There is no feeling quite like nostalgia when watching films. I love watching movies and being hit by a wave of yearning for different, better days. However, I’ve realized that some of my favorite films involve a different type of nostalgia: longing to experience a time in which I’ve never lived. In modern films, producers use a variety of techniques to place films in past decades, from physical appearances to film grain and coloring. These production techniques create a haziness to films that bring the past to life, transporting contemporary viewers into past generations.
The following three films are nothing short of cinematic masterpieces. All three of these movies are much more about the people than they are about the stories. Not much particularly happens in any of them, but they provide a deep insight into the relationships between kids and their friends, parents and teachers. Though sad and reflective, they are beautiful pieces of art. The relationships in these movies exist outside the context of modern media and technology; while sad, they fill me with a deep sense of nostalgia for a time I have never lived, a time when human connection is stripped down to the people, not the screens.
The Holdovers
Set in the 1970s, The Holdovers tells the story of Paul Hunham, a curmudgeonly teacher at a New England boarding school, and Angus Tully, one of his students. When family circumstances force Tully to stay at his school over Christmas break, he forms an unlikely bond with Hunham and Mary, one of the school’s cooks. Each of the main characters carries some personal burden with them, from Hunham’s seeming personal failure to Tully’s family issues to Mary’s grief over her son’s death. As a result, the movie carries an air of sadness despite its relatively mundane plot.
I remember watching The Holdovers for the first time when it was released in 2023. To this day, I think this was one of the most moving cinema experiences I have had. Though all the characters initially seem flawed, their quiet actions tell sweet stories. Hunham’s delicate care for Mary (and soon, Tully) shows his true care for the people around him despite his cranky personality. The movie’s setting in a time without modern technology created such an intimate connection between the characters, cementing it as one of the best movies I’ve watched.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) is, without a doubt, my favorite film of all time. Adapted from Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 epistolary novel of the same name, it tells the story of Charlie, a lonely boy starting high school in the early 1990s. When he becomes friends with Patrick and Sam, two high school seniors, his life seems to be turning around. He carries a darkness with him throughout the movie, the reason for which is not revealed until the end. This film is an excellent portrayal of the highs and lows of the high school experience, carrying the characters’ feelings through decades to modern viewers.
The movie was shot on 35mm film, creating a dreamy look. The coloring assisted the film grain in giving the movie a deep-seated sense of nostalgic reminiscence. Additionally, the movie’s soundtrack was phenomenal, bringing back popular ’70s and ’80s hits. Beyond its production quality, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of the best portrayals of anxiety and depression that I’ve seen. The scenes towards the end of the movie, when the audience can see the full extent of Charlie’s mental illness, always deeply affect me, no matter how many times I rewatch the movie.
Aftersun
Aftersun is a 2022 film set in the late 1990s that follows Sophie and Calum, a father-daughter duo on vacation at a Turkish resort. 11-year-old Sophie captures the holiday on her MiniDV camera, which an older Sophie later reflects on. There is a slight air of melancholy throughout the film, hidden behind the fun experiences Calum gives his daughter. Brief scenes from twenty years later are interspersed with the main story, showing an adult Sophie looking back on what she now realizes is the deep pain her dad suffered from and tried to conceal.
This film is a bit different from The Holdovers and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The grainy film effect is absent, aside from the scenes where we watch the playbacks of Sophie’s MiniDV recordings. The use of the MiniDV camera as the only piece of ‘modern’ technology grounded the film, elevating the father-daughter relationship at its center. Like The Holdovers and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Aftersun was a deeply introspective depiction of human connection. One of my favorite scenes was when Sophie expressed her feelings of unexplained sadness, to which Calum tried to raise her spirits, clearly trying to save his daughter from the depression that plagued him. Seeing Calum’s attempts to shield his daughter from his own problems was incredibly bittersweet.
‘Are You Still Watching?’ is a column spotlighting what the Cornell community has been streaming. It runs every Wednesday.
Katherine Winton is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a staff writer for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at kwinton@cornellsun.com.
