So, what’s your idea of a romantic date? How does watching a romantic movie sound to you? If romance is what you are looking for, either in real or reel life; then here is a list of movies we suggest that would echo your sentiments and reaffirm the notion that love can happen in the most unlikely of places. So, go and grab yourself a DVD and dim the lights, because “love is in the air”.
Brokeback Mountain: This Ang Lee directed movie had cowboys falling in love, and eventually the whole world fell in love with the movie. Love develops gradually between the two men who have been assigned the job of herding sheep in a mountain called Brokeback Mountain. One chilly night, love gets the better of the two and finds its way out of their hearts. Though the job ends soon and they get separated, the feelings never die and their affair continues for nearly two decades. The movie also deals with the marital troubles that Heath Ledger experiences when his wife catches him engaging in a passionate kiss with his lover, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.
Trick: You can even call it the gay version of Before Sunrise. Gabriel, an aspiring music writer, goes to a gay club and has his eyes set on the sexy go- go dancer Mark there. While returning back in a train, he happens to meet the same dancer, and then Mark suggests they find a place. Thus begins the hunt to find a place, but each time they are disappointed. As the Sun begins to rise, the two realise that the failed one- night stand has given them much more and the two part by exchanging numbers.
Another Gay Movie: This one may be said to be a bit ‘out of the league’ because there is love and there is fun too. A romantic comedy, the film tells the story of four high school friends- Andy, Jarod, Nico and Griff- who decide to lose their virginity before they enter college. Thus begins a “hunt” with each one ending up in an awkward and comical situation. As the movie advances, Griff learns that he is in love with Jarod and by the time the curtain falls, everyone has succeeded. The movie would at the end leave you wondering- ‘Do we keep searching for love at all the wrong places and fail to recognize it, though it may have been right next to us?’
Desert Hearts: This 1985 movie about love between two women remains one of the best lesbian romantic movies. Set in 1959, it tells the story of Vivian- a 35 year old female professor- who has come to town to file for divorce. However, she is soon drawn towards Cay Rivers, an open and self-assured lesbian.
The Notebook: One of the most wonderful of movies which, by the time it ends, leaves you wishing for love as strong and unadulterated as portrayed in the movie. The movie shows an old man reading out the story of two young lovers. The story is an interesting one, with enough highs and lows and tales of separation and reunion to keep you hooked. But the most moving moment is when it is revealed that the old man is the husband of the lady, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease leading to memory loss and can’t even recognize him. He has been reading their love story to her, since every time he completes it, she recalls back for a few minutes all the wonderful moments that they had spent. It is this hope of spending a few precious moments with his love that has kept him going. How sweet and romantic, isn’t it?
Before Sunrise, Before Sunset: A movie that only focuses on the few hours that two persons spend together and still keeps you tied. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is travelling to Vienna in a train, while Celine (Julie Delpy) is going to Paris on the same train. Jesse strikes a conversation with her, and they hit a chord somewhere. When the train reaches Vienna, Jesse asks her to spend the day with him, as his plane is the next day. The movie then tracks the most mundane of discussions between two strangers in a refreshing way, and by the time it’s sunrise, the two realise that it was more than just a few hours they spent. The two depart, with a promise to meet again at the same place after six months. Would they meet again? Was it a one night affair or something deep that would pull them again? Find it out for yourself in Before Sunset. Believe us, you would be looking for the DVD of Before Sunset yourself to find it out. Yes, at times some simple moments become a lifetime’s treasure.
Wall-E: Now this is a truly futuristic movie. If humans can fall in love, would robots of the future be left far behind? The cutest little robot called Wall-E is left all alone on Earth except for a pet cockroach, since humans have rendered her uninhabitable. All that this lonely robot does is turn garbage into cubes. But things take a different turn when Eve- a robot- lands on Earth in search of plant life. He rescues her from the harsh conditions of Earth and falls in love. Apart from different sounds to convey the various moods of Wall-E, the movie has hardly any dialogue. Yet, it marvelously portrays how love requires no language. If you want to “feel love” even though there were no words spoken, watch this flick. And yes, our little hero goes a long (rather galactic) way to chase his love.
Shrek (2001): An ugly green Ogre is trying to protect his space from encroachment because all the fairy tale characters have been banished from the land of Duloc by Lord Farquaad. So, he agrees to rescue Princess Fiona from the fiery fire guzzling dragon for the Lord, in exchange for his peace. He does rescue her, in the most un-fairy way. The two fall in love too, but each has his/her own reasons to hide love. Indeed, you fall in love with the virtues of a person, and not his outer self.
Also Recommended: Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, Beauty and the Beast, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Beautiful Thing, Bound, The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love
From Bollywood: Bobby (1973), Mughal-e-Azam, Awara (1951), Mohabbatein and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge