The most timeless stories ever told are those that express the overpowering and mysterious feelings of love. We adore these stories on an instinctual level, since we all desire to have someone who understands and cares for us in a way no one else can. If crafted effectively, they can be some of the most moving experiences, with a beauty and grace that seem to capture the very purpose of being alive.
Movies have depicted love stories since their earliest days, conveying a depth only possible with the attributes unique to the medium. This depth has only become deeper in the hands of the right filmmaker with movies that ask more and look closer at what it truly means to love someone or the potential complexities of such a relationship. Here are 10 of those films that are some of the most nuanced depictions of love in cinema.
Asako I & II (2018)
Japanese Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a director with an exceptional sense of subtlety, a talent that garnered him great acclaim with his film Drive My Car. One of his earlier movies exemplifies this in Asako I & II, a story of a strange love triangle of one woman and two men of identical appearance but vastly different personalities.
The film is a fascinating look at what it truly means to love someone with an approach that is shockingly unobtrusive. Nothing jumps out at the viewers, it's not all that exciting, and it's very loose about its subject, yet it all works to tell an effective story that asks important questions rarely asked. It's the type of movie that challenges audiences to think of their own relationships and what they would do if they were in the shoes of one of the principal characters with no clear answers of what should be done. An underrated gem that deserves more love.
Her (2013)
The topic of AI has become very prominent today, with many fearing the unknown effect that will have on our lives, a very real concern in the world of filmmaking. Many films have played on the fear of AI, but Spike Jonze offers a different take on man-made consciousness in his ahead-of-its-time romance Her, a film about a man falling in love with his new AI assistant.
It's a movie that explores some very universal ideas of modern life and its many challenges, but its approach to its subject is particularly special. The main character who would normally be seen as a weirdo loser by most is shown as sweet and relatable. He still can be quite awkward, but Jonze never gives the feeling that he's a freak dealing with an unreal problem. This serves to enhance the bold approach to show his AI romance as beautiful and real, better exploring its themes of what it means to love someone and why we should appreciate being loved by anyone. A true sci-fi classic that will surprise and delight viewers.
Cold War (2018)
As beautiful as love can be, it's also fraught with complexity and conflict. These struggles are rarely seen in movies, instead opting for fairy tale romances that set viewers' hearts aflutter. Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski chooses another way that shows a moving love affair that maintains the honest heartache in the film Cold War.
Set during the late forties to the mid-sixties in four different European countries, Pawlikowski made the film as a reimagining of his own parents' romance. He expertly crafts the film in such a way that we can't help but fall in love with the two leads, while also keeping us entangled in their frustrations. The backdrop of Cold War-era tensions just makes it all bleak, with an uncertain feeling of how it will all end. A timeless and tragic film that is sure to be talked about for years to come.
The Lobster (2015)
Falling in love with someone is at times very bizarre, happening due to arbitrary circumstances that just happen to cause two people to be together. People who fail to find love can feel as though they are outcasts that don't fit into the mold set out by society. All of these specific yet powerful emotions are captured in absurd brilliance in Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster.
It's a story that takes place in a strange world where loneliness is a crime and if you fail to find a romantic partner in a certain period of time you are turned into an animal of your choice. In typical Lanthimos fashion, the film is filled with stone-faced characters giving strange dialogue that make for a hilarious watch until it takes a dark turn toward unpleasantness in the best way. It also investigates the strange horribleness of romance that it reveals by stripping away much of the typical complexity that shows the weird ways we work to alleviate loneliness. A true stand out in contemporary cinema.
Decision to Leave (2022)
Love can often be mysterious, with unknowable motivations and attractions. Master Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook was able to make a perfect pairing of romance and thriller in his most recent film Decision to Leave, a mystery film about a detective who becomes infatuated with a victim's suspicious wife while investigating their death.
It's a wonderfully captivating watch, filled with a perfect mix of suspicion and Wong Kar-wai-like yearning, as Chan-wook takes the audience through the same emotional journey of the film's conflicted lead. We want them to be together, but we also can't trust the deceased man's wife. These emotions only intensify as the film continues with an ending that stays with viewers long after the film has finished. An incredible mystery that feels destined to become a new classic.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Relationships offer some of our greatest opportunities for happiness, but they also can hurt us more than we thought possible. This is especially true when we separate from people we were once close to, which can make us wish we never knew them. The film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind explores a situation where two former lovers find a way to forget each other, and what that leads to.
Directed by Michael Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman, the film tells a wonderful story about a man who was once in a deeply romantic relationship that fell apart, but then discovers a new procedure that would allow him to forget ever having met her. Most of the film takes place in his head during the procedure, which is shown in a dream-like series of memories that he moves through haphazardly as they drift away. A truly unique film that shows the value of experience even in the face of immense pain.
L'avventura (1960)
Cinema has a special ability to be able to present a situation with so much clarity that it reveals there are no clear answers to anything in life, only questions. One filmmaker who masterfully presented unclear narratives time and time again in his work was Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni. One of his greatest works that best exemplifies this ability is L'avventura, which translates to The Adventure.
It's a movie about the mysterious disappearance of a melancholic young woman and the romance that begins in the aftermath between her closest friend and her boyfriend. The situation creates a strange kind of dread for the two lovers, they desperately want to find their missing friend, but her appearance would also end their romance, a bond plagued with guilt. It's a strange movie made with a special brilliance that has inspired many great artists, Martin Scorsese being one of them, that is sure to captivate others with its unanswerable mystery.
Marriage Story (2019)
While it might be surprising to some, those who have seen the film can attest to the fact that Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story, a movie about a couple's divorce, is very much a love story. The film, which stars Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson giving career-best performances, is an experience with both heartbreak and laughter, showing the messy dissolution of a once happy couple in great emotional detail.
Even with divorce being the primary focus of the film, it is still very much about the love these two people have for each other. It poses an important truth of any relationship that even when things don't work out and people aren't compatible, it does not mean they don't love each other. Viewers can see this in the film as they watch the two struggle to end things cleanly because there is still so much love for the other person, yet they know they are no longer compatible. A beautiful film that makes for necessary viewing for anyone going through similar circumstances.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
There are few filmmakers who have enjoyed the acclaim Martin Scorsese has, with practically all of his films being celebrated as incredible works of art. With such an incredible filmography, it's strange when one of his films is ignored by most, as is the case with his costume drama The Age of Innocence, a film about forbidden love in the gilded age.
It's understandable why many would dismiss this film since it lacks the typical excitement offered by Scorsese's films, but it does not lack his exceptional artistry. The film also offers a different kind of violence through societal manipulation, as opposed to gangsters with guns. It also presents a rarely-seen conclusion where it asks if sacrificing your life is worth it or if life can be lived well without it. Another masterpiece from one of the greatest to ever work in the medium that deserves more widespread acclaim than it has received.
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai is one of the greatest living filmmakers for telling exceptional stories about lonely romances. Of all of his incredible films, the one that might be his best is In the Mood for Love, which tells the story of two spouses whose partners are in an affair with each other. The two discover this together and seek to help one another get through the emotional fallout of such a discovery, vowing not to do the same, yet feelings arise through their time together.
It may just be one of the best-shot films ever made that also features two of the most beautiful people to ever appear on the silver screen, with Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. It's also an incredibly powerful film filled with yearning and heartache as these two grow closer, always knowing they can never be together out of a desire to be better than those who hurt them. One of the greatest ever made that will leave viewers in tears once the credits roll.
"Love" - Google News
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The 10 Most Profound Movie Love Stories of All Time - MovieWeb
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