February is the month of Valentine and for some, the celebration lasts beyond 14th February. With MCO in effect, one of the best ways to spend time is to just stay at home and watch a good movie. Here’s the thing about romance movies; they can be too cheesy, too sappy, and too female-centric. In other words; “girly”.
So here I’m listing FIVE romance movie recommendations from Hollywood, Bollywood, Thailand, and Chinese cinema that are universally enjoyed by both men and women. Maybe one of these could be on your list.
1) 500 Days of Summer (2009)
This is a non-linear love story about Tom Hansen as he recalled his romance with his ex; Summer Finn. The story jumps between past and present in the 500 days of Tom and Summer’s relationship.
The brilliance of this movie is that to this day, people are still talking about the ending. This is not just a love story but also a coming-of-age story for Tom on his true realization of what he thinks is love. It provides a lesson for all of us to listen and respect our significant other instead of projecting our desires onto them. Moreover, Joseph Gordon Levitt portrays Tom in a way that everyone can relate to him. If anything, you’re going to walk away from this movie with thoughts.
2) Love Aaj Kal (2009)
Now, I am referring to the first installment and not the 2020 predecessor which was a box-office failure. This movie stars Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan and directed by Imtiaz Ali. The title translates to ‘Love These Days’ and it is an exploration of the relationship between the past and present.
It is about Jai and Meera, both modern people who have trouble balancing between job and romance while unwilling to confront their desire for a deeper commitment. At the same time, Jai has been getting relationship advice from an elderly man named Veer who told him his own love story. The movie compares how the relationship has evolved between the past and present. Furthermore, it shows how different generation deals with trouble in paradise.
3) Tamasha (2015)
This movie is also directed by Imtiaz Ali, starring Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor. This movie is about Ved and Tara who met in Corsica after she lost her belongings during her holiday. Ved graciously helped her and the two spend a wonderful time together until she left. Ved is a person who is full-of-life, making Tara’s terrible holiday into an amazing adventure. But they vow to never reveal anything about each other as to not let reality ruin the moment.
Years later, they meet again but Ved is no longer the vivacious man she met on the French island. This is my personal favorite in this list. This movie surprisingly tackles so many different issues such as mental health, familial pressure, play-acting in relationships, the mundane life of corporate India, and ooh… actual play-acting. The stellar performance of Ranbir and Deepika will really let you feel the characters’ struggles with emotional peace and romantic desires.
4) I Fine… Thank You… Love You (2014)
Out of this list, this one is the actual romantic-comedy that will tickle your funny bone. It’s about an English teacher, Pleng who helped one of her students break up with her boyfriend so that she could move to America. The boyfriend, Gym couldn’t accept the reality and forced Pleng to teach him English. They both got closer to each other and Pleng slowly falls in love with her student’s ex.
Starring Ice Prechaya and Sunny Suwanmethanon, these two have amazing chemistry and wit that would keep you entertained for the whole duration of the movie. It will look into breaking a person’s romantic expectations. Sometimes, the person you fall for is totally different from your fantasy. And sometimes fantasy should remain just that.
5) Turn Left, Turn Right (2003)
Based on a graphic novel, the story tells about the two people living so close together yet so far. Eve and John lived separated by a wall and the different directions they took every day. Until they meet one day and fell in love. However, they lost the means to contact one another. Starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and Gigi Leung, it is about two lost souls in a modern city fighting loneliness and longing.
If anything, this movie will make you feel grateful to find each other in this chaotic world. You will sympathize with John & Eve as the realities of their lives prevented them from finding each other. One thing after another. But will they find each other at the end? You need to watch it yourself.
Source: Rolling Stone, IMDb