By Esther Zuckerman
Valentine’s Day can be surprisingly divisive. For some, it’s about hope and romance; for others it’s a slap in the face from a cold, hard world. Here are a few films that speak to the emotional state of each faction.
LOVE IT!
‘Mississippi Masala’ (1992)
Stream it on Max.
Mira Nair’s film about star-crossed lovers in the American South is rich with themes. Centering on the daughter of an Indian family from Uganda who left after persecution by Idi Amin’s government, “Mississippi Masala” tackles assimilation and colorism, among other thorny topics. But at the heart of it all is the romance between a young Indian woman, Mina (Sarita Choudhury), and a Black man, Demetrius (Denzel Washington), who first meet when she accidentally rear-ends his van. Choudhury and Washington are electric together, with Washington especially turning on a kind of smolder that stands out even in his storied career. Ultimately, it’s a tale of love thriving in a world governed by racism that doesn’t offer trite reconciliation, but does provide genuine chemistry.
‘Roman Holiday’ (1953)
Stream it on Paramount+.
Was Rome considered one of the most romantic cities in the world before William Wyler’s film? Probably, but this classic did a lot to bolster the Italian destination’s reputation as a sparkling spot of dreams. Audrey Hepburn, in the role that won her an Oscar, plays Princess Ann, a young royal balking at her professional responsibilities. So she wanders out into the night and into the arms of Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), an American journalist who thinks he’s lucked into the story of his life. Both Ann and Joe are trying to conceal their true identities from one another, but over the course of their tour through the ancient sites, their eyes reveal their true amorous intentions. Yes, the ending is bittersweet, but it’s also beautiful.
‘Saving Face’ (2004)
Rent or buy it on most major platforms.
Alice Wu’s film belongs in the pantheon of great underappreciated rom-coms. This lesbian romance centers on Wil (Michelle Krusiec), an ambitious surgeon in New York who hides her sexuality from her mother (Joan Chen) so as not to rattle the close-knit Chinese community in Queens where she grew up. Wil’s attempts to keep her secrets are complicated when she finds a love interest in her boss’ daughter, Vivian (Lynn Chen). Meanwhile, Wil’s mother develops a scandal of her own: She finds herself unmarried and pregnant. Exiled from her insular world until she finds a husband, Ma moves in with her daughter. Wu’s film balances the love story between Wil and Vivian with a mother-daughter bonding saga that makes this film a treat.
‘Phantom Thread’ (2017)
Stream it on the Criterion Channel. Rent or buy it on most major platforms.
Is poisoning your loved one with toxic mushrooms so that you can care for him on his sick bed romantic? Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s drama posits that it is — devastatingly so. Anderson’s most sumptuous film casts Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock, a fashion designer in 1950s London whose world is upended by the arrival of Alma (Vicky Krieps), a waitress who becomes his muse and model. Alma and Reynolds are both feisty figures, and their refusal to bend to each other results in a hilarious and twisted conclusion that is somehow also swoon-worthy. “Phantom Thread” is for the lovers with a bit of an edge.
‘Before Sunrise’ (1995)
Rent or buy it on most major platforms.
The spark of young love has never been more intoxicating than it is in Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise,” the walk-and-talk rom-com that spurned so many imitators, along with two sequels. An American, Jesse (Ethan Hawke), and a Frenchwoman, Céline (Julie Delpy), meet on a train and impulsively decide to get off in Vienna, agreeing to spend one glorious day together. Linklater seemingly understands that the sexiest possible way of flirting is through conversation. The whole movie feels like intellectual foreplay, because Jesse and Céline get deep quickly: Before they even disembark they are talking about death. By the time they sleep together it feels as if they understand more about each other’s opinions than most couples do in movies or real life.
HATE IT!
‘Bachelorette’ (2012)
Rent or buy it on most major platforms.
In the mood for a downright mean film? Turn to Leslye Headland’s caustic “Bachelorette.” There are few warm and fuzzy feelings in this marriage-centric story. Instead, it follows a group of three high school friends who reunite for the nuptials of one of their compatriots, Becky (Rebel Wilson), the girl they always mocked behind her back. Kirsten Dunst gives one of her most underrated performances as Regan, the bitter maid of honor, who is furious she has to pretend to be overjoyed for Becky. Meanwhile, their other pal Katie (Isla Fisher) is thinly concealing addiction issues, and Gena (Lizzy Caplan) is trying to hide from her ex (Adam Scott). The night before the big day goes quickly awry — a dress is ripped, many drugs are consumed. You’ll cringe and decide to tear up that next invitation.
‘Gone Girl’ (2014)
Rent or buy it on most major platforms.
“What have we done to each other?” That’s the final question in David Fincher’s juicy take on marriage gone very wrong. Based on the bestselling Gillian Flynn novel, “Gone Girl” is the most fun you’ll have watching two people tear each other apart. The saga begins with the disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), aka “Amazing Amy,” a gorgeous blond woman from a wealthy family who moved to Missouri for her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck, in possibly his best role). Nick is immediately the suspect, but the truth of what happened to Amy is so much darker and disturbingly funnier than a simple case of murder. “Gone Girl” is bloody and spiky, and just might turn you off marriage forever.
‘The Invisible Man’ (2020)
Stream it on Amazon Prime Video.
Leigh Whannell’s 2020 reimagining of the classic Universal monster movie “The Invisible Man” has an ingenious and upsetting hook. In Whannell’s take, the title villain is an abusive ex-boyfriend to Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss). An expert in the field of “optics,” this invisible man, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), fakes his death and then terrorizes Cecilia using a suit that makes him undetectable. Whannell’s direction is eerily unsettling as he weaponizes empty corners for terror, and Moss’ performance conveys the anguish of a woman realizing that her attacker is hidden in plain sight in a way no one will believe. But as disturbing as “The Invisible Man” is, it also plays as a thrill ride with an incredibly satisfying conclusion.
‘Sleep’ (2024)
Stream it on Disney+ or Hulu.
Being newly married with a baby on the way is a stressful time. “Sleep,” the conniving little South Korean horror film from Bong Joon Ho’s protégé Jason Yu, adds a bad case of sleepwalking to the mix. For instance, what’s pregnant Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) to do when her husband, Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun), wakes up with a bloody face? Should she trust her husband around her newborn? (Or their cute little white Pomeranian for that matter?) “Sleep” takes the doubt that any couple might have in the early phases of their marriage and amplifies it with the question of unconscious violence.
‘Before Midnight’ (2013)
Stream it on the Criterion Channel.
“Before Sunrise” will warm your heart. “Before Midnight” will break it. After two movies in which we watch Jesse and Céline fall in love, “Before Midnight” is a bracing dose of reality, and sometimes painful to watch. Nearly 10 years after “Before Sunset,” the middle part of Linklater’s trilogy in which these two reunite in Paris, the director enlisted Hawke and Delpy again to star in and write a conclusion to the story. It should be a depiction of a happy ending. These two — who we always thought were meant to be — are finally together, on a vacation in Greece with their two young children. Alas, instead of bliss they are mired in arguments, questioning all the choices that led them to this moment.
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