Edited by: Malavika Suresh
You feel love in the middle of rapid heartbeats, or maybe whilst playing hide and seek in the foliage of unsaid sentences. You feel love in that playful look you share with a friend at a boring event or wrapped within a bone-crushing hug. You feel love when you lock eyes with a stranger for the first time, or maybe when your pet dog nuzzles his head against you. Love is ubiquitous. In its many iterations, however, what color do you see it in? Is it blue for a tenuous monsoon sky waiting on its companion clouds? Is it orange for the warmth of a nearby bonfire? Perhaps it’s yellow, like sunflowers that ardently look for the sun.
This ubiquity of love and its many shades, often fill cinema too. It may be a slow-burnt purple, or a deep, dark red. According to John Alan Lee, each of these colors attach themselves to different styles of love. So, for the souls who long to watch romance movies that are painted with these styles and colors, here are some color-wheel romance movie recommendations for you!
- Yellow (Storge)
Sanctuary and a sense of comfort commonly describe storgic love. Coloured in yellow, storgic love refers to the intimacy that grows out of shared companionship. People who have this love style can often find themselves falling in love with people they were initially platonic with.
The Lunchbox (2013)
A Hindi film, The Lunchbox follows a widower, Saajan, and a woman seeking the affections of her husband, Ila. In her effort to win over her husband, Ila tries cooking new dishes and getting them delivered to her husband via Mumbai’s dabba system. However, one day she finds that it didn’t reach its intended recipient. Watch this film for its brilliant screenplay and acting, as you see Ila and Saajan navigating sanctuary in each other.
Someone Great (2019)
Sometimes, sanctuary isn’t so much romantic as it can be platonic. Someone Great tells you the story of Jenny, a music journalist who negotiates the heartbreak that comes with a breakup alongside her two best friends, Erin and Blair. Though filled with laughs here and there, it pulls at your heartstrings slowly as it draws upon themes of separation, closure, and deep friendship.
- Blue (Ludus)
Don’t let the supposed calmness of the color blue fool you, because ludus refers to a type of love that is passionate and playful, often taking upon game-like qualities. For ludus, gaining love and attention can sometimes be a part of a game itself.
Before Sunrise (1995)
If self-discovery through adventure and make-believe is up your alley, definitely watch the first movie in the Before trilogy. The plot entails two strangers, Celine and Jesse, who happen to meet on a train to Budapest and spend an evening together in Vienna. Watch this movie for the chemistry between them and the wonder and adventure that awaits them during this evening.
Serendipity (2001)
This one is for those of us who love believing in cosmic connections and leaving love up to the game of chance. Following the story of two people who meet by fate and are unhappy with their current relationships. Watch as they “test” each other by seeing how fate and chance can bring them together. Serendipity is a must-watch!
- Red (Eros)
Passionate emotional (and most often sexual) love characterizes eros. It refers to love that comes about due to intuition, chemistry, or sheer attraction. Fittingly, it’s often denoted by the color red.
Chokher Bali (2003)
A Bengali film adaptation of Tagore’s novel by the same name, Chokher Bali is a gripping erotic-romantic drama that revolves around the life of Binodini, a young widow who engages in an affair with a married man, Mahendra. A beautiful exploration of desire and its many forms, this movie follows the leads as they teeter between morality and sexuality.
Carol (2015)
Carol portrays the scintillating and passionate romance between Carol Aird, a woman on the brink of divorce from her husband, and an aspiring photographer, Therese Belivet. A must-watch with a beautifully written screenplay and stunning performances from Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
- Green (Pragma)
For a lot of us, love serves more practical purposes. In such considerations, we come across a certain type of greenery that is characteristic of pragma, or pragmatic love. Driven by logic and method, many can often seek to define our partners in terms of checking boxes and listing priorities.
The Proposal (2009)
Driven precisely by these pragmatic considerations, do we see Margaret (Sandra Bullock) propose to Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), as a means to stay in the country because of her deportation. A romantic comedy of errors and heartfelt moments, what starts purely out of “clear-cut logic” soon blossoms into a wonderful relationship!
- Purple (Mania)
While love has the power to move us in ways that we never thought were possible, purple, manic love is often described as love taking on an obsessive, and possibly even toxic form. Milder forms of manic love could include holding one’s partner in exceptionally high esteem and using superlatives for them. More intense forms can include forms of codependency.
Munchhausen (2013)
While not a romance movie, this silent horror short film is a brilliant exploration of how familial love can often turn obsessive. It follows the story of a mother who is heartbroken by her child’s departure to college and tries to delay it as much as possible. In true Ari Aster fashion, it is bound to make you stay up at night, and think about it for days.
- Orange (Agape)
Mired in the flames of devotion and selflessness, Agape is often characterized by unconditional and all-giving love. This type of love values patience, forgiveness, and understanding, above all else.
The Half of It (2020)
A loose adaptation of the play, Cyrano de Bergerac, the plot revolves around two titular characters: Ellie and Paul. Paul finds himself enamored with Aster Flores, and seeks Ellie’s help to appear “eloquent” to Aster. Ellie, also in love with Aster, agrees to help Paul. If you’re looking for a good cry, do watch this film that deals with coming of age, family, love, belonging, and everything in between.
Marley & Me (2008)
Though it is not exactly a romance film, Marley & Me is this heartwarming comedy-drama about a couple who adopts a dog called Marley. As you watch the years go by and the pup age, it heart-wrenchingly reminds you of all the ways in which your pets are there for you, unconditionally.
Bonus:
Modern Love (2019)
An anthology of stories adapted from a New York Times column by the same name, this is something you should consider watching if you want to experience all these different shades of love all at once!