All of us love a good love story! Here is a list of some of the best, most timeless onscreen romances that will sweep you off your seat:
Casablanca
Regarded as the most romantic film of all time, Casablanca is a timeless tale of love. It follows a lonely bar owner who has to make a difficult choice between being with his lover and helping his husband crossover the border. The two lovers meet in Casablanca where he owns his bar in a turn of coincidence and they are suddenly drawn into their old love that perhaps still remains aflame in their hearts. What follows is how they resolve the situation and whether or not they choose one another, yet again.
Love and Basketball
This is a coming-of-age love story between two teenagers who get together through their shared love for basketball. As they age, their love for the sport and each other grows, and they become bonded more than ever. This is a classic love story of two people growing together and includes all its related themes like music, career, life, priorities, and the like. Beautifully executed with some amazing performances, Love, and Basketball is a love story for all times.
Before Trilogy
This is a 3 part trilogy by Richard Linklater which chronicles the love story of Jessie and Celine, two youngsters who accidentally meet during a trip. The three parts – Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight is symbolic of the various stages in a romantic relationship. The story spans over several years and depicts the characters in their youth, midlife, and early old age. The narrative is such that it is filled with conversations between the two characters, bringing out the importance of communication in sustaining a romance and also indicating that growing together as individuals is an essential component of love.
Brokeback Mountain
This is a film that explores the romance between two young men as they spend time together at a mountainside. The film is a beautiful take on same-sex romances and portrays the complex, delicate love of the protagonists with a subtle sense of understanding. Widely acclaimed by critics and movie lovers alike, this is a film that was ahead of its times. The theme of homosexual love was not explored when this film came out. It set the conversation rolling on the topic and did a wonderful job of telling a fragile story in the most sensitive way.
When Harry Met Sally
After meeting through a cross-country trip, Harry and Sally keep trying to meet each other again for almost a decade in this romantic comedy that lifted the standard of the genre from mindless feel goodness to something substantial. The love between the two protagonists is tender, yet loud and urgent. The viewer is sure to feel their pangs in this beautifully crafted story with great performances, amazing background score, and complementing visuals.
Bridges of Madison County
Francesca is a housewife who gets to have her house to herself for the first time in many years. As she relaxes and enjoys her peace, a photographer who is covering bridges of the suburbs passes by and she accidentally is bound to be host to him. What follows is an electric, fated romance that has the both of them in a whirlwind of emotions that they did not expect to every experience. What follows is how they deal with themselves and what choices they make in the end about their love and relationships.
In The Mood For Love
Written, produced, and directed by the cinematic genius Wong Kar Wai, this is a film that is so atmospheric that you will fall in love with each frame. It is the story of a man and woman whose spouses have an affair and who slowly develop a romantic affinity for each other themselves. Complex, intense, and deeply poetic, this is a film that is regarded as a classic in world cinema. The music is stunning and the performances are so fluid that it is an unforgettable experience for every movie lover.
Titanic
You may have watched it, but any list of timeless love stories is incomplete without a mention of Titanic! Set against the tragic journey of the Titanic that eventually sank in the ocean, this is the story of Jack, a man of modest means, and Rose, an aristocratic woman. The movie is so iconic that its dialogues and scenes have been etched in the memories of viewers who have watched it. Watch this film if you have not for a love story that swims across time and death.
Call Me By Your Name
A story about a young teenager who falls in love with his father’s research assistant, this is a film that explores gay romance in all its glory and intensity. The dynamic between a teenager and his older lover is unlike anything we have seen on screen and it is so poignant that it is hard to forget. The film is bold in its narrative yet subtle in its presentation. The urgent restlessness of an almost forbidden love comes through so seamlessly in the film that you will be left with a soft, lovelorn heart in the end!
The Notebook
Based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same name, this is perhaps one of the most-watched love stories of all times. It is a classic story of how love finds its way against all odds. What begins as a summer romance for Noah and Allie becomes an emotion that they cannot live without. The relationship is condemned by her mother and the couple meet and part in ways that spark more longing in them than ever. Watch to find out what happens to their burning romance and how they manage to keep the fire alive across borders and time.
