n 1986, a Stephen King novella, The Body (originally published in the Different Seasons anthology), was adapted into a feature film. This is not strange in itself — King is a prolific author, and his works have been adapted to film for decades — but while he is known as the King of Horror, this story was much more mundane.
Stand by Me, directed by Rob Reiner, is one of the best coming-of-age films ever to grace the big screen. It follows four boys’ end-of-summer adventure before they head off to junior high. They include Wil Wheaton as protagonist and narrator Gordie Lachance, River Phoenix as strong and sensitive group leader Chris Chambers, Corey Feldman as oddball Teddy Duchamp, and Jerry O’Connell as the begrudgingly included Vern Tessio.
They hear a rumor that the body of a missing boy has been seen not far from their hometown, Castle Rock. They decide that they must be the ones to find the body, and that finding and reporting it will make them town heroes. In a move that is incomprehensible by modern parenting standards, they lie to their parents about camping out in Vern’s field and disappear for almost two days to head off down the train tracks. Underneath the heartwarming quest that they undertake are some of King’s quintessential themes; death and grief underscore the journey.
When they first set out, the boys are giddy about their adventure. They sing, joke, and skip as they start down the train tracks. This walk in the woods provides a welcome distraction from their dysfunctional home lives, but it’s not long before their demons catch up with them. The first encounter with death occurs when a train comes along. Teddy stays on the tracks as the other three move clear because he wants to dodge the train. He stares down the locomotive as it approaches, and his friends don’t seem convinced that he will get out of the way in time. Teddy is furious with Chris for pulling him out of danger’s path. Chris apologizes and tells him that he can “dodge it later.”
