Many movies and TV shows use nature, typically weather, to present emotions of characters, what is happening between characters, or to generally set the tone of a scene. They do this as a more or less subtle way of showing these emotions instead of characters having to state them. There are many examples of movies that are able to capture the moment and create a mood for viewers to pick up on.
When people think about nature and weather being used to form an atmosphere in movies, most probably think of a scene involving rain. Rain is one of the most common uses of nature in television because of the meaning it can hold in a situation. It is mostly used to show a character’s sadness as in The Summer I Turned Pretty (2020) when characters Belly and Conrad are at prom together. During this, Belly is having a really bad night and runs outside into pouring rain. The rain is meant to symbolize her sadness with the night as well as her relationship with Conrad. Another example is in Pride and Prejudice (2005) when Lizzie and Mr. Darcy is arguing with one another as they are both upset and frustrated, which the rain presents, as they were both falling for each other yet in denial.
Along those lines, while rain can represent sadness, it can also be a culmination or climax of a love story as well as cleansing. This is where the common scene of characters kissing or dancing in the rain comes in. Some popular examples are Spiderman (2002) and The Notebook (2004). In both of these movies, it is like an admittance of feelings from both sides, and the rain cleans them of the denial of their feelings then kissing to hit the climax of the characters’ love for one another. Rain cleansing a character can be seen in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) when the main character, Andy, is coming out of the tunnel covered in mess, and the rain washes him of it as he becomes relieved in his freedom.
Some other uses of nature can also involve snow, wind, and even just the sun. A very good example of snow is Frozen (2013) as Elsa cannot control her powers, she freezes people out and ultimately freezes the town. As it is a children’s movie, it is a little more simply put than adult movies. In Tommy Boy (1995), at the end of the movie, the main character, Tommy, is seeking advice then the wind starts blowing. In this, the wind is meant to be the answer sent in the wind, specifically by his dad. As for the sun, it is very common in Disney princess movies for it to be dark, cloudy, and gloomy while the villain is in control, or something is looming over the town or village of the main character. An example of this is Beauty and the Beast (1991, 2017) when the Beast is angry, but as he falls in love with Belle and finds calmness with her as well as the curse being lifted off him and his people, the sun comes out behind the clouds to show the relief and happiness they all feel to be released from the curse.
Nature being used as an outlet of emotions is very common in movies and TV shows, and most can appreciate the subtle and nice way of representing unsaid feelings of characters. Also when using nature to show emotions is a good way of utilizing the weather and how it can make characters feel as well as using it to their advantage in foreshadowing and helping the audience infer what is going or currently happening.
