Love – everything has been said about it, yet it’s very meaning still remains elusive. Instead, as mere human beings, we settle for things like art, film, music, and literature to hopefully encapsulate its very essence.

This Valentine’s season it’s always fun to get into the romantic mood and indulge in the festivities that celebrate love. We’ve listed down some movies that show us what love can be, how we understand, consume, and so willingly give it. So if you’re feeling a bit of a homebody this evening, why not pop open a bottle of wine, cook up some popcorn, settle into your couch, and pick among this Valentine’s must watch movies: 

Casablanca (1942)

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world – she walks into mine”

Who can forget the iconic line Humphrey Bogart utters under his breath in a scene of sullen drunkenness after having seen Ingrid Bergman’s character years after she stood him up at a train station in Paris?

 The 1940s classic has truly gone down in history as one of the most memorable love stories of all time. Although, the two main leads do not end up together, Casablanca remains as an iconic romantic movie possibly because it approaches an unselfish kind of love and the essence of duty – here Rick sacrifices his own happiness for Ilsa to be able to leave Casablanca with her husband (the leader of the resistance). The story reminds us of Love beyond romance and beyond fairy tales. It is about being a friend, about letting go even when it means the world to you to hold on.

  Roman Holiday (1953)

Roman Holiday is a film about a princess (Audrey Hepburn) who escapes her duties to experience Rome as a commoner. Coincidentally she bumps into Joe (Gregory Peck) who shows her around the city. The movie is embellished with scenic shots and iconic wardrobes, but at the core of all that cinematic bravado is a simple story of love: here is a day without the heaviness of obligation, a day both of them leave behind all the things that weigh them down to reality. It is about fantasy; a fairy tale filtered into a span of a day. Here we can see how love can be so innocent and blissfully entrancing.  

Annie Hall (1977)

A story about love, yes. A romantic love story, not quite. Annie Hall is arguably one of Woody Allen’s best works, and surely the most iconic. The movie explores the minute details of being in a relationship how it can be unexplainably idyllic and tormenting all at the same time. Alvy (Woody Allen) and Annie (Diane Keaton) are seen in different parts of their relationship: from them exchanging their details on a rooftop in New York, to domestic shenanigans of trying to cook lobster, all the way to complaining about each other to their respective therapists. 

The movie is difficult to summarize in such short words, but needless to say, it isn’t sparse in its numerous attempts to traverse the nature of love and relationships. It challenges the domestic narrative, gender roles and differences, the nature of sex and even desire. If you’re looking for an interesting watch this Valentine’s, Annie Hall might just be your best bet!

Princess Bride (1987)

Over the years, The Princess Bride has attained cult status—for good reason. This romantic fantasy adventure comedy film is about a farmhand named Westley (Cary Elwes) who must overcome all odds to save and be with his true love, Buttercup (Robin Wright). The story has the elements you’d expect from a fairy tale—a damsel-in-distress, a swashbuckling hero, a twistedly evil villain, and a merry band of misfits who will save the day—but adds a hefty dose of goodhearted comedy. 

When Harry Met Sally (1989) 

When Harry Met Sally follows two friends played by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan across years as they struggle to prove each other wrong about Harry’s notion that men and women can’t be friends, as “the sex part always gets in the way”. With all the witty banter between the two, how their friendship grows through the years, this movie is a definite much watch for Valentine’s!

Before Trilogy (1995, 2004, 2013)

Before Sunrise

The Before trilogy is composed of three separate movies: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013). All the movies in this series are good to watch on their own, as they are usually set in one city, traversing a short amount of time between the two characters.

Before Sunset

Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke remarkably maintain their characters in the span of 18 years, showing the audience how attraction transforms into affection, affection into passion, and how passion turns into love.

Before Midnight

We follow the two leads as starry-eyed strangers wistfully strolling around together in Vienna all the way to a married couple stuck in Greece, arguing about kids, their sex life, and how much they’ve changed. For a more in-depth look into Love this season, this movie marathon just might be the best way to go.

In the Mood for Love (2000) 

Wong Kar Wai’s  iconic film is about two neighbours Chow Mo-Wan (Tony Leung) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) who fall into certain suspicions about their respective spouse’s fidelity. Eventually, they figure out that their spouses have been seeing each other. With this realization, they fall into each other’s company to look for solace, but slowly the tension builds, and things get a bit more complicated.

Wong Kar Wai takes the viewer into the busy streets and apartments of 1960s Hong Kong with captivating cinematography and a haunting musical score. In the Mood For Love challenges the idea of fidelity as it reminds us of our own desires and how vulnerable we can be in times of betrayal. Here, Love takes a melancholic face as both our characters settle for the hollow façade of comfort in a stranger’s arm, yet this is all they have. It begs the question: what can be real when it comes to desire? What does is it really mean to love? But moreover, what does it take to be loved? 

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

 An independent, witty writer Erica meets and falls in love with older playboy, music producer, Harry…who happens to be dating her daughter. Something’s Gotta Give is about an unconventional love. Two adults, in their later years, who could not be more opposite, ironically find happiness and love in one another. It is a tale of facing reality and coming to terms with ones self and the ghosts of your past. Both leads had closed the door on love but find that they are learning about themselves by opening their hearts to the risk and rewards of vulnerability.

The Notebook (2004)

Of course, The Notebook. A sure shot romantic film to see when you’re feeling in the mood to fall in love all over again. The movie follows the two leads Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) in summer heaven as teenagers all the way to a nursing home. In the latter, Noah reads from Allie’s notebook to help her with her dementia, and help her remember how they loved each other. 

The movie is a classic for good reason. It touches on the kind of love we all secretly aspire to have: the I-can’t-go-on-without-you kind of love, the one that consumes you to the bones, the one that is so profoundly passionate that no obstacle can be too great to be put against it. The Notebook rouses in us our desire to find our own Allie or Noah – that one person who’ll simply say “if you’re a bird, I’m a bird”. There’s definitely no better time that Valentine’s to indulge in this movie! 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

If you haven’t seen this movie, perhaps now is the perfect time. It revolves around Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) as two forlorn lovers who undergo a procedure to remove one another from their memories. The mild science fiction premise somehow works as it doesn’t so much as focus on the technicality of it all, but moreover it takes you on a ride from memory to memory and how important each one is. 

The incredibly intricate screenplay engages the viewer with surreal scenes and questions like: if you are in so much pain from a failed love, would you go as far as to erase that person from your memory? Much of the movie is about the small details of their relationship, the quirks, the idiosyncrasies of they hate and love about each other. Here, Love is tackled alongside regret, friendship, and desperation. But at the end of it all, the timeless maxim arises: is it really better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? 

Pride & Prejudice (2005) 

Adapted from the 1813 Jane Austen novel of the same name, this 2005 film has truly captivated audiences all over. With Keira Knightley as the wistful Elizabeth Bennet alongside Matthew Macfayden’s Mr. Darcy, the film traverses the ups and downs of 18th century romance. The essential struggle between familial duty and true love comes into play.

One More Chance (2007)

 Yes, One More Chance! Arguably the most quoted romantic Filipino film of the past decade, it certainly has fallen into cult-classic and viral meme status. The movie follows the ever so loved Popoy (John Lloyd Cruz) and Basha (Bea Alonzo) as they fight about things like chicken skin, and downright jealousy. The film has become a hit for obvious reasons as it touches upon classic romantic narratives that are present in almost any relationship. The fights, the lambingan, and even the difficulty of a heart ache. If you’re looking for something a bit on the sappy side (in a good way), indulge in virtually everyone’s guilty pleasure that is One More Chance.

Blue Valentine (2010)

Not for the faint of heart. Blue Valentine chronicles Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) as they work on their withering marriage. Scenes of marital struggle are effectively juxtaposed with warm and jovial scenes of their first bout or romance. The film can be said as a portrayal of falling out of love, of the denial, the unbelievable struggle of holding the pieces together. It will take you for a ride as you invest in the romantic scenes between the two young characters and subsequently follow them into matrimonial abyss. 

Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

This Palme d’Or winner chronicles the sexual awakening of young Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), who strikes up a passionate relationship with Emma (Léa Seydoux), during the formative years of her life. The film follows Adèle as she experiences the bliss of first love, the despair of growing apart emotionally from Emma, and her journey to acceptance and self-realisation.

La La Land (2016) 

Great modern musicals are hard to come by, but the buzzy La La Land has captivated virtually everyone who’s seen it, and it could be on its way to Oscar glory. The story follows Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) through the euphoric highs and heartbreaking lows of their relationship— set in impressive musical numbers. The film takes great care in showing that the pursuit of dreams could come with a great personal price, and that your great love doesn’t have to be your last.