10 of cinema’s most unusual romances

Valentine’s Day might be synonymous with mushy rom-coms, but quite frankly we’ve had our fill. So without further ado, we’ve rounded up ten of our favourite off-beat love stories—spanning “couple-on-the-run” romances, age-defying affairs of the heart, and technological entanglements—for all your weekend watching needs.

Cry-Baby (1990)

Cry-Baby is cinematic provocateur John Waters answer to Grease—a 1950s high school musical that replaces sappy love songs with rock’n’roll, cheer outfits with leather, first dates with French kissing, and skipping school with jailbreaks. Johnny Depp is Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, leader of juvenile delinquent gang The Drapes, who melts hearts with his bad-boy attitude and sheds a single teardrop a day. Allison is a squeaky-clean square who falls hard for Cry-Baby’s charms, defying her grandmother and overbearing boyfriend Balwin in the pursuit of her heart. What ensues is the kind of madcap love story that only Waters could conjure, co-starring Iggy Pop, Willem Dafoe and a pregnant Ricki Lake.

Harold & Maude (1971)

Hal Ashby’s 1971 drama is the ultimate odd couple caper. Harold is a wealthy, death-obsessed 20-year-old with no friends, who spends his days dreaming up new ways of faking his own death to alarm his snooty mother. Maude is a spirited, wildly eccentric 79-year-old, with a lust for life and attending stranger’s funerals. It’s a peculiar pastime that Harold also shares, and soon the duo’s worlds collide resulting in the most strange and stirring of love stories, set to the dulcet tones of Cat Stevens, who penned the memorable score.

Weekend (2011)

British director Andrew Haigh has garnered much acclaim for his quietly poetic mode of storytelling, which never fails to pack a powerful punch. He’s best known for his arresting 2015 drama 45 Years, starring an Oscar-nominated Charlotte Rampling, but his debut feature—a searing ode to fleeting connections—is just as compelling. Set, as its title suggests, over the course of a single weekend, it is the story of two men (played by Tom Cullen and Chris New) whose one-night stand unfolds into something intimate and unexpected: a brief encounter overshadowed by the fact that one of them is set to leave the country the very next week.

True Romance (1993)

Quentin Tarantino and Tony Scott’s cult crime drama birthed one of the most seminal cinematic duos of the 1990s: the badass, bubblegum chewing sex worker, Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette), and the comic-book-loving, Elvis-worshipping Clarence Worle (Christian Slater). When the pair fall head-over-heels in love, Clarence confronts Alabama’s pimp—grabbing what he thinks is his lover’s suitcase when things get messy, and making for the hills. As it turns out, the bag is brimming with cocaine rather than clothes, and a joyous Clarence and Alabama head for Los Angeles, with a brighter future in sight—and the mob in hot pursuit.

Love Jones (1997)

One of the most enduring romance movies of the 20th century, Ted Witcher’s Love Jones follows young poet, Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate), and established photographer, Nina Mosley (Nia Long), as they meet and fall in love on the New York spoken-word scene. It was one of the first films about black love “where struggle and strife did not dictate one’s circumstances” to quote the LA Times’ Tre’vell Anderson, and marked an important turning point in African-American filmmaking. Smart, funny and sensual, it is a potent investigation into falling in love against your better judgement—Nina’s fresh out of a relationship; Darius’ friends say he’s too young to relinquish his freedom—and what happens when you do.

Only You (2018)

Recent Netflix addition, Only You by Harry Wootliff, makes falling in love look easy—and then explores the challenges of staying in love with unflinching candour. Romantic and raw in equal measure, it’s a film propelled by the mesmerising performances of its leading actors, Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor. Costa is Elena, a 35-year-old Spanish ex-pat who meets O’Connor’s Jake (a 26-year-old Scot), on a rainy New Year’s Eve in Glasgow, arguing over a taxi. Sparks fly, and things move rapidly for the enamoured pair, until their plans to start a family bring about an abrupt halt, testing the limits of their love in ways they never could have imagined.

In the Mood for Love (2000)

As visually sumptuous as it is emotive, Wong Kar-wai’s atmospheric tale of unrequited love makes for unmissable viewing. Set in 1960s Hong Kong, it hones in on two young couples living in adjacent rooms in a busy tenement block. Maggie Cheung’s secretary, and  Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s newspaper editor, begin to grow suspicious when their respective spouses start spending increasing amounts of time away from home. Some light investigation confirms that the couple are indeed having an affair, leaving their other halves distraught and with only each other for comfort. Soon they find themselves drawn to one another, while battling their resolve to keep up their own side of their marriage vows.

Her (2013)

An unconventional and affecting contemplation on love in the age of Artificial Intelligence, Her sees Joaquin Phoenix take on the role of a reclusive, recently divorced writer named Theodore Twombly, who purchases a personalised computer operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) designed to cater to his every individual requirement—and promptly falls under its spell. What on paper sounds like the premise for an absurd comedy evolves into a surprisingly shrewd relationship drama that is both moving and mind-altering, while boasting a colour palette to die for.

Badlands (1973)

It’s the film that kickstarted Terrence Malick’s masterful career—and his debut, no less—and one of the most beautifully rendered “couple-on-the-run” love stories of all time, in spite of the trail of dead bodies its stylish protagonists leave in their wake. When Kit, a rebellious James Dean aspirant played by Martin Sheen, kills his teenage girlfriend’s disapproving father (played by Sissy Spacek and Warren Oates, respectively), the lovers take flight, heading for the Badlands of Montana. The situation escalates fast as the fame-fixated pair channel their inner Bonnie and Clyde, and a team of bounty hunters closes in.

The Lunchbox (2013)

This enticing romance from Indian director Ritesh Batra will leave your heart warm and your stomach grumbling. Saajan (Irrfan Khan) is a lonely widower planning his retirement from an accountancy firm. Ila (Nimrat Kaur) is a young, neglected housewife desperately trying to recalibrate her marriage by cooking her husband delectable meals, delivered (along with an accompanying note) to his office via a lunchbox delivery service. In an ongoing case of mistaken identity, the lunchboxes land at Saajan’s desk and he begins replying to Ila’s notes, sparking a candid thread of written communication. An unanticipated friendship—and looming consequences—ensue.