OK, it’s almost Valentine’s Day, and with Sleepless in Seattle, An Affair to Remember and Casablanca clogging the airways perhaps it’s time to reconsider the classic romance film in an indie light. There are several ways to go when seeking out a non-traditional, non-commercial romance film of quality. These include character development, writing, acting, art direction and of course, do you really need a happy ending?
Let’s start by getting the elephants in the room out of the way. Of course there’s Juno, (500) Days of Summer, Garden State and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. These are all obvious, well-known indie, romance flicks, but perhaps we need to go back to 1967 to Irving Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde, to witness a true original vision of an off-beat (if doomed) romance that shook up the mainstream. And how can we even bring up the topic without a tip of the hat to 1971’s iconic Harold and Maude?
Tragedy is often a staple of romance films and you can hardly go wrong with gems from 1999 like American Beauty, with devastating performances from Kevin Spacey and Chris Cooper. The Virgin Suicides, Sophia Coppola’s directorial debut about doomed suburban sisters and the boys who loved them. The gritty, dark and hard-to-watch Leaving Las Vegas from 1995 with Elisabeth Shue and Nic Cage promises to depress and almost inspire. Meanwhile David Lynch’s ode to romance Wild at Heart from 1990 mixes unhealthy relationships with cartoon violence and overacting. While we’re in that vein, of course there is always True Romance, from 1993 featuring a classic Christopher Walken performance and the on-screen debut of Brad Pitt. If off beat is more appealing, perhaps Lost in Translation (2003), Solaris (2002) or even Let The Right One In, (the 2008 original) will fit the bill.
However, there are four films worth seeking out that may be not as well-known to viewers that I’d like to recommend due to their eloquence and style as well as romantic content. First is the Wim Wenders classic from 1987 Wings of Desire, which tells the tale of lonely angels over Berlin and their interaction with mortals.
BEWARE! Do not be fooled by the bad 1998 American remake—City of Angels with Nic Cage and Meg Ryan.
Next up is 1991’s Queen Margot (or La Reine Margot in French) starring the radiant Isabelle Adjani as the French queen caught in the middle of the French Catholic/Protestant purge of the 1570s.
Map of the Human Heart (1993) tells the story of an Inuit boy’s search for his long lost love, a story set against the background of World War II.
Finally, the Terrance Malick classic Days of Heaven from 1978 starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams and Sam Shepard. The film tells the story of migrant farm workers and the life they create and destroy with their love. An amazing, beautiful work of art that is haunting and powerful.
So if you are at home on Valentines night, don’t fall prey to the same old films on TCM, get to Casa Video or queue up one of these films on Netflicks that you have not seen – you won’t be disappointed.
