Bittersweet Romance movies

Vibe

Realistic Tense Claustrophobic Stylish Measured

Overview

Gilda Bessé shares her Paris apartment with an Irish schoolteacher, Guy Malyon, and Mia, a refugee from Spain. As the world drifts toward war, Gilda defiantly pursues her hedonistic lifestyle and her burgeoning career as a photographer. But Guy and Mia feel impelled to join the fight against fascism, and the three friends are separated.

Themes

Betrayal and trust, Class differences, Romance under pressure, Resistance vs collaboration, Diaspora and allegiance, Wartime loyalties

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Tense Intimate Claustrophobic Deliberate Stylish

Overview

In a world where a clinic deletes your worst heartbreak, a quiet man signs up to erase his ex—only to relive their love in reverse as it’s ripped from his mind. Trapped inside his own vanishing memories, he scrambles to hide her in forgotten corners of his past before she disappears for good.

Themes

Memory manipulation ethics, Amnesia and longing, Memory erasure consequences, Jealousy in relationships, Nonlinear timelines of memory, Relationship problems under manipulation

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Intimate Restrained Deliberate Dreamlike Measured

Overview

After his impetuous musician girlfriend, Samantha, dies in an accident shortly after they had a fight (and nearly broke up), Ian Wyndham, a grief-stricken British businessman living in London gets a chance to relive the day all over again, in the hope of changing the events that led up to her getting killed.

Themes

Memory shaping identity, Grief and coping, Devotion under pressure, Time loop and agency, Love vs ambition, Creative pursuit vs relationship

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Tense Bleak Relentless Measured

Overview

In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman deserts his unit and travels across the South, aiming to return to his young wife, Ada, who he left behind to tend their farm. As Inman makes his perilous journey home, Ada struggles to keep their home intact with the assistance of Ruby, a mysterious drifter sent to help her by a kindly neighbor.

Themes

Violence and coercion, Desertion and duty, Romance amid hardship, Loss and longing, Women sustaining homes, Rape attempt

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Tense Steady Dry Stylish Measured

Overview

Bernie works at a Las Vegas casino, where he uses his innate ability to bring about misfortune in those around him to jinx gamblers into losing. His imposing boss, Shelly Kaplow, is happy with the arrangement. But Bernie finds unexpected happiness when he begins dating attractive waitress Natalie Belisario.

Themes

Deception in romance, Casino dynamics, Bad luck manipulation, Card game stakes, Voyeurism tension, Drug abuse leverage

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Tense Claustrophobic Restrained Measured

Overview

One winter night, Pilar runs away from home. With her, she takes only a few belongings and her son, Juan. Antonio soon sets out to look for her. He says Pilar is his sunshine, and what's more, "She gave him her eyes"...

Themes

Sexual abuse, Unemployment pressures, Break-up consequences, Domestic violence, Economic independence, Sibling relationship

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Claustrophobic Dry Restrained Deliberate

Overview

A young drifter working on a river barge disrupts his employers' lives while hiding the fact that he knows more about a dead woman found in the river than he admits.

Themes

Extramarital affair, Court case, Precarious labor, Memory and trauma, Domestic power struggle, Pregnancy and obligation

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Intimate Dry Restrained Deliberate Measured

Overview

A washed-up movie star and a young wife drift through Tokyo on separate, lonely trips—until a chance meeting in a hotel bar pulls them into a fragile, electric connection that makes going back to their real lives suddenly unbearable.

Themes

Culture clash and loneliness, Midlife crisis and longing, Homesickness in foreign city, Age-difference relationship, Quiet companionship in foreign city, Nostalgic melancholy and hope

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Playful Realistic Tense Whimsical Intimate

Overview

As adults, best friends Julien and Sophie continue the odd game they started as children -- a fearless competition to outdo one another with daring and outrageous stunts. While they often act out to relieve one another's pain, their game might be a way to avoid the fact that they are truly meant for one another.

Themes

Loyalty under strain, Forbidden romance, Deception in love, Obsessive dares, Competition as bond, Wealth disparity

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Vibe

Realistic Tense Intimate Claustrophobic Bleak

Overview

When talented young writer Elizabeth Wurtzel earns a scholarship to Harvard, she sees it as her chance to escape the pressures of her working-class background and concentrate on her true talent. But what starts out so promising leads to self-destructive behavior and paralyzing depression that reflects an entire generation's struggle to navigate the effects of divorce, drugs, sex, and high expectations.

Themes

Academic ambition under pressure, Mental illness and treatment, Divorce strain, Substance abuse cycle, Economic hardship and expectations, Caregiver neglect and support

Available on

Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.