Although many beloved movies beg to differ, romance isn’t always rainbows and butterflies; some of the most unforgettable stories are the ones that unsettle and leave you questioning what love truly is. Luckily for those intrigued by all kinds of narratives, cinema has long been drawn to that tension, showcasing the strong connection between two people as both the refuge and the ruin.
While traditional romance offers us comfort and solace in certainty, there is something arguably far more interesting about the ones that challenge our perspectives. Whether it’s a Gothic mansion haunted by memories of those no longer there, power struggles wrapped in couture clothing, or lonely piano teachers on the edge of collapse, these stories haunt viewers and remind them that romance is even more compelling when it’s dark and complex.
10
‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ (2013)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch
Far from your typical romance story, Jim Jarmusch‘s Only Lovers Left Alive, starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, provides a fresh and contemplative take on the widely beloved vampire genre. At its center is the relationship between melancholic musician Adam and his centuries-old lover, Eve. Adam, depressed by the state of humanity, contemplates suicide; Eve, more optimistic and lively, travels from Tangier to Detroit to comfort him.
Favoring mood, atmosphere, and visuals over a subplot, the dark and broody Only Lovers Left Alive fascinates with the thought-provoking themes it explores, whether that’s mortality, addiction, or even art and culture. However, what truly makes it a standout is how it meditates on the weight and beauty of a love that has lasted centuries, despite being marked by both comfort and existential boredom.
Only Lovers Left Alive
- Release Date
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December 25, 2013
- Runtime
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123minutes
- Director
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Jim Jarmusch
- Writers
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Jim Jarmusch
9
‘Leaving Las Vegas’ (1995)
Directed by Mike Figgis
Adapted from the novel by John O’Brien, Mike Figgis‘ heart-shattering Leaving Las Vegas, anchored by an Oscar-winning performance by Nicolas Cage, follows a once-successful Hollywood screenwriter who has lost everything to alcoholism. With nothing left, he heads to Las Vegas adrift in a haze of alcohol and regret. There, he ends up meeting Sera (Elisabeth Shue), an independent sex worker escaping an abusive relationship.
Figgis’ gritty yet surprisingly tender movie is an unflinching portrayal of addiction that works both as a character study and as an unconventional romance. At its heart, Leaving Las Vegas is a meditation on love found in the most unexpected places and with the most unlikely people. It’s an examination of how love offers solace and a sense of healing, though the tragedy lies in the fact that sometimes even that isn’t enough.
8
‘Blue Valentine’ (2010)
Directed by Derek Cianfrance
Set against the backdrop of working-class neighborhoods in Pennsylvania, New York, Derek Cianfrance‘s soul-crushing Blue Valentine chronicles the relationship between Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams), from their passionate courtship to the ultimate unraveling of their marriage years later, in non-linear fashion.
Blue Valentine has long appealed to romance fans interested in raw and intimate storytelling, and it’s easy to understand why. Often described as “anti-romance” (and noted for its unvarnished realism), Cianfrance’s film is almost claustrophobic in how it examines whether love alone is enough to sustain a long-term relationship, especially with the two people constantly hurting each other. What makes it a standout is how it refuses to assign blame, instead focusing on the slow unraveling of a once-hopeful relationship. Understandably, the film has received widespread praise for its performances, palpable chemistry, and realistic direction.
Blue Valentine
- Release Date
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December 29, 2010
- Runtime
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112 Minutes
- Director
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Derek Cianfrance
- Writers
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Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne
7
‘Bones and All’ (2022)
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
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Given who’s behind the camera, it’s no surprise that Bones and All is both visually stunning and deeply affecting. Adapted from the novel by Camille DeAngelis, this 2022 film stars Taylor Russell in a breakthrough performance alongside Oscar-nominee Timothée Chalamet. The story follows a teenager with cannibalistic urges as she embarks on a journey to find her estranged mother and understand her own nature. Along the way, she meets Lee, a drifter with similar urges for whom she inevitably falls.
Beyond its melancholic ’80s Americana setting, what’s utterly compelling about Bones and All is partly its captivating genre amalgamation — blending coming-of-age, romance, horror, and road trip elements — and the unique love story that anchors it. At its core, Luca Guadagnino‘s movie explores the tension between intimacy and violence, isolation and solace, and hunger and desire. It’s an unconventional, dare we say, heartbreaking romance about what it means to pick mutual understanding rather than trying to fix each other.
6
‘The Handmaiden’ (2016)
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Directed by Oldboy filmmaker Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden is a deliciously twisted psychological thriller that fuses both crime and eroticism into its narrative. The movie transports audiences to 1930s Korea under Japanese colonial rule and focuses on a Korean pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) hired by a conman to become the handmaiden to Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee), as part of his scheme to marry her, steal her fortune, and have her committed to an asylum. But what begins as a deception takes an unexpected turn when the two women form a romantic bond that threatens to upend the entire plan.
Like other works from the talented director, the sensual The Handmaiden is guaranteed to leave a strong imprint on audiences for a handful of different reasons, whether those are the way it questions patriarchal structure or its bold illustration of eroticism and sexuality (which, in turn, are entwined with psychological trauma and the reclaiming of agency). Unfolding in three acts all equally great, Chan-wook’s film fully immerses viewers through its staggering visuals and an unforgettable plot.
The Handmaiden
- Release Date
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June 1, 2016
- Runtime
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145 minutes
- Director
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Park Chan-wook
- Writers
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Park Chan-wook, Sarah Waters, Chung Seo-kyung
5
‘Let the Right One In’ (2008)
Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Much like Only Lovers Left Alive, Let the Right One In offers a tender take on the vampire myth that favors atmosphere, loneliness, and emotional intimacy over the usual blood-soaked spectacle. Thomas Aldredson‘s movie follows a lonely and bullied 12-year-old boy (Kåre Hedebrant) who befriends a mysterious child (Lina Leandersson) who moves into his apartment complex.
Supported by subtle but powerful performances, the quietly poetic 2008 coming-of-age is an oddly comforting, thought-provoking examination of alienation, love, and dependency, with an unconventional central relationship that has audiences rooting for both characters. Beyond its bleak realism and originality, though, what’s really interesting about Let the Right One In is how it blurs the line between innocence and violence, raising questions about what it means to be a monster or a victim.
4
‘Vertigo’ (1958)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Adapted from Boileau-Narcejac‘s novel, Alfred Hitchcock‘s iconic psychological thriller follows retired detective John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart), suffering from acrophobia and vertigo after a traumatic rooftop chase. When he’s hired to follow Elster’s wife Madeleine (Kim Novak), who appears to be descending into madness, his investigation slowly morphs into an obsession with devastating consequences.
It’s not for no reason that Vertigo is often mentioned when it comes to films that thoroughly explore identity. Though more of a psychological drama than a romance film, it does a wonderful job unpacking obsession and the darker sides of love, with a dreamlike atmosphere and a memorable score that enhances the viewing experience. Beyond its depiction of duality, though, this spellbinding film sheds a powerful light on trauma and guilt, voyeurism and control, cementing its place among Hitchcock’s most legendary works and being the inspiration behind recent pictures, such as Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, which is also worth a try.
3
‘The Piano Teacher’ (2001)
Directed by Michael Haneke
Isabelle Huppert delivers a career-defining performance in Michael Haneke‘s film based on Elfriede Jelinek‘s novel. Released one year after the turn of the century, this psychological drama follows a highly disciplined piano professor in her late thirties whose life has been marked by emotional repression, loneliness, and paraphilias, all while living in the shadow of her domineering mother. Things take a turn when a talented young student becomes infatuated with her, and their relationship unfolds as a disturbing power struggle.
Under Haneke’s precise direction, the bleak The Piano Teacher takes strict self-control and forbidden desires and exposes the devastating tension between repression and longing. It thrives in both its psychological analysis and strong emotional impact — instead of providing answers, it invites audiences to grapple with Erika’s motivations and choices. All this food for thought, paired with classical pieces by Schubert and Bach, makes Haneke’s twisted meditation on the cost of forbidden longing linger long after the final note.
2
‘Phantom Thread’ (2017)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderon’s picturesque period romance transports audiences to 1950s London, following Daniel Day-Lewis’ Reynolds Woodcock, a celebrated and meticulous haute couture dressmaker — whose life is managed by his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) — as he crosses paths with the captivating Alma (Vicky Krieps), a strong-willed waitress who later becomes both his muse and undoing.
Although the Oscar-nominated romance enchants with its truly elegant (dare we say, “chic”) visuals, it slowly spirals into something far more twisted, with an unforgettable narrative that examines shifting power dynamics, dependency, and sacrifice. While Alma struggles with Reynolds’ need to always be in control, Reynolds battles the challenge of relinquishing it, culminating in a finale that may very well rank among the most memorable in recent memory. At its core, Phantom Thread is a perfect analysis of vulnerability, reliance, and toxic relationships.
1
‘Rebecca’ (1940)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Rebecca is, in many ways, the gold standard of the dark romance — Gothic, brooding, and atmospheric. Directed by the previously mentioned directing legend, Alfred Hitchcock and adapted from Daphne du Maurier‘s novel, the psychological thriller stars Laurence Olivier as widower Maxim de Winter and Joan Fontaine as the unnamed second wife. After arriving at the Manderley estate, she finds herself haunted by the lingering presence of Maxim’s glamorous first wife — a woman never seen, but whose memory lingers in every life she touched.
Hitchcock’s black-and-white picture touches on many different themes. However, the most remarkable aspect is perhaps the way it explores the influence of the past and how memory, and the constant comparison that follows, influences our lives; rather than idealized love, the story’s primary driver is jealousy and obsession. Pair this thoughtful narrative with lush cinematography that vividly brings its Gothic mood to life, and it’s no wonder that the meticulously directed (and just as wonderfully written) film took home the Academy Award for Best Picture.
