The Forward-Looking Power of Nostalgic Movies

Photo by Myke Simon on Unsplash

I love movies. During the summer, I especially love watching nostalgic movies. These are often films that were released during my childhood and teenage years, but increasingly they include movies that came out before my time. Jaws is one of these movies. It hit the theaters in 1975, the year before I was born. I may have seen Jaws as a kid, but I don't actually remember watching it until I was a young adult and it has only been in more recent years that I have grown to really appreciate this cinematic masterpiece.

In addition to watching old movies, I enjoy learning about the making of them, and, critically, the impact they have had on future generations of filmmakers and on pop culture more broadly. I just watched Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, which is a documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of this film. It did an excellent job detailing the history of this movie and how much it has influenced Hollywood. But I especially enjoyed its featuring of contemporary filmmakers such as Jordan Peele, who have found inspiration in Jaws and other old movies for their own careers. The writers and directors making today's most celebrated films often draw deeply from their nostalgic connections to cinema's past, yet what emerges is something fresh and forward-looking. These creators aren't simply copying what came before; they're using nostalgia as a catalyst for innovation.

If you are a regular reader of Flourishing Friday, you probably already know that the psychology of nostalgia is one of my areas of expertise. I've spent nearly a quarter of a century (about half of my life so far) conducting research and writing books, articles, and even a short documentary about how people experience and utilize different forms of nostalgia in their lives. I've also advised numerous enterprises, from small startups to large corporations, on how to strategically utilize nostalgia in their organizational goals. This work has ranged from connecting with their brand legacy and organizational roots to improving workplace culture and employee motivation and wellbeing. As an existential psychologist who studies human motivation and psychological health, I do a lot of work on other subjects but nostalgia is one I keep returning to because not only is it a fundamental part of the human experience but it is also a topic that seems especially relevant to today's rapidly changing world.

In an era where artificial intelligence looms as a transformative force that could fundamentally alter our personal and professional lives and the broader social fabric, where digital devices compete constantly for our attention, and where technology ensures we're perpetually reminded of every crisis and conflict around the globe, many people feel anxious and overwhelmed. As a result, many are turning to nostalgia to find stability, meaning, and guidance amid the uncertainty. Most aren’t using nostalgia to escape the present. They are using it to navigate today’s challenges and plan for the future. Check out this previous newsletter explaining why I call myself a nostalgia futurist.

But as nostalgia becomes more culturally salient, it is also often misunderstood or misrepresented by critics who fixate on the potential downsides of our sentimental engagement with the past. It is true that nostalgia can be used in unhealthy ways. What these critics don't appreciate is that for most people, most of the time, nostalgia isn't a rejection of progress, nor is it an idealization of the past that leads to discontent with the present. It is a psychological resource that helps people feel connected to and inspired by elements of the past that are meaningful and worth preserving or building upon, while simultaneously motivating them to create something new and better for the future.

This brings us back to Jaws and the broader question of how filmmakers use nostalgia. I focus on cinematic nostalgia because it offers a compelling example of how nostalgia functions as a forward-looking force rather than backward-looking retreat, something that can help even the most skeptical critics better understand nostalgia's future and progress-oriented nature. When we examine how the most innovative writers and directors work, we see nostalgia operating not as an attempt to recreate past works but instead as a springboard for creative progression. Jordan Peele's films, for instance, are deeply influenced by classics like Jaws, Night of the Living Dead, and Halloween, yet they feel entirely contemporary and original. Similarly, directors like Denis Villeneuve draw inspiration from science fiction classics while creating films that feel modern. Villeneuve has openly cited Spielberg films like Jaws, E.T., and Close Encounters as major influences, along with classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Importantly, these filmmakers aren't just looking to their contemporaries for inspiration. They're deliberately reaching back decades to the movies that made them fall in love with cinema. They then find ways to expand upon those foundational experiences with contemporary storytelling techniques, technologies, and themes, while weaving in their own unique life experiences and creative insights. Quentin Tarantino exemplifies this beautifully. His films showcase his nostalgic passion for genres ranging from spaghetti westerns to blaxploitation to kung fu films. Yet he weaves them together in ways that are instantly recognizable as uniquely his, while enabling audiences less familiar with these genres to tap into his deep appreciation and genuine love for these cinematic traditions, allowing them to share in his nostalgic experience.

Think about any recent film that struck you as genuinely innovative. Chances are it contains subtle homages to earlier works that inspired its creators. Take Sinners, my favorite film of 2025 so far, which cleverly weaves together different film genres with historical social analysis and timeless human themes to create something both familiar and entirely new.

This pattern extends far beyond filmmaking. Just as a director's creative passion is fueled by cinematic nostalgia, we all use nostalgia to motivate and guide our goals, creative work, and societal contributions. Nostalgia serves not as retreat from progress but as fuel for it. 

And the future-oriented benefits of old movies aren't just for filmmakers. All of us can benefit from engaging with nostalgic art. Watching movies, listening to music, reading books, and playing video games that evoke nostalgia helps us draw inspiration from personally cherished or culturally transmitted memories, reenergize a youthful spirit, connect with others, and imagine how we might carry forward and expand upon valued elements from the past into new creative endeavors and life pursuits.

A quick personal note. I'm not planning on publishing any Flourishing Friday newsletters during the month of August. I need to focus on some upcoming Human Flourishing Lab projects and I hope to take a little vacation time to relax and reenergize, and watch some great movies! Oh, and Jaws will be back in theaters August 29th in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the original summer blockbuster. See you in September.

Have a great weekend!

Clay