If you are born around the 1970s like me, then you were "coming of age" in the mid 90s. This time, i think was the golden age of film - well to me as a gen z person it is! What are the films that sum up the 90s for the typical gen z and why. Here is my list.
Trainspotting
Storyline:
Filmed in Edinburgh, Scotland, Trainspotting is a black comedy revolving around the lives of twenty-something heroin addicts in Edinburgh captured the seedy aspects of a generation. Though the characters can be vile at times, their struggle to survive and find purpose in life is somewhat admirable.
What its really about
Similar in Genre to:
The Basketball Diaries (1995), Fight Club (1999), Drug Store Cowboy (1989)
Breakfast Club
Storyline:
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.
What its really about:
In the final audio lines from the film we hear the voice of Anthony Michael Hall reading the following words from his character’s essay, transitioning into the voices of each of the other student characters as the narration goes on:
Dear Mr. Vernon, We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely Yours, The Breakfast Club
The film’s final message is plain as day, and yet it is surprisingly easy to miss. These lines from the final moments of the film don’t apply merely to the five characters in the film. They apply to us—all of us!
Similar in Genre to:
St Elmo's Fire
Clueless (1995)
Storyline:
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other. The film It is loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma, with a modern-day setting of Beverly Hills.
What its really about
This film is about Cher, a high school student in Beverly Hills who has to survive the ups and downs of adolescent life. Her external demeanor at first seems superficial, but rather it hides her wit, charm, and intelligence which help her to deal with relationships, friends, family, school, and the all-important teenage social life.
Chasing Amy (1997)
Storyline:
In 1997, Kevin Smith’s romantic comedy is about a guy who falls in love with a lesbian and it quickly became a cult favorite. Holden and Banky, two pals, are authors of popular comical books. Holden is smitten with Alyssa, a lesbian. His bond with her weakens his friendship with Banky. But he cannot cope with Alyssa's past.
What its really about:
Chasing Amy pushed the boundaries of sexual mores, pitted the casual (and sometimes not-so-casual) misogyny of comic book culture against budding male vulnerability, and tackled the complications of love and friendship in ways that deeply connected with a generation of almost-adults in the ’90s who were just figuring out how to grow up.
High Fidelity (2000)
Storyline:
Rob Gordon (John Cusack), he's a thirty-something unlucky-in-love record-store owner trying to find his way in Chicago. He sells music the old-fashioned way -- on vinyl. Although they have an encyclopedic knowledge of pop music and are consumed by the music scene, it's of no help to Rob, whose needle skips the love groove when his long-time girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle), walks out on him. As he examines his failed attempts at romance and happiness, the process finds him being dragged, kicking and screaming, into adulthood.
What its really about:
Back then, in this film its about the same issues we face today - people look for direction and fulfillment, professionally or personally. It's more about how we interact with ourselves and how we grow in self-awareness. Rob refuses to learn from his ex-girlfriends and struggles to recognize and address his flaws.
Similar in Genre to:
Singles (1992), Empire Records (1995), Say Anything (1989), 200 Cigarettes (1999), The Committments (1991), Chasing Amy (1997), Love and Other Drugs (2010)
Before Sunrise (1995)
Storyline:
In this Indy classic, travelers Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) meet on a train headed for Vienna. She's a college student in Paris, and he's an American traveling around Europe to run away from life. They decide to spend the day in Vienna, and sparks fly.
What its really about:
Travel, spontaneity, and the potential of something beautiful, especially when it comes to love, are hallmarks of Generation X films. This film was a collaborative effort between director Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, who also contributed to the spontaneous script and is known as one of the most romantic films in history
Similar in Genre to:
Boyhood, Call me by You Name, In the Mood for Love, Two Days in Paris, When Harry Met Sally
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