Have you gone out of your way to find a dead body? I haven't, but these 4 kids have. The coming of age story of 4 kids going on an adventure to find a dead body was shown in the movie, Stand by Me. It is based on the book, “The Body” by Stephen King and was directed by Rob Reiner, a well known filmmaker. The film may have come out a long time ago, but no matter how much time passes, Stand by Me is a timeless masterpiece.

The characters in Stand by Me have a lot of background and it’s what makes this film age well, it is a coming of age story after all. It focuses on 4 kids, but we get to learn more about one of the kids, Gordie. Of course he still acts like the other kids, all of them throw out foul language at each other like any kid without a filter would do. But what makes Gordie stand out is that he wants to pursue writing and make it out someday, while the rest of the kids are just goofballs. Even then, they all have backstories of their own, like Vern and how he hasn’t been able to find his penny collection. All the characters are interesting in their own way, and they change at the end of the story as well. 

Stand by Me’s narrative structure is a very interesting point of view, and it executes it pretty well. It starts off with the older version of Gordie and as he sees other kids riding on bikes, it reminds him of when he was a kid. That’s when the story of the 4 kids finding a dead body starts. This is a great way of telling a story, it feels like a person is telling their experience to you, and if a person is sharing their own story it makes it all feel more real. The narrator also being the older version of the main character makes the narrator speaking throughout the story natural, you don’t wonder how the narrator knows the information it’s showing because it’s Gordie in the present, and the story is told from the past.

After the story is finished, it plays a beautiful song at the end, “Stand by Me”, by Ben E. King in 1982, an old song, but it also stands the test of time. The movie is named after the song, and it sends a message to stand by those whom you trust the most, and let those stand by you as well. It’s a great way to end the story and the movie being called Stand by Me fits more than The Body, because even if the story is about 4 kids looking for the body, it’s more about the kids standing together throughout the adventure. 

Going through change is an experience that everyone goes through, and Stand by Me shows how different things can be. It is timeless because no matter who you are, you can resonate with the characters that go through growing up and everybody grows up at one point. Give Stand by Me a watch, and maybe reflect on the changes you’ve gone through.