Marking 40 years since its release, the article presents Rob Reiner’s *Stand by Me* as an enduring coming-of-age film about friendship, loss and the way childhood is remembered in adulthood. It argues that the film’s emotional force comes from treating its young characters’ fears and bonds seriously, rather than simply using nostalgia for sentiment.

Adapted from Stephen King’s 1982 novella *The Body*, the 1986 film follows four boys who set out to find the body of a missing child in 1959 Oregon. Its frame story centres on adult Gordie recalling the journey and the later fate of his friends, making memory and mortality central to the film; the performances of Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell remain key to its reputation.