As an avid Letterboxd user, I feel qualified to recommend movies to others. In the Valentine’s Day spirit, here are the five best movies I’ve watched this past year about people in love. Be warned: some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, and some will somehow manage both.
1. Moonrise Kingdom
Like most Wes Anderson movies, Moonrise Kingdom is bursting with humor and whimsy. The film follows the story of two eccentric 12-year-olds, Sam and Suzy, who feel ostracized by the rest of the world, but find understanding and connection in each other. Set in the summer of 1965 off the coast of an island in New England, Sam and Suzy run away together while the island around them erupts into chaos.
Moonrise Kingdom is such a feel-good movie full of charm, magic, and the purest kind of love there is.
2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
If Moonrise Kingdom made you smile, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is here to wipe it clean off your face (sorry).
Off the coast of a French island, a talented young artist is tasked with painting an indignant woman’s wedding portrait. What unravels is a story of sisterhood, fascination, and the kind of love you remember for a lifetime. The pacing of this film is slow but masterful, and every shot is a work of art. At its core, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a film made for women by women.
As an artist, I have to say that there is a special way in which artists see people that is intensely personal and romantic. As difficult as it is to replicate the concept, this film ambitiously (and successfully) does so with the utmost intimacy. How beautiful it is to watch a film that leaves so much unspoken, knowing that only some will truly understand.
I advise you to keep some tissues handy…
3. People We Meet on Vacation
People We Meet on Vacation is everything you want in a rom-com: cheesy, kind of cliché, and, above all, incredibly endearing. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will wonder when it’s your turn to experience a meet-cute (just me? anyone?).
The movie follows the story of two polar-opposite best friends, Alex and Poppy, who meet in college and make a pact to meet up every year somewhere different in the world. What Poppy and Alex eventually realize is that you can’t run away from yourself or your feelings, putting “opposites attract” to the test.
As I said on Letterboxd: “Came for Tom Blyth and stayed because UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
4. Dinner in America
If you love the “invisible string” and “us versus the world” tropes, you’ll love Dinner in America. A bit like Sam and Suzy, Simon and Patty are two outcasts who find solace in one another. Over the course of the movie, they go on an epic adventure through the otherwise unassuming Midwest suburbs, falling irrevocably in love along the way. This movie is a testament to the fact that somewhere, somehow, there really is someone for everyone.
5. Black Mirror: “San Junipero”
When I think about Black Mirror episodes, I usually think about horrifying dystopian situations. Thankfully, “San Junipero” is nothing of the sort.
“San Junipero” is set in a seaside town where people can opt to upload a version of themself to a cloud where they can live once they pass on. While trying out the cloud, two polar-opposite women meet and spark up a bond so powerful it defies space and time. There’s so much to like about this episode, especially the fantastic visuals.
The core lesson I took from “San Junipero” is that we can move on in a way that doesn’t make the past insignificant. Instead, we can be freed from being prisoners to it. Further, I loved the portrayal of two imperfect people finding each other and giving a connection a chance despite it being complicated. I feel like it’s so easy to fall into the trap of looking for the perfect person and the perfect relationship; meanwhile, the most lasting and beautiful connections are ones that challenge you both to leave your comfort zones.
P.S. Yes, I put this on the list to balance out the sad “wlw” (women loving women) film with a happy one. You’re welcome.
If you’re doomscrolling Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, or any other streaming service in your free time, give one of these films a chance!
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