Films and TV shows that feel like Take on Me by a-ha
A breathless, euphoric rush of young love and nervy hope, urgent and shimmering, with a bittersweet edge of fear that it might slip away.
- Sixteen Candles (1984): Awkward, aching teenage crush that ends in a hopeful, giddy payoff.
- Pretty in Pink (1986): New-wave soundtrack and a love that has to cross a divide to happen.
- Stranger Things (2016): Synth-soaked 80s nostalgia with young hearts and a touch of otherworldly wonder.
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): Pure kinetic 80s exuberance and joyful escape.
- Sing Street (2016): A boy starts a band to win a girl, in a love letter to 80s synth-pop.
- Adventureland (2009): Wistful 80s summer romance with a bittersweet, yearning undertow.
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988): Cartoon and live-action worlds collide, echoing the video's sketch-meets-reality magic.
- POSE (2018): Vivid 80s energy, bold romantic hope and joy that pushes through hard barriers.