What's that emerging out of the desert of Oscar talk? Why, it looks to be the oasis of a Top 7 just in time for Valentines Day. Being a complete romantic and purveyor of romantic films, I feel very well equipped to talk about the best romantic films out there. But before you read the list and feel enraged that I've missed something like The Notebook or Love Actually, this is a list of the best romantic films, not the most romantic films. If we're caving into commercialism, we do this my way.
7. Donnie Darko
Immediately, some of you will see a problem here. Donnie Darko isn't exactly a romantic film. In fact, one may even say it's a sci-fi mystery type thing that's become a huge cult success. But it has got a romantic sub-plot and one that's quite touching and honest. Donnie is given this mysterious prophecy about the world ending in 28 days and as such, he lives these days to the full. This includes asking out this mysterious girl named Gretchin. We get to see their relationship play out as two people who are generally loners find their special someone. Their scenes together are funny and very frank and it's an incredibly honest portrayal of true love.
6. Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is generally considered one of the best films ever and I would rank it among one of my favourites. We all know the story and love Forrest Gump and all his many strange ways, so much so that many people often overlook the love story he has with Jenny. A lot of people see it as Jenny basically being a bitch to Forrest, running around, using him occassionaly. But I prefer to see it as a tragic story about a woman who just wants to live but slowly realises that she wants to live with Forrest because that's who she truly loves. It's a tragic love story but it's also a beautiful one that can bring out emotion in the most heartless of monsters.
5. Lost in Translation
The relationship we see in this film is perhaps the most unconventional of all the ones on this list. It's two people in a relationship, one is a fifty year old movie star, the other is a twenty year old girlfriend of a famous photographer. They both wind up in Tokyo, a place where neither is entirely comfortable. They meet in the bar of the hotel they're both staying in and form an unlikely bond, stronger than either could have imagined. Sure, they barely kiss let alone anything further than that but it's the trust and compassion between these two that powers the film. They're just two lost souls who find themselves in each other.
4. The Fault in our Stars
A more conventional love story here, The Fault in our Stars is a classic tale of star crossed lovers but written to be relatable and natural. It's about two cancer patients who meet and slowly fall completely and utterly in love. The book captivated every teenage girl's heart (and mine) and the film was a pitch perfect adaptation of it. Many people refuse to give it a chance because it's "for teenage girls" or it's "just another love story". If you're one of these people, I really think you should give it a shot. It's dialogue is well written, the characters are charming and it really hits you with a fair few sucker punches to the feels. But maybe I'm just biased because I love John Green.
3. Her
Probably the most unconventional of all the relationships on this list, Her is the story of a man who falls in love with is computer's operating system. And no, it's not just Mac: The Film. It's set in a strange future where operating systems are sentient and learn. Not in the way that Google now can predict you like Birdman because you watched the trailer a hundred times and booked tickets through your phone. No, this is proper sentience plus it's voiced by Scarlet Johannsen. If you think that a love story has to involve proper hardcore sex or even just light kissing, this is the film to prove otherwise. It also finally proves that Scarlet Johannsen is so sexy, she doesn't even need a body.
2. (500) Days of Summer
This is a story of boy meets girl. Just be clear, this is not a love story. That's how this film opens and it does stay true to it's word. The relationship between Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character and Zoeey Doeschanel's character is one that's fascinating to watch, perfect while it lasts and then over. Like the film said, this isn't really a love story. This is just a story about two people who meet. The soundtrack is excellent, the unconventional order the story is told is captivating and totally original plus it's got Joseph Gordon-Levitt. If you're looking for a superb and unconventional love story, you can't really do much better than this. Well, other than number one...
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I consider this film to be far and away one of my favourite films ever. And while I wanted to put Fight Club here and just blag it away as a love story between fists and torsos or David Fincher and miserable looking films or just the love story between Fight Club and itself, that's apparently stretching the whole list further than it already has been. But this film is actually romantic (kind of) and as such, it always had to make this list high up. It's the story of a man who falls completely in love with a woman named Clementine but later discovers that she had him removed from her mind. Carrey's character then decides to have the same process done but in the middle of the process, realises that he still loves her. To say anymore would ruin the story but it starts as an examination of falling out of love before becoming a story about true love that will live on, long after it's carriers are dead. It's an absurd film yet one that's captivating and incredibly emotional. If you ever get the chance, you have no choice but to watch it.
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