In honour of Valentine’s Day, why not skip charming rom-coms and do it a little differently this year? These films serve romance and passion with a side of strangeness, surrealness, or darkness, tugging at your heartstrings and simultaneously leaving you questioning your sanity.
Bones and All (2022)
Bones and All follows young lovers, Maren and Lee, wrestling with their identity amidst crippling cannibalistic urges that force them to the margins of society. The film strikes a remarkable balance between horror and romance with scenes of chilling violence seamlessly interspersed with beautiful sensuality. Highly metaphorical, it exemplifies the ways in which love can be harrowing, all-consuming, and obsessive—but ultimately about vulnerability and acceptance.
Swiss Army Man (2016)
If you’ve ever doubted that farts could be emotional, Swiss Army Man will prove you wrong. This eccentric yet utterly heartfelt comedy begins as a survival story and later transforms into an oddly moving exploration of loneliness, connection, and self discovery. Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on an island, on the verge of losing hope, before spotting an incessantly flatulent corpse named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe. You’ll need to suspend all judgement and belief for this one but, once you’re onboard, you’ll find a refreshing testament to the love and companionship found in unexpected places.
The Shape of Water (2017)
Set against the backdrop of the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement in America, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water offers a visually mesmerising and fairytale-like love story between a mute cleaning lady and an enigmatic amphibian creature. Drenched in blues and greens, it’s a reminder that love is fluid, deep, and shapeless like water and belongs to everyone, no matter how different or misunderstood.
The Lobster (2015)
This dystopian twist on modern romance envisions a society where singles are sent to a hotel to find romantic partners within forty-five days and failure results in transformation into a wild animal. The Lobster is an absurdist, deadpan, and dark humoured reflection of our obsession to fit within societal norms, sometimes through insincere means like pretending to have more in common with someone than we really do (we’ve all been there). Sometimes being single is just better than a superficial, hollow-hearted relationship!
“Dear Diary: I love you” by jtbrennan is licensed under CC BY 2.0.