Life is fragile, everything that knows life will sooner or later meet death; it is impossible to mention one without the other. Humans have understood the concept of life and death more than any other species, yet we still consider it one of the great unknowns. Everything man knows about life he learns from his experiences with death. Man can look to many classical and religious texts in search of the meaning of life, but the only way to truly learn it is through experience. For many, finding happiness means first coming to terms with the limited life you have and then making the most of it. Many films attempt to address the theme of the preciousness of life, but few seem to strike as deeply as those told through the eyes of a child. Stand By Me, Rob Reiner's 1986 film, captures the beauty and fragility of human life and friendship through experiences with death. The film operates on two different levels; serves as a coming-of-age story of Gordie Lachance, Vern Tessio, Teddy Duchamp, and Chris Chambers, but also as a reflection of the writer's meanings of life and death. The writer serves as narrator, recounting the events that led to his first encounter with a corpse. The film makes wonderful use of the five formal axes of cinematic design to convey its powerful message: life is best lived with a friend, because death is everywhere. It would be impossible to discuss the literary and sound design in Stand By Me without mentioning storytelling that deals heavily with both axes. The writer, as narrator, provides the audience with his motivation for the story; the film begins with The Writer, stopped with his car on the side of the road, reading the obituary of his childhood best friend Chris Cha...... middle of paper ...... amused when he is company of others who care about you. Without sound design, literary design, visual design, cinematography, or editing, this film based on Stephen King's short story, "The Body," would never have come to be, nor would it still be relevant today. The film manages to convey its themes so well that it is considered a favorite among many viewers because the messages are easy to understand without becoming redundant. This film has become a timeless coming-of-age story because it deals with the themes of life and death told through the experiences of four twelve-year-old boys. Works Cited Stand By Me. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell. DVD. Columbia Pictures, 1986."Stand By Me (1986)." The Internet Movie Database. Network. November 17 2009. .