SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK by David O. Russell (2012)
David O. Russell revisited the screwball comedies of the thirties and forties, and translated them to the modern world. As far as romantic comedies of the last ten years are concerned, Silver Linings Playbook stands out because, while it is undoubtedly imperfect, it is actually both funny and romantic and the script is immensely clever at portraying what is essentially a meeting between broken souls who find a redeeming factor by allowing themselves to fall in love with each other.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN by Ang Lee (2005)
Forever to have a place in history as the first mainstream representation of gay romance in cinema. Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain benefits from also being a visual spectacle, whilst playing with a somewhat satirical juxtaposition of the macho cowboy figure with homosexuality. Yet, in the end, it is the start humanity of the romance that makes it endlessly universal and ultimately tragic.
THE ARTIST by Michel Hazanavicius (2011)
A film that needs no words. Michel Hazanavicious delighted the world by producing a silent film that rekindled cinema to its purest form of art. Freely inspired by the stories of Singin in the Rain and A Star is Born, the dedication to romanticism, the black and white photography and the chemistry between Jean Dujardin and Bèrènice Bejo digs deep and unashamedly within the classicist approach to romance, revisiting the atmosphere of blatant escapism that made cinema such a popular art form in the first part of the 20th century.
PATRICK'S DAY by Terry McMahon (2014)
Certainly one of the most remarkable Irish films of all time, Patrick's Day may be a sensible representation of mental illness, but as a whole it is an impressive representation of the right to intimacy - hence the right to fall in love. McMahon's characters are broken, schizophrenic, suicidal and yet, instead of coming together, they seem hell bent at falling apart. Beautiful close up and personal cinematography also convey the impact of the theme of closeness, while its stark realism respectfully adds great power to the film and the portrayal of the self desctuctive human condition.
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR by Abdellatif Kechiche (2013)
This might just be the most honest chronicle of romance ever made. Kachiche's film is cinema's loss of innocence when it comes to representing a love that is spiritual, platonic, physical and rebellious all at once and from its beginnings to its end. Driven by the pivotal couple, representing love induced alienation, which becomes self desctructive obsession and jealousy, the film doesn't spare lengthy conversations about absolutely nothing and equally drastically balances them with lengthy steamy and perfectly real sex sequences. It's not hard to understand why this film would have such passionate detractors - it is authentic and thus can certainly sit uncomfortably with many people for different subjective reasons.
MOSCOW, BELGIUM by Christophe Van Romnaey (2008)
This underrated charming romantic film is Christophe Van Romnaey's representation of love in the marginalised working class. Despite it being a seemingly simple story, what is amazingly striking is the down to earth nature of the characters, whose imperfections and vulnerabilities naturally drive the story. Mocsow, Belgium is very disharmingly honest, and for this reason deeper than the average rom com.
UPSTREAM COLOR by Shane Carruth (2013)
Shane Carruth's film is so interactive that it may, given the right viewing circumstances, feel like a double date. In the vein of Malick's existentialist takes on romance and life in general, there are many deep existentialist juxtaposition in this film. It all comes together quite atmospherically to deliver a unique representation of usually cliched concepts of magnetism, soul mates and the vulnerability of love, where the grey areas in the plot allow the viewer to fill in the gaps in their very own personal way.
TO THE WONDER by Terence Malick (2012)
Possibly the most polarising film Malick ever made. Love it or hate it, it takes an impressive philosophical visionary to dream up of juxtaposing the mystery of creation with the mystery of a loved one's inner thoughts. Cinematic impressionism, beautifully seemingly mostly made up of the bits of film that would never make the cut in mainstream cinema. Interestingly, along with the overall poetic approach, this conglomerationof scraps is also what makes it feel so uncomfortably authentic.
HER by Spike Jonze (2013)
To the untrained eye, of course, this may seem like the story of a man's love affair with a robot. But Spike Jonze absolutely nails it with this film, which manages to comment not only on the looseness of modern romanticism, but also metaphorically represents more subjective elements of long distance relationship, phone sex and methodical procrastination that make it timeless and universal.
AMOUR by Michael Haneke (2012)
Most romantic films deal with romanticism like a fictional, fantasy based gimmick. In fact, most of these films always gravitate around the beginning of romance instead of depicting the harshness of romantic longevity. Which is why Michael Haneke's Amour is so splendidly unique. Heart warming, but equally as restrained, this is the story of a much older couple faced with the sudden fragility of life. But what is most impressive, is the complete portrayal of setting and situation, as direct as it would be in theatre, that pays tribyte to long lasting relationships with great honesty and intensity.