there is very little sentimentality in any of his movies outside his kids stuff. jaws, close encounters, jurassic park, AI, etc - all have pretty bleak perspectives on humankind generally. i fear people may be confusing awe with optimism.
not to be a 37-year-old teenager but the new olivia rodrigo album is so damn good - felt every word, queen!
and by sentimentality i don’t mean there aren’t emotional moments or tender moments or loving moments. but the overall worldview is largely quite bleak!
i will simply never understand when people talk about spielberg like he’s held back by sentimentalism. i would argue he’s one of our most repeatedly cynical directors.