Romance backdrop

Romance movies

Stories of passion, heartbreak, and intimacy that explore the beautiful and complicated nature of love.

Subgenres include: Romantic Comedy, Passionate Romance, Dark Romance.

Nurse Betty

1721. Nurse Betty

Comedy Crime Thriller Drama Romance
6.3

20001h 48min

Germany, United States

Director: Neil LaBute

What happens when a person decides that life is merely a state of mind? If you're Betty, a small-town waitress and soap opera fan from Fair Oaks, Kansas, you refuse to believe that you can't be with the love of your life just because he doesn't really exist. After all, life is no excuse for not living. Traumatized by a savage event, Betty enters into a fugue state that allows -- even encourages -- her to keep functioning... in a kind of alternate reality.

Themes

Crisis-induced fugue state, Fantasy vs reality, Deception and role-playing, Emotional labor under threat, Caregiving under danger, Public performance and identity

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Man Who Cried

1722. The Man Who Cried

Romance Drama Music War Romantic Epic
6.1

20001h 36min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Sally Potter

A young refugee travels from Russia to America in search of her lost father and falls in love with a gypsy horseman.

Themes

Displacement and longing, Persecution and danger, Forbidden romance across borders, Renaming and assimilation pressure, Survival through performance, Art as refuge

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Together

1723. Together

Drama Comedy Romance Family Drama Feel-Good Romance
7.4

20001h 46min

Denmark, Italy

Director: Lukas Moodysson

Elisabeth leaves her abusive and drunken husband Rolf, and goes to live with her brother, Göran. The year is 1975 and Göran lives in a commune called Together. Living in this leftist commune Elisabeth learns that the world can be viewed from different perspectives.

Themes

Power dynamics in relationships, Leftist communal living, Ideological debates vs daily life, Gender and sexuality boundaries, Loneliness within collectives, Abuse and resilience

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
AMC+ Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

In July

1724. In July

Adventure Comedy Romance
7.6

20001h 36min

Germany, Türkiye

Director: Fatih Akin

Daniel’s drab existence as a physics teacher takes an adventurous turn when he falls in love with a Turkish girl named Melek. He spontaneously decides to follow her to Instanbul by car. On the road across Europe, he picks up his free-spirited friend Juli, who is secretly in love with him.


All of the Clow Cards have been captured, and Sakura Kinomoto, the new Master of the Cards, is preparing to play the lead in the play for the town festival. However, a new evil force is causing mysterious events all over Tomoeda, including the disappearance of Sakura's cards. With Syaoran's help, Sakura must figure out the cause of these events, and save her town.


But I'm a Cheerleader

1726. But I'm a Cheerleader

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Satire
6.8

20001h 25min

United States

Director: Jamie Babbit

Megan is an all-American girl. A cheerleader. She has a boyfriend. But Megan doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. Her conservative parents worry that she must be a lesbian and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, where she must, with other lesbians and gays learn how to be straight.

Themes

Conformity under pressure, Self-identity under social scrutiny, Family rejection and acceptance, Appearance vs private truth, Conversion-therapy critique, Romance under social risk

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

1727. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Adventure Drama Action Romance Martial Arts Action
7.9

20002h

Hong Kong SAR China, Taiwan

Director: Ang Lee

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Duty vs personal desire, Honor and chivalry, Intergenerational conflict, Loyalty and betrayal, Power over artifacts

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vatel

1728. Vatel

History Drama Romance Passionate Romance
6.6

20002h 5min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Roland Joffé

In 1671, with war brewing with Holland, a penniless prince invites Louis XIV to three days of festivities at a chateau in Chantilly. The prince wants a commission as a general, so the extravagances are to impress the king. In charge of all is the steward, Vatel, a man of honor, talent, and low birth. The prince is craven in his longing for stature: no task is too menial or dishonorable for him to give Vatel. While Vatel tries to sustain dignity, he finds himself attracted to Anne de Montausier, the king's newest mistress. In Vatel, she finds someone who's authentic, living out his principles within the casual cruelties of court politics. Can the two of them escape unscathed?

Themes

Low birth constraint, Royal cuisine display, Penniless prince ascent, Newest mistress tension, Royal court dynamics, Three days ritual

Available on

Apple TV
Amazon Video
blue TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Where the Heart Is

1729. Where the Heart Is

Comedy Drama Romance Coming-of-Age Drama Romantic Comedy
6.7

20002h

United States

Director: Matt Williams

Novalee Nation is a 17-year-old Tennessee transient who has to grow up in a hurry when she's left pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend on a roadside, and takes refuge in the friendly aisles of Wal-Mart. Eventually, some eccentric but kindly strangers 'adopt' Novalee and her infant daughter, helping them buck the odds and build a new life.

Themes

Teenage pregnancy stigma, Resilience through strangers, Mentorship through craft, Unreliable family ties, Inheritance and new beginnings, Community shelter and care

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Virgin Suicides

1730. The Virgin Suicides

Drama Romance Coming-of-Age Drama Dark Romance
7.2

20001h 37min

United States

Director: Sofia Coppola

A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents.

Themes

Overprotective parenting, Male gaze pressure, Adolescent longing, Suburban isolation, Secrecy and performance, Collective memory

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.