History Heartwarming / TheDayAfter

* It doesn't make what has transpired any less hopeless or depressing, but the last shot of the film is an act of human kindness.

* It doesn't make what has transpired any less hopeless or depressing, but the last shot of the film is [[spoiler: an act of human kindness.]]

* The fact that in RealLife, this film contributed to a push on both sides of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar towards detente, ending a period where nuclear war fever was at its highest since the UsefulNotes/CubanMissileCrisis. In short -- we are here on Website/TVTropes and not radioactive ash in part because of this film. On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Mr. Meyer.
* At a meta level, the dates in the film place it in 1989. In real life, tensions greatly reduced between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, again due to the film itself.

* The closeness that forms between Stephen and Denise. Their first major interaction is him shouting at and chasing after her to get to go back inside, knowingly dooming himself to repay her father for letting him take shelter. Immediately after, he seems to be their for her when she is mourning the life she'll never have with Bruce. When next we see them, Stephen shows genuine concern for a rapidly ailing Denise and insists on taking her and Danny to a make-shift hospital, this time going against Jim's orders to do what's best for them. Finally, although it's clear that the Dahlberg kids have lost hope, Stephen keeps his brave face and comforts a desperately ill Denise by countering her own nearly bald, score-ridden head with the reveal of his own, only smiling at her and telling her she looks great. The implication is that he's just as sick as Denise, who can no longer move, and has been [[BigBrotherInstinct forcing himself to keep going so as not to alarm any of the kids]]. It is also heartwarming from a writing standpoint because another movie would probably be tempted to have - or at least hint - at a romance storyline, doomed characters or not, but the writers stuck firmly to the FireForgedFriends and FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling type dynamic already established.

* The fact that in RealLife, this film contributed to a push on both sides of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar towards detente, ending a period where nuclear war fever was at its highest since the UsefulNotes/CubanMissileCrisis. In short -- we are here on Wiki/TVTropes and not radioactive ash in part because of this film. On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Mr. Meyer.

* The closeness that forms between Stephen and Denise. Their first major interaction is him shouting at and chasing after her to get to go back inside, knowingly dooming himself to repay her father for letting him take shelter. Immediately after, he seems to be their for her when she is mourning the life she'll never have with Bruce. When next we see them, Stephan shows genuine concern for a rapidly ailing Denise and insists on taking her and Danny to a make-shift hospital, this time going against Jim's orders to do what's best for them. Finally, although it's clear that the Dahlberg kids have lost hope, Stephan keeps his brave face and comforts a desperately ill Denise by countering her own nearly bald, score-ridden head with the reveal of his own, only smiling at her and telling her she looks great. The implication is that he's just as sick as Denise, who can no longer move, and has been [[BigBrotherInstinct forcing himself to keep going so as not to alarm any of the kids]]. It is also heartwarming from a writing standpoint because another movie would probably be tempted to have - or at least hint - at a romance storyline, doomed characters or not, but the writers stuck firmly to the FireForgedFriends and FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling type dynamic already established.

* At a meta level, the dates in the film place it in 1989. In real life, [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp tensions greatly reduced between the U.S. and the Soviet Union]], again due to the film itself.

* The closeness that forms between Stephen and Denise. Their first major interaction is him shouting at and chasing after her to get to go back inside, knowingly dooming himself to repay her father for letting him take shelter. Immediately after, he seems to be their for her when she is mourning the life she'll never have with Bruce. When next we see them, Stephan shows genuine concern for a rapidly ailing Denise and insists on taking her and Danny to a make-shift hospital, this time going against Jim's orders to do what's best for them. Finally, although it's clear that the Dahlberg kids have lost hope, Stephan keeps his brave face and comforts a desperately ill Denise by countering her own nearly bald, score-ridden head with the reveal of his own, only smiling at her and telling her she looks great. The implication is that he's just as sick as Denise, who can no longer move, and has been [[BigBrotherInstinct forcing himself to keep going so as not to alarm any of the kids]]. It is also heartwarming from a writing standpoint because another movie would probably be tempted to have - or at least hint - at a romance storyline, doomed characters or not, but the writers stuck firmly to the FireFordgedFriends and FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling type dynamic already established.

** The closeness that forms between Stephen and Denise. Their first major interaction is him shouting at and chasing after her to get to go back inside, knowingly dooming himself to repay her father for letting him take shelter. Immediately after, he seems to be their for her when she is mourning the life she'll never have with Bruce. When next we see them, Stephan shows genuine concern for a rapidly ailing Denise and insists on taking her and Danny to a make-shift hospital, this time going against Jim's orders to do what's best for them. Finally, although it's clear that the Dahlberg kids have lost hope, Stephan keeps his brave face and comforts a desperately ill Denise by countering her own nearly bald, score-ridden head with the reveal of his own, only smiling at her and telling her she looks great. The implication is that he's just as sick as Denise, who can no longer move, and has been forcing himself to keep going so as not to alarm any of the kids. It is also heartwarming from a writing standpoint because another movie would probably be tempted to have - or at least hint - at a romance storyline, doomed characters or not, but the writers stuck firmly to the BigBrotherInstinct and FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling type dynamic already established.

* At a meta level, the dates in the film place it in 1989. In real life, [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp tensions greatly reduced between the U.S. and the Soviet Union]], again due to the film itself.

* At a meta level, the dates in the film place it in 1989. In real life, [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp tensions greatly reduced between the U.S. and the Soviet Union]].

* The fact that in RealLife, this film contributed to a push on both sides of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar towards detente, ending a period where nuclear war fever was at its highest since the UsefulNotes/CubanMissileCrisis. In short -- we are here on Wiki/TVTropes and not radioactive ash in part because of this film. On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Mr. Meyer.

* The fact that in RealLife, this film contributed to a push on both sides of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar towards detente, ending a period where nuclear war fever was at its highest since the UsefulNotes/CubanMissileCrisis. In short -- we are here on Wiki/TVTropes and not radioactive ash in part because of this film. On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Mr. Meyer.
** No less a person than UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan made a point to thank Meyer, sending him a letter after finally making a peace treaty with Gorbachev, which read, "Don't think your movie didn't have anything to do with this...because it did."

* The fact that in RealLife, this film contributed to a push on both sides of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar towards detente, ending a period where nuclear war fever was at its highest since the CubanMissileCrisis. In short -- we are here on Wiki/TVTropes and not radioactive ash in part because of this film. On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Mr. Meyer.

* The fact that in RealLife, this film contributed to a push on both sides of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar towards detente, ending a period where nuclear war fever was at its highest since the CubanMissileCrisis. In short -- we are here on TVTropes and not radioactive ash in part because of this film. On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Mr. Meyer.

* Even as horrifying as nuclear war is, there are survivors. A lot of people died, and many more will succumb to disease and/or hunger, but some will survive to start over.

** No less a person than RonaldReagan made a point to thank Meyer, sending him a letter after finally making a peace treaty with Gorbachev, which read, "Don't think your movie didn't have anything to do with this...because it did."

* The fact that in RealLife, this film contributed to a push on both sides of the ColdWar towards detente, ending a period where nuclear war fever was at its highest since the CubanMissileCrisis. In short -- we are here on TVTropes and not radioactive ash in part because of this film. On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Mr. Meyer.

* The fact that in RealLife, this film contributed to a push on both sides of the ColdWar towards detente, ending a period where nuclear war fever was at its highest since the CubanMissileCrisis. In short -- we are here on TVTropes and not radioactive ash in part because of this film. On behalf of everyone here, thank you, Mr. Meyer.

* Even as horrifying as nuclear war is, there are survivors. A lot of people died, and many more will succumb to disease and/or hunger, but some will survive to start over.

* It doesn't make what has transpired any less hopeless or depressing, but the last shot of the film is [[spoiler: an act of human kindness.]]