A paper analysis of the 1973 film (often associated with 1974 due to its extended theatrical run and award season) focuses on its status as a seminal coming-of-age story that revolutionized the use of nostalgia in cinema. Directed by George Lucas, the film captures a "last age of innocence" in 1962 Modesto, California, just before the cultural shifts of the Vietnam War and the Kennedy assassination. Key Themes for Analysis I was 18 when American Graffiti came out in August of 1973.