American Graffiti captures a very specific time in America; in fact, it’s so specific it feels more like a time capsule or a historical artifact than a movie. It’s a picture of 1962, Modesto, California, the setting of writer-director George Lucas’ own childhood, where kids would cruise aimlessly on Main Street and pick fights or girls, listen to the radio, mess around, be young, and have nothing else to worry about. It’s been described as the last breath of innocence, before America was plunged into new and neverending world wars. But as particular as that all sounds, American Graffiti is oddly relatable. I couldn’t be farther away from this reality and yet I felt a deep pang in my chest when the kids lied about owning a car to impress a girl, raced a guy who provoked them, fooled around with strangers, and promised they’d be friends with each other after their last night together, knowing full well college was the start of the end. American Graffiti may capture a specific time in history, but its themes of childhood innocence and adult nostalgia run deep and wide. Anyone who’s longed to return to simpler times will find much to like in this film.

Yep, that’s a young Harrison Ford, pre-Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame, right there.