Items20The creator’s order
  1. 1The Green Ray (1986)The Green Ray (1986) 7.6/10 on IMDbReleased 29 Aug 1986Éric Rohmer gives a lonely summer holiday the suspense of a search for connection. Marie Rivière makes Delphine's refusals and anxieties understandable even when they frustrate the people around her. A Venice Golden Lion winner rather than an unknown film, it offers mainstream romance viewers a…0
  2. 2The Deep Blue Sea (2011)The Deep Blue Sea (2011) 6.2/10 on IMDbReleased 25 Nov 2011Rachel Weisz gives emotional precision to a woman whose passion for a former RAF pilot cannot provide the security she has left behind. Terence Davies uses music and carefully composed interiors to make that imbalance palpable. This quiet British period romance takes desire and dependence…0
  3. 3Bright Star (2009)Bright Star (2009) 6.9/10 on IMDbReleased 18 Sept 2009Jane Campion approaches John Keats through the developing attention between the poet and Fanny Brawne. Abbie Cornish gives Fanny intelligence and a practical life of her own, while textures, light and spoken verse make courtship feel physical. Try it when a restrained, observant literary romance…0
  4. 4The Souvenir (2019)The Souvenir (2019) 6.4/10 on IMDbReleased 17 May 2019Joanna Hogg draws a young film student's first serious relationship through details she cannot yet interpret clearly. Honor Swinton Byrne lets fascination and uncertainty coexist without turning Julie into a fool. Its art-school setting and fragmented storytelling make it a distinctive discovery;…0
  5. 5The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)The Scent of Green Papaya (1993) 7.3/10 on IMDbReleased 8 Jun 1993Trần Anh Hùng builds romantic feeling from the sounds and textures of a Vietnamese household. The young servant Mùi's attention to plants, food and music gives everyday observation a quiet intensity. This Cannes-recognised film is a good route beyond plot-led courtship, especially for viewers…0
  6. 6The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000)The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000) 7.2/10 on IMDbReleased 24 May 2000Three sisters and their partners move through a Hanoi summer in Trần Anh Hùng's ensemble drama. Domestic rituals and shared spaces give affection a sensual presence while leaving room for secrets and uncertainty. Less familiar than the director's earlier The Scent of Green Papaya, it rewards…0
  7. 7Oasis (2002)Oasis (2002) 7.8/10 on IMDbReleased 9 Aug 2002Lee Chang-dong centres a relationship between two socially marginalised people, with Moon So-ri giving the woman an inner life her family often disregards. The film challenges who is allowed desire and independence, but it includes attempted sexual assault and difficult questions about consent and…0
  8. 83-Iron (2004)3-Iron (2004) 7.9/10 on IMDbReleased 15 Oct 2004Kim Ki-duk follows a drifter who temporarily occupies empty homes and encounters a woman trapped in an abusive marriage. Sparse dialogue makes movement, proximity and absence unusually expressive. Its international festival reputation is substantial; for viewers outside that circuit, the discovery…0
  9. 9Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996)Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996) 8.1/10 on IMDbReleased 2 Nov 1996Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai play migrants from mainland China whose lives keep intersecting in Hong Kong. Peter Chan makes work, aspiration and popular songs shape the possibilities of their attraction. A major Hong Kong favourite rather than a local obscurity, it is worth seeking out for the way…0
  10. 10An Autumn's Tale (1987)An Autumn's Tale (1987) 7.4/10 on IMDbReleased 16 Jul 1987Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung find a tentative connection among Chinese immigrants in New York. Mabel Cheung grounds the attraction in jobs, shared accommodation and plans that may lead elsewhere. A major Hong Kong hit, it belongs here for English-language viewers who know Chow chiefly from action…0