When we think of the idea of ‘holiday movies’, we almost immediately jump to the winter holidays. Whether it is one of the three How the Grinch Stole Christmas adaptations, or yet another ‘big city woman meets small town man’ Hallmark feature, we all have our favourites that become a way of celebrating the festive season. Yet, for whatever reason, quintessential fall-coded movies are often not included in the conversation. No, not horror movies, or even halloween movies, which have become genres in and of themselves. Fall movies are different and often particular to the individual. They are the movies we put on to get into that ‘fall feeling’ of cozying up in a warm sweater as the wind blows colourful leaves past our window and pumpkin spice muffins cool on the counter.
But what are these elusive movies? Unlike Christmas or Halloween films, their plots rarely revolve around the fall season itself, yet are embedded with autumnal aesthetics. These movies often create a cosy atmosphere through warm lighting, tight frame composition and a focus on small, down-to-Earth stories.
I asked Mt. A students what they would identify as their favourite fall movies, and I got a variety of answers, showing how vast this spectrum can be. Common answers included YA series like Harry Potter and Twilight, rom-coms such as You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, and more eccentric films like Fantastic Mr. Fox and Ladybird. Other answers included the Lord of The Rings trilogy, Dead Poets Society, Little Women, Silver Linings Playbook and the TV series Over the Garden Wall.
The reasoning behind most of these choices were similar. They made the students feel warm and cosy inside, creating feelings of comfort and familiarity as these movies are viewed year after year, a constant reassurance in a hectic world. The warm colours and feelings these movies invoke provide a contrast to the cooling temperatures outdoors and remind us what the fall is all about.
Fall is a time of fresh starts. A time when you are finally able to rock your favourite hoodie again and breathe in the new, crisp, air. Often, fall is a welcome return to familiar routines of school and work, after potentially hectic Summer adventures. Watching Edward and Bella angst through their high school classes or Harry head back to Hogwarts makes us feel comfortable in our own little lives. Fall is also a time for togetherness, for crowding into living rooms to warm up and share treats. In nature, fall is a busy time for lots of animals, as they gather food to prepare for the long Winter ahead, yet it is also a time of winding down and getting ready to hibernate. The same can be said for us, as we use fall as a time to calm down and reset ourselves for the blustery months ahead and these movies can help us get into just that mindset.
Plus, fall means the holidays are just around the corner and there’s a lot to look forward to. Thanksgiving, Halloween, Diwali, all times when we get to come inside and spend valuable time with our family and friends. It makes perfect sense to me that this is the time we want to watch cosy movies about people connecting, finding love, and coming together with family. So whether watching Frodo and Sam go on a long hike makes you feel right at home, or a Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romance gets you in the mood for some pumpkin spice, there is a fall movie out there for everybody to get cosy to.
