How does the use of nostalgia provoke emotional responses from audiences of Boyhood?

Boyhood (Boyhood, 2014) was one of the most talked about films of 2014. It used a concept we had never seen or heard of before, filming a movie over 12 years, using the same cast members whilst filming them during the most crucial moment in their lives. The film focuses on Mason, a six-year-old boy, his older sister and his divorced parents. We see the characters literally grow up in front of us in less than 3 hours. When watching the film there is a constant feeling of nostalgia, as it is a “time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting. It's impossible not to watch Mason and his family without thinking about our own journey” (Siff.net, 2014). Nostalgia is an important feeling that we all long for and can provoke an emotional response from audiences. I will be investigating into how ‘Boyhood’ is able to manipulate the audience's sense of longing for our past and how the emotion, nostalgia, is constructed. Nostalgia can be felt through multiple approaches, I will look at the use of the narrative, pop-culture references, music and how they create an emotional response for the audience. I will also develop an understanding of the type of discourses surrounding childhood and why we seek comfort from films that remind us of our past. “The cinema offers complex and varied experiences (...) The dependability of movies to provide emotional experiences for diverse audiences lies at the centre of mediums appeal and power.” (Smith, 2003: pg.6). It is crucial to understand that we can develop emotions and be affected by texts that we consume, as we can often confide in them and use them as a platform to escape.  

To be able to have an in-depth understanding of how nostalgia can provoke an emotional response, it is crucial for me to research into past reports focusing on the matter. Boym was renowned for her work on nostalgia, she defined it as “a longing for a home that no longer exists or has ever existed” (Boym, 2001:pg17), it is associated with the feeling of “loss and displacement” (Boym, 2001:pg17). She argued people experience from either two forms, ‘restorative’ or ‘reflective’. Restorative nostalgia attempts to reconstruct, whereas reflective nostalgia ‘dwells’ the past. (Boym, 2001:pg 26).

In the most recent years, we have seen an increasing use of nostalgia in various media texts, such as Stranger Things, Ready Player One and IT. Nostalgia plays an important role in film, it “has been used to identify both a sense of personal loss and longing for an idealized past” (Pickering, Keightley, 2006: pg922). Films can act as a motif. We associate particular films with our past such as our childhood, but they also allow us to reflect. Holdsworth argues it enables audiences to be active as it produces “an affective response” (Holdsworth, 2010: pg. 129) on the audience emotionally. He explains it as the narrative of the film “ignites a chain of autobiographical associations, deeply affecting the process of comprehension” (Holdsworth, 2010: pg. 141). This proposes the narrative of a film plays a huge part in what makes it nostalgic for the audience, alongside the mise-en-scene. Todorov's narrative theory, therefore, could be interpreted as being relatable to the audience’s everyday lives. The idea of a ‘disruption’ in a narrative also happens in people's lives, thus we’re always trying to find a resolution (Jacobus Fourie, 2001: pg154). Relatability is important as “it helps create an emotional connection between” the audience and “the film's storyline” (Russell and Waters, 2012: pg17). This links to nostalgia as it helps us identify with characters.

Sperb argues “Nostalgia is always most intense during periods of dramatic cultural and technological upheaval” (Sperb, 2015: pg1). The increased use of nostalgia could relate to the fast pacing speed technology is advancing in the current day. This suggests that writers prefer writing stories about the past, as it was a ‘simpler’ time, as technology such as mobile phones interfere with the storylines they want to pursue. Boym similarly discusses nostalgia appears “as a defence mechanism in a time of accelerated rhythms of life and historical upheavals” (Boym, 2001: pg18).  However, we should not see it as a “radical creative innovation”, but another extension to what Hollywood can offer like escapism (Sperb, 2015: pg4). Pickering et al researches on the modalities of nostalgia, “Nostalgia was also conceived as seeking to attain the unattainable, to satisfy the unsatisfiable” (Pickering, Keightley, 2006: pg 920). Essentially they are stating that audiences use films to hold on to our past, a past that we may prefer as it is associated with a utopian memory. Sperb agrees with this idea, however, argues the gratification of nostalgia is not about “reclaiming a vanishing past” (Sperb, 2015: pg1), but rather scared of the future. It is important to remember that there is a key difference “between the desire to return to an earlier state or idealized past, and the desire not to return but to recognize aspects of the past”, as looking on reflection to benefit you for the future (Pickering, Keightley, 2006: pg921).

Pop culture is relevant across all generations; it is what allows us to define a generation by an artefact. Dwyer labels it as “pop nostalgia” (Dwyer, 2015: pg4). Pop nostalgia occurs on a larger scale, for a whole community. “Pop nostalgia can be prompted by tropes, symbols, or styles” (Dwyer, 2015: pg4). These signs trigger memories for the audience. A movie filmed in the present is able to “evoke nostalgic response through strategic use of dialogue, soundtrack, or wardrobe” (Dwyer, 2015: pg4). It is important to remember Nostalgia is not a genre, it is an experience that “produces meaning for the past and the present” between the text and audience (Dwyer, 2015: pg4). As a collective, we are able to “feel the past” through “historical, cultural, and political conditions” (Dwyer, 2015: pg4). Jameson believes in postmodern film nostalgia is no longer associated with memory but motifs that we associate with our past. Therefore, we can relate to a film and feel nostalgic about it even if we did not live through those times (Holdsworth, 2010: pg130). The signs used may refer to another text, this is called intertextuality. It “refers to the interconnectedness of cultural narratives” (Hirschman, 2000: pg. 57). Intertextuality allows us to integrate pop culture into our “own personal history”, therefore Hirschman concludes we associate them with an “idyllic past” (Hirschman, 2000: pg. 57). There are certain gratifications audiences receive from being able to recognise the signs, such as self- actualization (Mcleod, 2007: pg2)

I will be carrying out a critical discourse textual analysis throughout my research. This will involve critically analysing discourses of family and childhood and the signs/symbols that the director uses to construct this. I have chosen to conduct a discourse analysis as I believe it will enable me to dissect particular scenes in depth. Essentially a discourse analysis examines the use of language, “the analysis of discourse is, necessarily, the analysis of language in use” (Brown and Yule, 1983, pg1). I shall analyse the use of discourses surrounding nostalgia and how the feeling has been communicated. To thoroughly research my topic area, it is essential to look at “various analytical perspectives” (Wodak and Meyer, 2009, pg. 89), this means dissecting the language used, the mise-en-scene, the sound, etc. The directors have purposely placed these objects to trigger nostalgic emotions. Wodak et al consider “‘discourse to be: “a cluster of context-dependent semiotic practices” (Wodak and Meyer, 2009, pg. 89).

It will be noteworthy to consider the types of discourses that surround childhood throughout the narrative. The narrative showcases different aspects of American culture from 2002 to 2014 and important life changes in the actor’s life. It is crucial for me to explore why we associate emotion with these monumental steps. To help I shall look at the mise-en-scene which potentially will use signifiers to make it clear which year they are living in and generate meaning for the audience, due to the signs being recognisable. I will also look at the use of music throughout the film, as I need to explore why the director has chosen to use a specific song at a particular time during the film’s narrative.“The discourse analyst is committed to an investigation of what that language is used for” (Brown and Yule, 1983, pg1), I would use the methodology to evaluate how the directors have encoded certain techniques to present the feeling of nostalgia. How a text is perceived depends on how the audience have decoded the message. A text may present a message but it could mean something else, it may have deeper underlying meanings that the audience are or aren’t aware of (Hall, 1973: pg4).

A previous scholar who has undertaken a discourse analyst is Armbruster. She investigates “nostalgia both as a textual mode and emotional state” (Armbruster, 2012: pg78). Armbruster states she used a ‘combination’ of methods, focusing on “film and television analysis and reception studies” (Armbruster, 2012: pg79). She conducts several textual analysis and conducts a focus group to conclude the reception of the texts.  

Boyhood uses a concept that is very rare, the directors' decision to use the same cast over 12 years and capture their physical changes is a crucial contribution to the film's presentation of nostalgia. The director, Richard Linklaters said he chose to film this way as his vision was to make the film real for the audience watching (Brook, 2014). The film is important in provoking emotional responses due to the ‘realness’ the film portrays; we literally see time passing. Hepler et al suggest “one possible way to connect players emotionally with your stories is to design them in such a way that the players can relate to the obstacles and experiences of the protagonist” (Heussner et al., 2015: pg 123). Linklater's construction of innocence enables this. We see Mason's innocence being shown from the beginning, “hey guess what mom I've figured out where wasps come from (...) well I think if you flick a rock in the air just right it’ll turn into a wasp” (2:24) (Boyhood, 2014). Kincaid critiques the construction of childhood, he believes ‘innocence’ is a “cultural myth that is ‘inculcated’ and ‘enforced’ upon children and generally viewed by adults as in a need of protection” (Robinson et al, 2008: pg345). Robinson et al state there is a “moral panic around the potential loss of childhood innocence” (Robinson et al, 2008: pg344), we see this here as the mother does not question Mason's remarks but acts interested in what he has to say. They suggest this is due to adults feeling nostalgic for their own childhood as it is “too quickly lost” (Robinson et al, 2008: pg344). We begin to later see Mason lose his innocence as he discovers his sexuality. Over a period of time, Mason is introduced to porn, ridiculed for being a virgin and having his first relationship. It is first implied that Mason has had sex (2:11:47) when he is shown in bed with his girlfriend. The audience over the two hours has seen Mason lose his innocence and childhood, thus provoking an emotional response as “Sexuality is an area of identity that is often represented as ‘adults only’” (Robinson et al, 2008: pg344).

Boyhood also criticises society, through education we see Mason being forced into paths he does not entirely want to pursue. As a child, he is known for being distracted in class and not handing in his work even though he has completed it. Similarly, in high school, he is shown in the darkroom developing photographs, not finishing his assignments. His teacher praises his work yet his worried for him, “without discipline, commitment and a really good work ethic (...) the world is too competitive” (1:47:02) (Boyhood, 2014). Mason argues back that he does work hard, “what do you wanna be Mason, what do you wanna do?”, he replies, “that’s what I’m trying to find out”.  We are now coming towards the end of Masons Boyhood and the pressure of knowing what he wants to do in the future is approaching. This is an experience either audiences can relate to or are facing themselves. For older audiences, it is the opportunity to feel satisfied. They have faced the same obstacles in their life, whilst trying to climb the hierarchy, they are now in a place where they have full-filled their needs (Mcleod, 2007: pg4). They can also use Boyhood to ‘reconstruct’ their identity, they have seen “change from childhood to pubescence (...) nostalgia (...) helps people to defend and maintain an awareness of their identity”, they are able to appreciate their past (Armbruster, 2012: pg19).

The film highlights the cultural landmarks of American culture over the 12-year period. Boyhood was an opportunity for millennials and older generations to recall significant events from early 2002 to 2014. During each new year, the director uses motifs that signify and represent a specific year. For example, the 2002 scenes are very important as there are many signs within the mise-en-scene to suggest Mason grew up in the early 2000s. For example, Mason is seen wearing a Spiderman top (6:46), an immensely popular franchise for millennials, as it came out the same year. A reason for the use of ‘pop nostalgia’ is due to globalisation as it “encourages stronger attachments” (Boym, 2001:pg18), we have a need for a community whereby we share a ‘collective memory’ (Boym, 2001:pg18). The bedroom shows many other early 2000 pop culture signifiers in the background, such as the Dragon Ball Z poster. Wesseling discusses how consumers find identity in consumer products that relate to their childhood, Boyhood essentially does the same as audiences identify with Mason (Wesseling, 2017, pg1). This is due to them experiencing what Boym explains as “reflective nostalgia”. The bedroom is a familiar setting for the audience, particularly the millennials, they can relate to the setup and design of the bedroom. The bunk bed connotes the concept of sharing a bedroom with a sibling, this enables audiences to feel emotional as they are able to reflect back on their own family. This is due to our society wishing “to recapture pleasant experiences from the past”, as we find comfort in childhood nostalgia (Wesseling, 2017: pg20).

Additionally, the film chooses to showcase the popularity of The Harry Potter Franchise, which culturally had a huge impact with millennials making, $6.5 billion (Close, 2016). Mason and his sister attend a Harry Potter premiere party. Due to a clear over the shoulder shot of the book, we see it titled ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, thus knowing it is 2009. Audiences are able to easily recognise the franchise due to the popular motifs placed throughout, such a sign titled ‘Platform 9 ¾’. They are dressed in the character’s iconic costumes. Mason is evidently dressed as Harry Potter, wearing the iconic round, broken glasses with tape and the well-known Hogwarts uniform. The count-down to the beginning of the showing highlights the excitement that was surrounded by the franchise. Armbruster discusses the importance of intertextuality to evoke an emotional response from audiences. It is used as a “potential trigger of ‘artefact nostalgia’” (Armbruster, 2012: pg75). We use pop culture to pinpoint a moment in our lives, “to remember “aspects of the difference perceived between identity or circumstance (O’Sullivan, 1991, p.163)” (Armbruster, 2012: pg. 75).

The references to other texts also depict how Mason has matured. This is exhibited when Mason is talking with his father about a girl he likes. He states they have nothing in common “Three best movies this summer; Tropic Thunder, The Dark Knight Rises and Pineapple Express. She said they all sucked” (1:10:18) (Boyhood, 2014). In comparison to the previous pop culture references, all three movies are for a mature audience. As we witness Mason becoming more of age we also see his personality becoming more cultivated.

Furthermore, we can also feel emotions through music. The director purposely uses the soundtrack to help narrate the story, as it can be used as a signifier due to many of the chosen songs being specifically important for the years showcased. This is purposely done as “recorded music has commonly been studied as (...) a vital component of people’s personal memory” (Dijck, 2006; 357). The movie opens up with Mason lying on the grass looking up into the sky, a very childlike activity to do, while Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ lyrics “look at the stars” are played in the background. “Specific affects and emotions are attached to particular songs” this is due to our minds being “active” and “interpretative” (Dijck, 2006; 358). The use of the song ‘Yellow’ is important, it is instantly recognisable as it is one of Coldplay's most known song. Therefore, the audience already has existing emotional ties with the lyrics. Although they have not seen the film or any artefacts that might imply the era, there is already a sense of familiarity. Holdsworth states by “drawing upon our familiarity” the text invites “empathy and identification” due to the associations with that memory (Holdsworth, 2010: pg131).

The importance of music is present throughout. Additionally, (6:14) Mason is woken up by

his sister singing ‘Oops!..I Did It Again’ (6:14) (Boyhood, 2014), an iconic song sung by

Britney Spears. Spears was very prominent during the early 2000s and the song was very

popular Worldwide, this is evident by the sister being able to recite word for word and

attempting the dance moves. “Musical memories become manifest at the intersections of

personal and collective memory and identity” (Dijck, 2006: 358). Collectively the audience is

able to recognise and reminisce the Britney era, for many Spears was a childhood idol and

was a part of their experience of forming their own identity. This can then be compared to

when the sister is later in 2010 watching Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s ‘Telephone’ (1:34:58)

music video on her iPhone 3. We are physically able to see how technology has advanced

over the years, becoming more mobile. During this scene we see the sister sharing music

with her stepmom. This can “be understood as an intergenerational transfer of personal and

collective heritage” (Dijck, 2006; 364). The stepmom does not seem to understand the music

genre, older audiences would be able to relate to this narrative, as they are usually

disapproval of new artists. ‘Boyhood’ exemplifies this by showing the father introducing

Mason to a handmade ‘Beatles’ mixtape, which he calls “Beatles blackout” (1:23:11). “Like

photographs, recorded songs relate personal memories. That older people are eager to pass

on their stories along with their preference for certain recorded music” (Dijck, 2006; 364).

This is shown by his father arguing “there is no favourite Beatle”. We are able to see the

generational difference between current music in 2010 and the father's generation, who

believes “there is a decade of music out there that's been scattered”. We use music to

“function like an archive or storage facility for lived experience” (Dijck, 2006; 364). We

associate “a particular mood, experience, or emotional response” with music (Dijck, 2006;

364). Therefore, the director chose to use a soundtrack that represents each year so

accurately to provoke an emotional response from the audience, as it enforces them to

reflect on their own individual narrative that was present during the time the film’s scenes

are based on.

To conclude, Boyhood constructs a sense of nostalgia throughout the film, whether this is through the narrative, the mise-en-scene or the soundtrack. I understand the importance for the audience to be able to identify with characters and their experiences as it enables them to reflect on their own. I would argue that ‘Boyhoods’ audience experiences reflective nostalgia, as they do not wish to reconstruct the past, but rather observe and re-watch. We feel the need for nostalgia often when there is a change or disruption in our lives.

If I was to further on my research I would conduct a focus group to gain more depth from a direct source as to why they felt nostalgic during the movie, I also noticed research on nostalgia in film was very limited. I would also develop on the mother’s narrative. We come to understand that she never felt satisfied with her own life and although she encouraged Mason to grow and leave home, we see her mourn his childhood.

Furthermore, I realised how artefacts become ingrained in our culture, in particular, our childhood. The soundtrack brought familiarity which enabled us to identify with Mason and his family. The narrative did not contain an unrealistic disruption or new equilibrium, its portrayal of a white, working-class, American family was accurate enough for audiences to relate to. We yearn for our past, this may be due to the fact we do not want to face “the harsh realities of the adult world” (Robinson and Davies, 2008: pg345). We, therefore, use media texts to escape and reward us with gratifications and emotions such as nostalgia. The movie captured 12 important years where we saw technological, cultural and political changes, that happened not so long ago. Therefore, Boyhood provoked emotional responses from the audiences because of it most importantly forcing its audience to reflect back on a recent past.

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