For many, the emotional power of nostalgia has been transformed into a creative cull, exploited by hyper-capitalist production studios trying to squeeze easy money out of viewers. However, it is very hard to ignore the great influence that the pandemic had on accelerating this trend to its worst - and how now, in the post-Covid era, we are being pulled out.
Pre Covid-19, the film industry was already beginning to grow reliant on nostalgia-driven content. Disney had already clearly established their intent to continue making live action remakes of all their past animated films. Ghostbusters had their very controversial all-female reboot in 2016. It was also a trend in TV, with shows like Twin Peaks rebooting. Nostalgia is a very effective marketing tool - the audience is already familiar with these characters, invested in their stories and comforted by their return to the screen. Nostalgia can also help with creating community, bringing people together to experience the same story in a new way. Stories and the way they are told have always adapted - remakes, if given the room to do so, can have great artistic merit.
There is a place for nostalgia within film which can be driven by creative forces.
Then Covid-19 happened. Film production was halted. Cinemas were closed. Streaming became the primary distribution center of all media. On both sides, creators and audiences were drawn to nostalgic media. For producers, nostalgia represented a safe way to earn money in a financially precarious time; for audiences, nostalgia provided security and comfort during a confusing and scary time in the world. Suddenly, a trend in the film world was blown into its most extreme.
This did come at a creative cost. As society moves away from the pandemic era and we are now solidly post-Covid, the film industry still struggles to recover. The cinema is still financially precarious; box-office takings are still below pre-pandemic levels, encouraging producers to prioritise making safe investments in nostalgia-driven media.
However, to say this is true of all films is simply unfair. Though they may not be huge box-office hits, the artistry of film remains alive and well. For instance, Emma Stone’s partnership with absurdist director Yorgos Lanthimos has spawned three feature films with a fourth on the way, Bugonia (ironically a re-make of an old South Korean film called Jigureul jikyeora!). There is also a growing trend in international cinema, demonstrating a desire from film-goers to see diversity, creativity and authenticity in the films they choose to see.
The critique of nostalgia-driven media is a valid one and comes from a place of real concern about the prioritising of profit over artistry. However, there is a place for nostalgia within film which can be driven by creative forces. As we continue to move out of the Covid era, it will be interesting to see how the film industry reevaluates the balancing act between the old and the new.