It is no surprise that generations of cinema goers have based a lot for their romantic perceptions on what they see in their favourite movies. The whole ‘boy meets girl’ scenario, the anticipation of the first date, the magical moment of the first kiss, having to deal with the heartache of the temporary breakup, and the last-minute reconciliation and embrace.
All these elements are nicely tied up into a genre known as romance. Love it or loath it, the season of love is upon us and it seems only fitting to dust off those romantic classics and get lost in the images and sounds of cinematic glory.
Here is a list of romantic classics that every romantic cinephile probably shouldn’t go without:
Once (2006)
A modern-day musical about a busker, an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.
Amelie (2001)
Amelie is an innocent and naive girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love.
Turn Left, Turn Right (2003)
This is a movie about two people, Gigi Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro, who are destined to be together, but by some twist of circumstances they never find each other.
Chungking Express (1994)
Two melancholy Hong Kong policemen fall in love; one with a mysterious female underworld figure and the other with a beautiful and ethereal server at a late-night restaurant he frequents.
Punch Drunk Love (2002)
A psychologically troubled novelty supplier is nudged toward a romance with an English woman, all the while being extorted by a phone-sex line run by a crooked mattress salesman, and purchasing stunning amounts of pudding.
Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004)
When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a procedure to have each other erased from their memories. But it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.
Ten things I hate about you (1999)
A new pupil must find a guy to date the meanest girl in school, the older sister of the girl he has a crush on, who cannot date until her older sister does.
