Rain, love, and nostalgia: 10 films that will make you fall in love with autumn

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Autumn is one of the most comfortable seasons for rewatching your favorite movies, along with rainy days, yellowed leaves, and warm tea. The quiet and slightly melancholic mood characteristic of this season is revealed even more vividly in certain films. Romantic stories, mysterious events, inspiring characters, and nostalgic landscapes create a special atmosphere for autumn viewing. Below, we have gathered 10 films that will help you feel exactly this kind of mood.

“Autumn in New York” (2000)

Starring: Richard Gere, Winona Ryder, Anthony LaPaglia, Elaine Stritch, Vera Farmiga, Sheryl Lee

A successful middle-aged businessman, Will Keane (Richard Gere), accidentally meets 22-year-old Charlotte (Winona Ryder) in a park and meets her again in his restaurant that same evening. The news Charlotte tells him comes as a surprise to Keane: the girl is terminally ill and has a year or even less to live.

“Dead Poets Society” (1989)

Starring: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Dylan Kussman

In the film, Robin Williams plays the role of English literature teacher John Keating. Gradually inspired by poetry and their dreams, his students break free from the boundaries of discipline. The film received three Oscar nominations, winning one of them for Best Original Screenplay.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009)

Starring (voices): George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon

Mr. Fox, who is used to making a living by robbing local farmers, falls into a trap one day. However, everything ends well: Fox finds out that his wife is pregnant and decides to say goodbye to his criminal life.

Two years (or 12 fox years) pass. Mr. Fox lives peacefully in his den with his wife and son Ash, writes a column for a local newspaper, and tries not to get involved in other suspicious activities. But the passion for adventure and memories of the past still have their say: the fox decides to raid the property of three farmers. To do this, he gathers a team of his clumsy friends and tries to pull off the job smoothly so that his wife does not find out about anything. Of course, the lie is quickly exposed, and the farmers, fed up with Mr. Fox's raids, decide to eliminate the cunning enemy.

“Hocus Pocus” (1993)

Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw

In 17th-century Massachusetts, three witch sisters, the Sandersons, lure a little girl to their cottage to suck out her life force and regain their youth. Her brother, trying to save his sister, falls victim to another spell: the witches turn him into a black cat. Soon, the townspeople capture the sisters and sentence them to death, but before the execution, one of them manages to cast a spell: on Halloween night, if a virgin lights the Black Flame Candle in their house, they can return to life. Then the sisters will rise from their graves and hunt children to become young again.

Three hundred years later, teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz), his sister Dani (Thora Birch), and his crush Allison (Vinessa Shaw) accidentally bring the coven of witches back to life. Now the Sanderson sisters must adapt to the modern world and fulfill their old promise, while Max and his friends must figure out how to send them back to the grave. Of course, the black cat will also help them in this.

“Twilight” (2008)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Taylor Lautner

Although its events officially take place in spring and winter, "Twilight" is an autumn franchise. The cold color palette, pale Edward Cullen, gloomy Forks, endless forests, rain, vampires, and wolves—it is as if the creators gathered everything we love about autumn in one place and added a bit of teen drama to it.

Bella Swan moves to rainy Forks to live with her father, where she meets the mysterious and suspiciously pale Edward Cullen. Soon it turns out that Edward is a vampire, but this does not prevent them from falling in love with each other.

“Mona Lisa Smile” (2003)

Starring: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin, Marcia Gay Harden

The events of this historical drama take place in the 1950s. Art history teacher Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) gets a job at the conservative Wellesley Girls' College. Seeing the potential of the female students, she encourages them to think more broadly and deeply than the norms accepted at the educational institution, which causes strong dissatisfaction from the administration.

“October Sky” (1999)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Laura Dern, Chris Owen, William Lee Scott, Chad Lindberg

Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his brother Jim (Scott Miles) are the sons of a West Virginia coal miner. Their father, John (Chris Cooper), hopes they will both follow in his footsteps, but everything changes when the launch of the first artificial satellite, "Sputnik," inspires Homer. With the help of his friends and a teacher, Homer begins building rockets, dreaming of participating in a national science fair where the grand prize is a college scholarship.

“Good Will Hunting” (1997)

Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgård, Casey Affleck

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a Boston youth with a genius intellect but little desire to use it. His best friend, Chuckie Sullivan (Ben Affleck), does not agree with this situation. Eventually, a person who can provide the necessary balance in Will's life appears—psychotherapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). As Sean helps Will solve his psychological problems and understand what is truly troubling him, he gradually faces his own pain as well.

“Knives Out” (2019)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson

The beginning of the plot may seem simple: a famous writer is killed, and his numerous relatives outdo each other in telling their own versions of the event. But it is the details that turn the film into a truly interesting detective story. Its sequels, although perhaps not as autumnal and touching, definitely found their audience.

“Sweet November” (2001)

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron, Jason Isaacs, Greg Germann, Lauren Graham, LeAnn Rimes

Nelson Moss (Keanu Reeves) is a successful advertising executive in San Francisco who is used to living only for work and always rushing somewhere. One day, during a driving test, he runs into Sara Deever (Charlize Theron). She is the complete opposite of Nelson: an unconventional, freedom-loving woman who is completely uninterested in the rules Nelson lives by. Naturally, they immediately clash, but soon Sara suggests he spend the entire month of November with her, promising to completely change his life during this month.

Nelson is initially skeptical of this offer, but gradually gets used to Sara's strange rules and realizes that a personal story is hidden behind her lightness and love for unexpected actions. As a result, the month of November becomes a month for him in which he has to reconsider both his work, his habits, and his general idea of what makes a person happy.