The arrival of brisk fall weather has some implications, and among them is the retreat indoors. There is no better way to spend a chilly day than to be confined inside your home, under a blanket, watching a good movie.

But movie watching in autumn presents its own difficulty: Few films distinctly pertain to the season. Yes, there are Halloween movies and other films that begin in late autumn and culminate at Christmas, but there are hardly any general fall movies. 

So, given the lack of clear parameters on what defines an autumn movie, I’ve taken it upon myself to create the singular, immutable, and ultimately definitive list of fall films.

Hannah and Her Sisters

Bookended by chaotic Thanksgiving gatherings, Hannah and Her Sisters is a logical choice for autumn. The film is a Woody Allen classic as it farcically expresses anxieties surrounding family relations and mortality.

Through an affair, a brief religious conversion, and a cancer scare, Allen manages to portray true humanity in the way only he can. Without judgment, and with all of Allen’s self-deprecating irony, the film explores characters’ complex shortcomings. Unlike some of his other films, Allen manages to reconcile the various depravities in Hannah and Her Sisters with a genuinely happy ending.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The first properly chilly day of the fall always begs the same question: Is it time to binge-watch the entire Harry Potter series yet? Most of the series’ films would be appropriate for autumn watching, but Prisoner of Azkaban is particularly fitting. 

While every film in the series features layered, preppy Hogwarts uniforms and the maroon and gold colors of Gryffindor, Prisoner of Azkaban has a pivotal scene in a pumpkin patch. Seriously, what more do you want? 

Along with misty weather and ubiquitous sweaters, an important factor that makes the movie particularly germane in autumn is the unique absence of Voldemort. The bleak bastard who shall not be named always manages to bring with him an unsettling, frosty sensation—a feeling incongruous with fall’s essential coziness.

Withnail and I

Unfortunately, any expectations of comfort or homeyness for the season must be abandoned for the sake of the absolutely brilliant Withnail and I. The British cult classic is many things, but in terms of the warmth it imparts, Withnail (Richard E. Grant) says it best: “Warm up? We may as well sit around a cigarette.” The film’s dialogue is superbly witty. 

The intense cold is a constant obstacle for Withnail and Marwood (Paul McGann), and, in addition to huddling around a cigarette, their other attempts at escaping it include covering themselves in Deep Heat and drinking copious amounts of booze. The pair reflects the season of decay by deteriorating themselves.  

The film is set in England, where it is more or less cool and damp year-round. Lacking any extreme seasonal characteristics, the time of year can be impressively ambiguous. Despite this, the autumn atmosphere is expressed well through the pair’s outfits, which feature recognizable fall staples—Withnail sports a fantastic tweed coat and Marwood a fine leather jacket.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

In terms of curating vibrant cinematic color palettes, Wes Anderson is among the greatest. The warming oranges, browns, yellows, and reds of Fantastic Mr. Fox are nothing if not suited to autumn. Anderson even manages to make Mr. Fox’s home, a hole in the ground, seem like the perfect place to curl up and avoid the chill.

As we creep toward Halloween, the film’s fantastical and fairytale elements grow increasingly fitting. Thematically, though, the movie might be better suited to watch in late November and the period surrounding Thanksgiving—the Fox family dynamic is the film’s most evocative aspect. A sensible watch at either time, Fantastic Mr. Fox is perhaps the single most season-exclusive film outside of Christmas movies.

Paterson

A season that manufactures beauty through decay, autumn is inherently paradoxical and poetic. Paterson is based on the life of poet William Carlos Williams, who grew up in New Jersey. He is embodied by Paterson (Adam Driver), a poet and bus driver for NJ Transit. The film is quiet and slow-paced, making it feel even more fitting for a mellow time of year. 

Paterson’s subtle, poetic appreciations of domestic and urban life seem to resonate even more during the fall. As we experience the last of the warm weather and watch the leaves change color, the season itself almost demands the gratitude that exudes throughout the movie.