90s Nostalgia
I was recently listening to a podcast when one of the hosts shared that her favourite movie when she was a teenager was Thirteen. She spoke about the movie starred by Evan Rachel Wood and the cinematic experience of growing up in the 90s.
That same evening I decided to give it a try. Watching the movie woke up some nostalgia I hadn’t perceived before. Movies from the 90s had a unique feeling. It was the decade of Pop Culture, teens and piercings as an aesthetic construction. We were the last generation that lived a childhood without Social Media or the Internet.
I felt sentimental. Immediately after the movie finished, I started my research to find the best movies that influenced the decade which made me a collector of stickers, perfumed cards and perfumed pens, and made me an expert in the art of blowing gum.
If you are a 90s baby or would like to have a taste of it, continue reading because I stole Elon Musk’s time rocket and we are returning to the 90s.
Thirteen
This movie opened Pandora’s box. It made me realise how raw and difficult some movies whose target audience was young people were. The story displays the obsessive relationship between a teenager and her new popular best friend.
If you want to check it yourself please be aware of trigger warnings including self-harm, drugs and age gap relationships.
Mean Creek
There was a special relationship between the 90s and teenagers getting revenge.
Childhood is an extremely delicate phase in our life since kids feel extremely powerless and unprotected from their circumstances. Taking this into consideration, the 90s did a wonderful job giving screen time to those who could feel in such a vulnerable situation.
Mean Creek is a movie about a group of friends taking revenge on a bully after he attacks the younger brother of one of them. The revenge plan doesn’t go as expected because the kid happens to be nicer than they expected.
I loved this movie, it makes it possible to understand every character’s point of view effortlessly. I even felt sympathy for the bully (starred by Josh Peck) since he was just a troubled child with very poor anger management skills.
I also noticed how many talented teenagers became stars after making a Box Office record just to be completely forgotten a few years later.
Ghost World
The story focuses on a high school girl facing the end of her academic years. Whilst trying to decide about her future, she gets obsessed with an older guy and promises her best friend to move out with her.
One more thing that movies from the 90s did wonderfully was giving outcasts the main role in a story. I watched this movie as a child and I liked it. It was great to check it out again because I had forgotten almost everything, something understandable if we consider that when it was released for the first time I didn’t even have a phone.
If you love stories about anguished teens, this one will be an excellent pick for you.
The Turning
The turning is not exactly a movie from the 90s, but it is based in the same decade. The film is a recollection of stories based on a book written by Tim Winton.
I love the publishings made by this author, but I sometimes struggle to follow his writing style. Thankfully, most of his books have a pretty decent movie adaptation and so far I have watched a few of those. The short stories from The Turning are enigmatic, sensitive and incredibly moving.
If you enjoy The Turning, I would recommend you watch Dirt Music, Breath and even Lockie Leonard for the younger ones.
Cruel Summer
A pretty recent Tv Show that narrates the story of two teenage girls. The story develops in a quiet suburb of America in the 90s. A popular girl loved by everyone goes missing whilst the other one, the awkward girl who secretly admires her, slowly becomes her replica.
If I had found the TV show by coincidence instead of marketing, I would have thought it was a creation of the decade that is based on. It checks all the boxes for a 90’s typical drama: teen girls, desire for acceptance, jealousy and difficult moms.
American Beauty
American Beauty is considered by many a piece of art from the 90s. This drama follows a typical wealthy family in a privileged suburb.
The movie exposes the human misery of every family member and the coping mechanisms that they use to keep going: The father gets obsessed with her daughter’s best friend; the mother starts an affair with another man and the daughter falls in love with the neighbour whilst trying to maintain a toxic friendship.
If you haven’t watched this particular movie, stop waiting. You need to close this tab and go to your reliable streaming website.
As for myself, I have decided that I am staying in the 90s for a while since I can remember a few more positive things from those years. Which 90s movie is your favourite? Did any of them mark your childhood?
18 Comments
John Malone
Great post. I think the 90s were Real and gritty, Compared to the glam era of the 80’s.
Kiira Smith
Hahaha I will never be able to compare them since I didn’t live in the 80s but they sound like an amazing decade too.
Samantha
Thirteen (2003) affected me like no other coming-of-age movie ever has. This is not a glamorization of teenage life, nor is it a “feel-good” movie by any means. It is a deep character study on friendship and on the dark side of growing up. Sure, the events in the movie are probably more extreme than that of the average teenager, but in my eyes, no movie has ever so perfectly captured the intentions and struggles of being a teenager and wanting to fit in, look cool, and connect with peers.
Kiira Smith
I am sure the movie hits pretty close to home for a lot of people, a friendship like the movie projects can destroy your teenage years pretty fast.
Raj
Great selection of movies. If you liked Mean Creek, I recommend you Super Dark Times (unless you have seen it already!)
Kiira Smith
Raj I loveeeed Super Dark Times! You are right they have a lot of similarities, I mentioned a few unknown American movies a couple of years ago, feel free to check them out in my American Movies post.
Theresa
Personally, I really enjoyed Ghost World.
I love this film’s charm and sense of dry humor. It’s nihilism and characters are refreshingly different. I think it’s flaw is that it should have had a more rewarding resolution. Maybe that betrays what the movie is about, but still, despite all the things it does right, I was left at the end with a kind of sadness, when I feel it should have concluded with a kind of reaffirmation of positivity within the void of young adulthood.
I think more than anything, the film is about being socially disposable. It’s about people who are not needed, who lack ambition and value and are trying to cope psychologically. Enid sees in Seymour someone who could actually want her to be around him. She wants validation in a world without it, or with fake validation like graduation.
Kiira Smith
I love your description. I wouldn’t have minded another ending, but it felt pretty realistic. The lack of ambition and value from the characters is the essence of the movie and what makes it so unique.
Manon
American Beaty is a f****** amazing film. Great acting… The character development of pretty much everyone. Simple yet clean cinematography, good music, and how the story’s pieces all fit together are honestly perfect. Coming of age, identity, poor marriage and midlife crisis, promiscuity, almost every facet of human behavior it touches on. It’s a humorous, deep, and relatable film. Two thumbs up.
Kiira Smith
There is no movie that can compare to American Beauty, the actors were so spot on and the trama was perfect. Will watch it again for sure.
Tam
Amazing list of movies/tv shows! Which one is your favourite from all of them?
Mine would be Mean Creek I think
Kiira Smith
I think my favs are American Beauty and Mean Creek, I know I will rewatch both of them in the future hehe
Jess
Always on point with your movie selections!
I would like to add Girl, Interrupted but it’s from 1999 so not sure if it counts! Hahaha
Kiira Smith
Nooo! You are right I can’t believe that I forgot about including Girl, Interrupted. I love that movie and it is such a gem from the decade hahaha. By the way, the movie is based on a true story adapted from the original memoir by Susanna Kaysen.
Kenzie
Great post. Love your movie recommendations always!
Kiira Smith
Thanks I’m glad you like them 🙂
Sharon
Love this list. As a kid of the 90s, you took me back to different times! Love it
Kiira Smith
Thank you Sharon I’m very happy to hear that :_)