Stand By Me is a 1986 American coming-of-age drama film, directed by Rob Reiner, based on Stephen King’s 1982 novella The Body. It has recently been re-released in the UK to mark its 40th anniversary, and perhaps to celebrate the life and work of Reiner who, tragically, was murdered last December.

The film is set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon, in 1959, and tells the story of a defining event in the lives of four 12-year-old boys: Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman) and Vern (Jerry O’Connell). A young boy has gone missing in the State, and Vern overhears a conversation concerning his demise and his whereabouts. So he informs his friends, and together they go off in search of ‘the dead body’. However, whilst there is a clearly-defined plot to the film, that is not actually what it is about; it is really about the boys pushing back the limits of their everyday lived experience, and about how characters are formed and friendships are forged in such extreme situations.

I should also say that this is very much a period piece. I am sure that any 12-year-old now would recognise little of themselves in the four boys on the screen, given the exposure to the real world that young people have these days. There is an innocence within Stand By Me that will never be found again and whilst in some ways that is progress, I think the film highlights that something important has been lost through the advent of the internet and social media.

The story is very much an autobiographical one; King, who was himself 12-years-old in 1959, is represented by Gordie, and indeed the story is framed as Gordie looking back a quarter of a century later, remembering the incidents that occurred that weekend. Whilst the events themselves do not exactly mirror King’s experiences, they are close enough. King stated at the time of its release that it was his favourite of the various adaptations of his stories and, more recently, he has said that it sits alongside The Shawshank Redemption as the two best films based on his work.

If you are able to catch Stand By Me at a cinema during its (probably brief) re-release, you will find it a rewarding experience.