at America's story in a neutral, almost apathetic way, only finding true emotions in the deep human interactions that marked his life. For better or worse, his love for Jenny stands out as lively nostalgia; the perfect balance of yearning and happiness.
Citizen Kane (1941)
Considered by many the best movie ever made, Citizen Kane hits hard when it's revealed what the movie is really about: childhood nostalgia. On his deathbed, newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane realizes how the only time he was truly happy was when he was an innocent little boy.
The essence of Kane's whole life is captured by one single enigmatic final word, "rosebud", which he speaks before succumbing to death. Kevundue mentions "Citizen's Kane ending" as an excellent example of nostalgia as viewers learn "rosebud" is actually the name of Kane's beloved sled from his childhood.
Up (2009)
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Up is a heart-rending Pixar movie that uses the forced proximity trope to address the peculiar friendship between the grumpy 78-year-old Carl and the chatty little boy Russel as they travel in a house equipped with hundreds of balloons, an incredible journey in the heights destined to Paradise Falls.
To Stpbatman, a great example of nostalgia in the film is "when Carl is reading his wife's collection of 'stuff I'm going to do'." This scene alone makes Up one of the most emotional Pixar movies and explains the bitterness that overwhelms Carl in his current state. As he goes over the beautiful memories of the love of his life, a spark of nostalgia gives him a reason to live on.
Apollo 10½ (2022)
Richard Linklater knows how to handle time like no other director, having offered fans the Before trilogy that went on throughout 18 years and Boyhood, a movie that accurately portrayed its characters' coming-of-age during12 years. In Apollo 10 ½, Linklater uses a vibrant animation style to look into his own childhood back in the '60s.
TheProcrustenator jokes, "You'll all want to check out Linklater's Apollo 10½, it's basically nostalgia porn." In the film, a man narrates stories of his life as a 10-year-old in 1969, intercalating fantasy and reality as he recounts the impact of a trip to the moon on his generation.
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Brought up by zordlordofsword, the world of Midnight in Paris is the dream of everyone who yearns for ages and generations that are long gone; the movie manages to not only portray nostalgia in the most beautiful of ways but also induce viewers to feel the same regardless of knowing or not the many real-life characters that make up the story.
In the film, a nostalgic writer on a trip to Paris finds himself mysteriously being transported back to the 1920s every day at midnight. As he witnesses the sophisticated reality of the belle époque, the writer runs into memorable faces such as Ernest Hemingway and Salvador Dalí, finding the inspiration he needed to his next book but also gradually losing interest in his own time and space. Additionally, it's the perfect movie to make someone fall in love with the city of Paris.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
yassert calls The Grand Budapest Hotel "nostalgia-tinted retellings of some (fictional) characters' memory of a time, place, and culture long past." The movie presents the recollections of a writer as he goes over the years he spent working as a lobby boy in the Grand Budapest Hotel, back in the place's glorious years.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is arguably Wes Anderson's most rewatchable movie because each character introduced adds up to the story's big picture. Amid conspiracy and affairs, the writer reminisces with nostalgia about his adventures with the peculiar hotel concierge who was in charge of the hotel in the years that preceded the war.
T2 Trainspotting (2017)
While the first Trainspotting delivers a bitter look into a hopeless '90s drug scene, the sequel brings the main characters back as they face a dilemma about their past: to what extent their careless acts reflect a need for self-destruction? While they forced themselves to believe it was the worst time of their lives, they can't help but feel nostalgic about the moments they spent together.
T2's biggest conflict is the character's reluctance to admit they simply couldn't trust themselves in a mutual attempt to get clean out of drugs. FilmStudentFincher states, "I think the film really nailed the balance of being nostalgic about the first film but also having the past be an important part of all the characters' arcs and what defines them."
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Another great Linklater movie, Everybody Wants Some!! is a great "plotless" film where the whole movie is basically the characters hanging out and playing baseball. To college students and fresh graduates, there's nothing more nostalgic than that.
For PvtHudson093, Everybody Wants Some!! really captures the '80s nostalgia in the most high-spirited way possible. The cast seems to be having so much fun with their characters that they simply go along with it; the result is a movie so full of energy it could easily go on for 6 hours and viewers would end up asking for more.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind deals with nostalgia in a very peculiar way, not only due to its unconventional narrative but especially because it touches each character's nostalgia when they thought they had already lost it completely, evoking a feeling of longing that lies deep in their subconscious.
As VictorVaughan points out, there's a scene "where they're literally trying to outrun memory erasers while in a dream." Before long, the film feels entirely like what nostalgia would look like if it created life and acted independently, something that only Charlie Kaufman could've come up with.
Stand By Me (1986)
Stand By Me portrays nostalgia as both the happiest and most melancholic emotion one could feel. Based on a brilliant Stephen King short story, the 80s classic follows four friends who set out to find a missing body.
dannyjnoonan states, "I think Stand By Me captures the era it takes place in (1959) much more than the era in which it was made." The nostalgic appeal is obvious right from the beginning since the story that unfolds is told by a writer in the present, Gordie, who feels prompted to recall his childhood after reading about the murder of a man. When viewers learn that such a man is actually one of the four main children, a melancholic yearn hits as hard as it hit Gordie.