Seven unconventionally romantic films
By Jessica Berget, Staff Writer
Ah, St. Valentine’s Day, the most romantic capitalist holiday there is. What better way to learn about life and love than through devastating heartbreak, right? Whether you’re single, in a relationship, or anywhere in between, these films will satisfy your Valentine’s Day movie craving and teach you everything you need to know about love, loss, and relationships.
Away We Go (2009)
John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as Verona and Burt in this eccentric romantic comedy/drama about an unmarried couple who struggle to make ends meet. When they find out they’re having a baby, they travel the states visiting friends and relatives searching for a perfect place to raise their first child. Hilarity and sadness ensue as they meet with other families while also trying to establish and make sense of their own.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2002)
This classic Wes Anderson film follows the Tenenbaums, a family of geniuses torn apart by their parents’ separation. After their rich father (Gene Hackman) runs out of money, he lies to his family that he has stomach cancer and wants to make amends to his family before his death, bringing them back together for the first time in 22 years. Meanwhile, Richie (Luke Wilson) and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) struggle with being secretly in love with one another, despite being adoptive siblings.
Frances Ha (2012)
Frances (played by Greta Gerwig) is a dancer’s apprentice based in New York, although she doesn’t have a permanent place to live. As her best friend starts becoming serious with her boyfriend, the two young women grow apart. Frances struggles to deal with a break-up, getting her life and career together, and the devastating disappointments that come with adulthood. This film has important lessons about relationships, life, and how to love yourself. It may hit a little too close to home if you have ever been a young adult struggling to find your place in the world (a.k.a. everyone).
Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)
15-year-old Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) has her life changed forever when she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux), a blue-haired girl with whom she pursues a relationship. The film follows Adèle as she learns about love and loss as well as struggling with social acceptance, her sexuality, and her maturing relationship.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Love and friendship bloom under strange circumstances in this film. Bob (Bill Murray) is dissatisfied with his plummeting career as an actor and decides to take a job in Japan doing a whiskey commercial. Similarly, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is disenchanted with her marriage, as her successful photographer husband leaves her behind in a hotel room as he works. The two strangers meet in a Tokyo hotel bar and begin a strange but intimate friendship.
Harold and Maude (1971)
Harold (Bud Cort) is a 20-year-old boy obsessed with death. In an attempt to get attention from his rich, neglectful mother, he stages various fake suicides and eagerly awaits the day he will meet his ultimate demise. While at a funeral, he meets 79-year-old Maude (Ruth Gordon), a woman who shares his fascination with death but uses it as an excuse to live her life to the fullest. This movie will change the way you see love and relationships, and might also give you an appreciation for Cat Stevens music.
Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight is the thoughtful, devastating story of a young boy who struggles to understand himself and the world around him as he grows older and slowly comes to terms with his sexuality. The film chronicles the character Little, as it follows him throughout life in a rough Miami neighbourhood, where he experiences friendship, heartbreak, and love.