9. Begin Again
“Begin Again” is a story of unspoken love between two unlikely people who bond through the love of music. Mark Ruffalo is charming in a non-Hulk, role and the chemistry between him and Keira Knightley is spectacular. The tunes of “Begin Again” can’t be more authentic in expressing the pain of a romantic heart.
10. Stuck in Love
Even with a flawed narrative, “Stuck in Love” manages to make the audience care for its vulnerable, sentimental characters. The relationships and bonding shown in the film are almost alive: the parental bond, the romantic bond, the temporal bonds of the body. All of the people are stuck in the definition of love; they are trapped in love, yet love is what will make them free. “Stuck in Love” shows the concept of love from all possible angles, not just from the focused viewpoint of romantic love.
11. Certified Copy
“Certified Copy” successfully deconstructs the myth of an ever-rewarding romantic relationship and instead shows the desperate attempt of a couple to save their marriage. But the relationship between the lead couple is not directly implied, only hinted at in the end. The turmoil of daily life has forced them to behave like strangers to rekindle their romance, and this commonality had made them the true copy of a primary document.
12. Submarine
Richard Ayoade’s debut feature film “Submarine” can give a tough challenge to Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” as the best teenage romance film of the decade. Similar to the style of Anderson, Ayoade’s film is bathed with primary colors according to the moods of its temperamental couple. “Submarine” truthfully presents the teenage difficulty in expressing romantic feelings, especially in the capricious time of puberty.
13. Like Crazy
With a distinct art sensibility, “Like Crazy” chronicles the subject of long-distance relationships. The protagonists of the film fall in love, fall out of love, and fall in love again. In real life, love is often like that, and seldom the idealized versions that are portrayed on screen. The ambiguous ending of “Like Crazy” is the best decision taken by the filmmaker to continue his realistic rendition of romance.
14. Blue Jay
It is always an unexplainable fuzzy feeling when old friends meet, and the feeling is more intense when they were old lovers in their midlife. “Blue Jay” becomes a great film because of the simplicity that it shows in its romantic commitments. When an old forgotten relationship again stands on the verge of total breakdown, an unspoken truth reminds them of their true feelings. A warm and sorrowful feeling emerges out of the first viewing of “Blue Jay,” and its natural conversations and melancholic mood will only increase the enjoyment in successive viewings.
15. The Great Gatsby
“The Great Gatsby” may not be the most authentic representation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the same name, but it captures the tragedy of Jay Gatsby’s life well. The pathos of Gatsby’s existence is contrasted with the dazzling, glitzy parties that he throws in the hope of meeting his old sweetheart Daisy. Gatsby is almost like a living dead person whose only chance of survival depends upon the reciprocation of lost love. Here, the tragedy marks the romance; when Gatsby learns of Daisy’s apathy toward his true feelings, his vapid stare breaks the heart of every movie fan. In “The Great Gatsby,” Leonardo DiCaprio again stars in a decade-defining romance.
16. Warm Bodies
“Warm Bodies” reminds us that love is the only way of life; it is the reason our heart pounds, almost literally. The old template of Romeo and Juliet has been applied in this star-crossed romance tale of a zombie and a human. But fear not, it’s no “Twilight”; the film is full of humor and romance. In a loss of words to rightfully sum it up, “Warm Bodies” is an adorable romance.
17. Never Let Me Go
Based upon the Kazuo Ishiguro novel of the same name, “Never Let Me Go” is a dystopian romantic tragedy. This film has a rare combination of romance and existentialism and often the beautiful images feel like conceived in a Terrance Malick film. Depressing and heartbreaking, it has defining performance from Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield.