Growing Up With Stand By Me

These next two weeks we are using a film that doesn't have as obvious connctions to faith, but some profound thoughts on life and death, growing up, friendship, and making choices.

Stand By Me offers a view through the eyes of four twelve-year-old boys in 1959 rural America (filmed in Oregon). This movie uses a very literal “Journey” theme, as well as a brotherhood, and coming of age look at life. Throughout this film, the four boys deal with many issues--all of them are spurred by, and surround the idea of sneaking off to look at the body of another boy their age who was killed by a train. The boys set out, following the very same tracks that led to the other boy’s death, and find themselves in a whole new world as they learn much more about each other and themselves than they had ever imagined.

Throughout the movie we see train tracks and trains. What significance, if any, do these things play in the story? How might they be a metaphor for the journey that the four friends are on?

How do the four boys in Stand By Me display their innocence and what kinds of changes do you see them going through as the story goes on? In what ways do they grow up? How do they stay the same?

As the movie progresses, how does the boys perception of death change? Does their ability to face it and cope with it change or develop? How does this experience change their perception of the world and life in general?

Stand By Me has a lots of good stuff about growing up, life and death, innocence, and friendship packed into a relatively short movie. We hope that you'll take a look at some of these things and enjoy some coffee with us at the Blue Pepper. Please feel free to comment or pose more questions here as well!